2025 UHF Gala Journal - Flipbook - Page 10
Health Care Leadership Award
Bruce Ratner
For his work on early cancer detection
and deep commitment to the health
and well-being of New Yorkers
Bruce Ratner knows a thing or two about turning an idealistic vision into reality (or
as he puts it, “implementation”). He has dramatically reshaped New York City’s
skyline and played a leading role in reviving several of its signature neighborhoods.
Chances are, if you’ve spent any time strolling around Manhattan or Brooklyn, you’ve
walked by one of the more than 50 buildings his company, Forest City Ratner, has
developed. Many are iconic landmarks, including The New York Times building; 8
Spruce Street (the acclaimed wavy skyscraper designed by Frank Gehry) in Lower
Manhattan; the Barclays Center (home to the Brooklyn Nets, who Bruce brought to
Brooklyn as a then owner of the team); and MetroTech Center in downtown Brooklyn.
Before his storied career in real estate, Bruce held an eclectic array of other roles:
director of the Consumer Protection Division during New York City Mayor John
Lindsay’s administration, an NYU law professor, and New York City’s Commissioner
of Consumer Affairs (the youngest person to serve as a commissioner in Mayor Ed
Koch’s administration)—to name a few. He’s also served on the boards of Memorial
Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medicine, each for more than 20
years, and more recently became a trustee of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Now, he’s putting his idealism and well-honed knack for implementation behind a bold
new effort: slashing cancer mortality rates by prioritizing early detection, increasing
access to cancer screening, and focusing on eliminating disparities in care nationwide.
The Ratner Early Detection Initiative (REDI) seeks to direct more attention and
funding to early detection of cancer while still recognizing the importance of research,
funding, and treatment for more advanced cancers. However, it is critical to catch
the disease at its earliest stages, when cure rates can be as high as 90 percent. REDI
focuses on four key areas: building public awareness; advancing research; fostering
academic engagement; and strengthening advocacy—each directed toward priorities
that improve cancer screening and prevention. At the heart of this work is a deep
commitment to tackling inequity and to amplifying well-established science and
knowledge. “If we just apply what we already know, we could save so many lives,
and particularly in the case of underserved communities,” Bruce says.
