An Unlikely Journey: How Ivan Roman Found His Home at MSK
Ivan Roman took the long road to MSK — through retail, construction, and a loss that changed everything. Today, he says he's exactly where he belongs.
Ivan Roman didn't plan on a career in healthcare. But life had other ideas.
Years ago, while working part-time at Target during college, Ivan met a woman who became a mentor and friend to him and his colleagues. She was the kind of person who supported everyone around her, even while quietly facing her own struggles. Years after Ivan moved on from that job, he got word that she had been diagnosed with cancer.
"It broke so many people's hearts to get this news, but none more than our little group," Ivan says.
The group rallied. Every day, they traveled from Long Island to MSK in New York City to be by her side — making sure she was never alone. They brought laughter, shared memories, and even snuck in a small slot machine so she could enjoy one of her favorite pastimes from her hospital room. When she was discharged to go home and watch her daughter get married before passing away, Ivan left MSK for what he thought was the last time.
"Seeing how well MSK treated her — the care, the personal attention — I was floored that a hospital could be so great," he says.
That experience never left him. After years working in retail, construction, project management, and IT consulting, Ivan found himself at a crossroads — wanting to build a career around helping people. MSK was the clear answer.
"I thought long and hard about where I could go and actually help people. MSK won out in the end," he says. "I took the most random path possible to land at MSK, but I feel like I have found a home."
Today, Ivan is Team Leader in the Lymphoma and Myeloma services, where he oversees coordinators, supports project rollouts, and works to streamline operations. Five years in, he is still moved by what he witnesses every day.
"Our patients are coming here having heard what is likely the worst news of their lives," he says. "We have a team that takes that experience and can turn it into the best decision of their lives. I will always be in awe that one phone call or one email can mobilize a literal army of people to fight the good fight alongside them."
Ivan also has a message for anyone considering a role in healthcare: take care of yourself, too. "We tend to have a personality type where we put others before ourselves. Don't fall into that trap. You can't pour from an empty pot."
Even through the exhaustion, the anxiety, and the weight of the work — Ivan says he wouldn't change a thing. "I am thankful for all I have had the privilege to give to our patients and our teams."
It was an unlikely journey. But at MSK, it was always the right destination.
I took the most random path possible to land at MSK, but I feel like I have found a home.