A Pioneering Path for Patricia Saigo
An exceptional life culminates with an extraordinary gift
In 1959, straight out of high school, the late Patricia Saigo, MD, moved by herself from the Big Island of Hawaii to New York City to study at Barnard College. At a time when only a fraction of women completed four or more years of college, Dr. Saigo graduated and went on to study medicine at the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the first in a lifelong string of pioneering endeavors she would undertake.
Following her medical internship and residency, Dr. Saigo began an illustrious 25-year career at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). She advanced from a cytopathology fellow at Memorial Hospital to become the first woman on staff in Pathology and, later, the first woman appointed to a leadership role within MSK’s Department of Pathology: the Chief of the Cytology Service.
Dr. Saigo was also the Medical Director of the MSK School of Cytotechnology, where she taught and mentored many students, fellows, and staff.
“Dr. Saigo was an outstanding mentor,” says Oscar Lin, MD, PhD, the current Chief of MSK’s Cytology Service, who fondly remembers training as a fellow with Dr. Saigo.
Remembering what it was like to be young and without the nearby support system of her own family in New York City, Dr. Saigo had a special place in her heart for those experiencing similar journeys and always went above and beyond to make her fellows and mentees feel at home. Dr. Lin recalls that she would even invite the fellows over for Thanksgiving dinner every year.
“She cared deeply about not only our academic lives but also our personal ones. She asked a lot from us but would give back just as much, if not more,” says Dr. Lin.
Leaving a lasting legacy
In addition to supporting her colleagues, Dr. Saigo also invested in MSK during her lifetime. Through a series of gifts to MSK, her partnership enabled the type of groundbreaking research and compassionate care that continues to define MSK to this day.
Dr. Saigo retired from MSK in 1999, following her term as the President of the American Society of Cytopathology (ASC) and after receiving the Papanicolaou Award, ASC’s highest honor. In retirement, she stayed in touch with many of her mentees, often returning to MSK to visit.
Dr. Saigo passed away in 2022, but her tremendous legacy at MSK lives on. The Cytology Reading Room, the “heart of the Cytology Service,” as Dr. Lin calls it, now bears her name. A gift to MSK’s Department of Cytology from Dr. Saigo’s estate will continue to further the important work she helped to pioneer.
Dr. Saigo’s generosity embodies the spirit of stewardship at MSK. Alongside our generous donor community, the philanthropy of our staff and faculty plays a vital role in advancing crucial research and innovative care at MSK.
Together, we’re leading science and changing lives through The MSK Campaign.
You too can support MSK now and in the future with a gift in your estate plans. Contact the Office of Gift Planning at giftplanning@mskcc.org or 800-688-1827 to learn more about how you can make a difference for generations to come.
