Hackensack University Medical Center’s Ronit Slotky, PhD, Wins Major Award in Cellular Therapy Field
October 22, 2021
Hackensack University Medical Center is proud to announce that Ronit Slotky, Ph.D., Director of the Cell Therapies Manufacturing Facility, has received the 2021 President's Award from the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). This honor recognizes the extraordinary public service and contributions of individuals or organizations to the AABB and the field of cellular therapy. The AABB recognized Dr. Slotky at their virtual annual meeting held today.
Cellular therapies work by enhancing the ability of the body's cells to battle diseases; this can be achieved by increasing the power of the immune system to detect and destroy cancer cells, replacing cancer cells with healthy ones, or substituting a malfunctioning gene within cells. Dr. Slotky has been an active member of the AABB for many years and has participated in numerous committees, including serving as vice-chair of the AABB cellular therapy committee.
"I have deep respect for the people who have received this award in the past, and am very honored by this recognition," said Slotky.
“We are extremely proud of Dr. Slotky for receiving this very prestigious honor,” said Andre Goy, M.D., M.S., chairman and executive director of John Theurer Cancer Center. “It is particularly great to see her recognized as an expert in her field at a time when cell therapies will continue to expand and continue to change cancer care.”
Dr. Slotky came to Hackensack University Medical Center in 2018 to build and direct the Cell Therapies Facility, a part of the medical center's John Theurer Cancer Center. The facility directly supports the work of the Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy program, one of the nation's leading providers of stem cell transplantation and cellular therapies such as CAR-T cell immunotherapy for cancer. The cell therapies facility at HUMC was necessary to help bring clinical trials of new cutting-edge cellular therapies to patients who could benefit.
"I am grateful for the opportunity to build this new facility at HUMC and wouldn’t be able to do it without the dedication of the people around me, who are very devoted to their work," Dr. Slotky asserted.
“Dr. Slotky has developed a very high functioning laboratory that supports the clinical and research efforts of the cancer center, both adult and pediatric,” says Scott Rowley, M.D., FACP, hematologist, medical director, Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy and medical director, BMT Cell Lab, John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center. “We are extremely proud of her.”
She and her colleagues were involved in pivotal research led by Michele Donato, MD, Chief of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, which demonstrated the effectiveness of convalescent plasma from patients with very high immune response for treating some patients hospitalized. This effort was profiled on “60 Minutes” back in May 2020.
"I am honored to work with Dr. Slotky and am proud of all that she has accomplished during her time with us at Hackensack University Medical Center," said Michele Donato, M.D., chief, Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Program, John Theurer Cancer Center."She is very deserving of this recognition."
Dr. Slotky received her Ph.D. from Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and a master's degree in biostatistics from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. She supervised the Cell Therapy Facility at Weill Cornell Medicine before coming to Hackensack University Medical Center in April 2018.