Thursday, October 1, 2026
Mount Sinai South Nassau will expand access to cancer clinical trials on Long Island with a $350,000 donation from the Betty Ajces Trust.
The gift is the fourth major contribution the hospital has received from the trust since 2023, bringing its total donations to $2.05 million. The gifts from the Leon and Betty Ajces Memorial Fund at Mount Sinai South Nassau support cancer research and prevention efforts.
“Being involved in a clinical trial can be lifesaving but also time consuming for patients, especially if they have to travel to Manhattan multiple times a week,” said Joshua Kugler, interim president of Mount Sinai South Nassau. “The generous support from the Ajces Fund will enable us to expand Long Island residents’ access to cutting-edge cancer therapies and treatment protocols here in Oceanside.”
The hospital’s Department of Clinical Research is a National Clinical Trial Network affiliate within the Mount Sinai Health System. The department participates in cancer research designed to establish new standards of care, support regulatory approval of new therapies, test treatment approaches and validate new human genome biomarkers.
The department is based at the Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center in Valley Stream and includes a clinical research manager, nurse, social worker and coordinator. The team works with researchers and clinicians at The Tisch Cancer Institute, a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center within the Mount Sinai Health System in Manhattan.
The donation will help Mount Sinai South Nassau expand access on Long Island to clinical trials already underway at The Tisch Cancer Institute, giving patients an opportunity to participate in potentially groundbreaking treatments closer to home.
“Mount Sinai South Nassau has proven to be a good partner and a worthy recipient of our support,” said Alan E. Weiner, a trustee of the Betty Ajces Trust and longtime friend of the late Betty and Leon Ajces. “It is gratifying to know as a result of the leadership at Mount Sinai South Nassau’s cancer program, hundreds of patients on Long Island will benefit.”
Rajiv Datta, chair of the Department of Surgery at Mount Sinai and medical director of the Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center, said the partnership helps bring innovative cancer care closer to patients.
“When hope is combined with compassionate, expert physicians and access to medical innovations and advancements, the result empowers patients and our staff to continue to provide potentially life-saving work,” Datta said.
The Gertrude & Louis Feil Cancer Center, accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer with a “commendation” designation, serves as the hub of Mount Sinai South Nassau’s cancer program. The center treats about 2,500 patients annually and offers advanced technologies including the Varian Novalis Tx, da Vinci Surgical System and Gamma Knife Perfexion.
The hospital’s cancer program also specializes in liver, or hepatobiliary, cancer and offers a dedicated chemotherapy infusion center. Through its partnership with The Tisch Cancer Institute, patients have access to oncologists specializing in a range of common and rare cancers.
The latest donation continues the trust’s support of Mount Sinai South Nassau’s efforts to bring cancer research, treatment and clinical trials to patients throughout Long Island.
