To honor the memory of Dr. Tapan Mitra, the late Goldwin Smith Professor of Economics at Cornell University, family and friends propose setting up a fund to inspire research into the patient experience. 

Called the Tapan Mitra Fund focused on the Patient Experience, the fund commemorates Dr. Mitra’s commitment to achieving high standards of academic excellence, as well as his recognition of the importance of pursuing challenging and overlooked patient problems. The Fund will offer small grants or seed funding to kick-start crucial research studies across disciplines and functions within MSK. Per Professor Mitra’s wishes, the research supported by the Fund will focus on understanding and improving the non-clinical experience that patients have at MSK. 

As the world’s oldest and largest private institution devoted exclusively to cancer, MSK extends unparalleled opportunities to its nurses to participate in continuing education and clinical training, while dedicating themselves to high-quality patient- and family-centered care. These “unsung heroes,” the frontline healthcare providers with whom patients and families have the closest contact, consistently offer extraordinary care to our patients throughout their cancer journeys.

Although caring remains essential to nursing, advances in treatment methods, particularly for critically ill patients, have transformed the field. Without losing their compassion, today’s nurses must be prepared to tackle any issues of potential harm to their patients. MSK assures that its nursing science keeps pace with medical progress.. By supporting my ongoing efforts to mentor nurses in expertly conducting scientific studies, MSK promotes nurse science and scholarly pursuits, as well as attract and retain top talent.

The Tapan Mitra Fund focused on the Patient Experience will not only assist aspiring researchers in designing and executing essential research projects, but also in disseminating their findings through professional publications and other venues. 

Thank you for your kind consideration of support that which will create a bold new initiative at MSK and celebrate the legacy of Tapan Mitra.