Alexander N. Shoushtari, MD

Alexander N. Shoushtari, MD

Melanoma Oncologist & Cellular Therapist

Titles

Clinical Director, Melanoma Service; Member, Cellular Therapy Service

Clinical Expertise

Melanoma; Acral Melanoma; Mucosal Melanoma; Uveal Melanoma; Cell Therapy; Clinical Trials of Targeted or Immune-Based Therapies

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646-497-9067
Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., (Eastern time)
Accepted Insurance Providers

Dr. Shoushtari accepts the following list of insurance providers. Select your insurance provider to see more details.

Aetna

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO PPO, POS, Transplant

Aetna Medicare Advantage (City of NY retirees only, starting 9/1/23)

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield New York

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Blue Cross Blue Shield states outside of NY/NJ

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO PPO, POS

Blue Cross Health Plus

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Carrum Health

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): Supplemental

Cigna

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

Connecticare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem Essential

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Emblem Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

Empire Blue Cross Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO, DSN

Empire Essential

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Empire Plan / NYSHIP (Blue Cross/UnitedHealthcare split plan)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Fidelis

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO

Fidelis Managed Medicaid & HARP

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Fidelis Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

First Health

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Healthfirst

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO, HMO, PPO, POS

Healthfirst Managed Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Healthfirst Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, PPO

Healthsmart

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO EPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (HMO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (PPO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey Omnia Tier I (EPO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey Omnia Tier II (EPO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO

Horizon Medicare Advantage

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

Husky CT Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Magnacare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO

Straight NJ Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Straight NY Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Medicare Part A&B (traditional Medicare)

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): Federal Government

Multiplan/Beech Street/PHCS

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): Supplemental

MVP

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO/OAP

Non-Participating Plans with Out of Network Benefits

Payor Type: Other
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

NYC Medicare Advantage Plus for City Employees

Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): TBD

Oscar

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO/EPO

Oxford

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, EPO

World Trade Center Health Program (WTC)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Qualcare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

Tricare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

UMR

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS

United Healthcare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

Contact and Location

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Find a Convenient Location

Memorial Sloan Kettering has locations throughout New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, and Westchester. These locations offer many services, including screening, chemotherapy, and medical testing.

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About Me

Education

MD, Rush Medical College

Residencies

Internal Medicine - University of Chicago Medical Center

Fellowships

Medical Oncology - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center/Weill Cornell Medical College

Board Certifications

Internal Medicine; Medical Oncology

I am a board-certified medical oncologist who exclusively sees people with melanoma, and I have the largest practice in our Melanoma Service. In 2022, I saw 123 new patients with melanoma and conducted 1,648 patient visits.

Within the global melanoma community, I am best known for treating patients with acral, mucosal, and uveal (eye) melanomas. These less common types of melanoma arise in the eye or on hairless surfaces of the body and can often be more difficult to treat than the more common skin melanomas. I work hard with our world-class surgeons, dermatologists, and radiation specialists to coordinate interdisciplinary, team-based care that gets patients the best possible results.

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Treatment for melanoma, like much of modern medicine, is changing quickly and is becoming more sub-specialized. This is generally a very good thing; it ensures doctors like me are at the cutting edge of care for your melanoma. Sometimes, however, navigating a cancer diagnosis and its treatment options can feel like an endless maze of appointments. I became a medical oncologist to help lead people through this difficult process. The foundation of excellent cancer care is good communication. I am a child of two immigrants, so I know how confusing, complicated, and rushed medical interactions can feel when doctors use a lot of jargon and type their notes while they are in the room with you. I pride myself not only on clear, compassionate communication, but also on giving people the time they need to process information. This ensures we can make the best decisions on how to manage melanoma together. When my patients and their loved ones finish an appointment with me, they can expect to understand what is happening with their cancer, what the next steps are in their medical care, and what the months and years ahead will look like.

Our Melanoma Service is passionate about giving people with melanoma access to the best new treatment options. I recently led MSK’s trials of tebentafusp, the first FDA-approved therapy specifically for uveal melanoma. I am proud to say that MSK was one of the first places in the world to offer tebentafusp to patients with this type of melanoma. More recently, I was appointed to MSK’s Cellular Therapy Service to treat patients with tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, an experimental cell therapy that has shown promise for melanomas that do not respond to standard immune therapy. My scientific publications focus on the new drugs we test in clinic and how we can use a patient’s genetic information to understand if they might benefit from treatment and why.

When I am not working or sleeping, I am usually spending time with loved ones or trying to improve my Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Awards and Honors

  • Wings of Hope Award, Melanoma Research Foundation
  • Young Investigator Award, American Society of Clinical Oncology
  • Junior Investigator Award, Ocular Melanoma Foundation

Colleagues

Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering work as teams, with specialists from all different areas. This allows us to consider all your needs together, and to give you the best possible care.

See all Cellular Therapy Service doctors

See all Melanoma Service doctors

Clinical Trials

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Smiling doctors in the lab
Find a Clinical Trial for You

Memorial Sloan Kettering's doctors and scientists are constantly developing new treatments for cancer. MSK is typically running hundreds of clinical trials at a given time.

You may be able to participate in a clinical trial even if you are new to MSK. Search our online directory to find trial information and see more about who can participate.

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Research and Publications

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Shoushtari’s journal articles. Pubmed is an online index of research papers and other articles from the US National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

See all on PubMed

Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Alexander N. Shoushtari discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • Bristol-Myers Squibb
    Provision of Services
  • Novartis
    Provision of Services

If you’re a patient at MSK and would like more information about your doctor’s external relationships, please talk with your doctor.

The information published here is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2021 through disclosure submission in spring 2022). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].


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