American Red Cross Honors Jeff Vacirca

The American Red Cross Greater New York Region bestowed its Humanitarian Award

to Dr. Jeff Vacirca on Wednesday, October 16, at the 2019 Heroes Among Us Gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Manhattan.

Dr. Vacirca is the CEO of New York Cancer & Blood Specialists. He is a board-certified hematologist and oncologist, and was honored at the gala for his compassion and commitment to patient care, on which many families contending with cancer issues have relied, and for his steadfast support of the Red Cross mission.

Before receiving this latest accolade, he was a recipient of the Theodore Roosevelt award for outstanding dedication to patient care and has been named in Newsday’s Top Doctors. Dr. Vacirca serves as a consulting physician for the Long Island Association for AIDS Care and was honored for his role in enabling LIAAC staff to bring state-of-the-art HIV testing to New York.

He is the immediate past president of the Community Oncology Alliance, medical director for Amerisource Bergen specialty group, a scientific advisory board member for Caris Life Sciences, director at OneOncology, director at Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, and serves as a medical board advisor for Flatiron Health, located in New York City.

Additionally, he is vice-chairman of the board for Odonate Therapeutics, a company he cofounded in 2016, which is dedicated to the development of best-in-class therapeutics that improve and extend the lives of patients with cancer.

In keeping with his humanitarian efforts, in 2014, Dr. Vacirca founded the New York Cancer Foundation, of which he is the chair of the board of directors. The foundation provides financial assistance to patients undergoing treatment for cancer. Since its inception, it has helped hundreds of patients and their families, providing grants to pay non-medical expenses including rent, mortgage, utility bills, and transportation to and from treatment.

Likewise, while leading the New York Cancer & Blood Specialists, Dr. Vacirca has been passionate about providing the best cancer treatments to patients close to home, recently opening of a new Port Jefferson Station cancer center to serve the area. “We want to be able to offer the newest therapies to all of our patients on Long Island and this is our starting point. With more than 50 clinical trials available, we can bring the newest and best drugs to our patients. This is a proud moment for those dedicated to comprehensive cancer care,” said Dr. Vacirca, who remains committed to serving the community on all levels.

Proceeds raised during the gala will enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to, and help people affected by hurricanes and other disasters.

rmurphy@indyeastend.com