MSK psychologist Christian Nelson

Christian J. Nelson, PhD

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Prostate cancer and conditions
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • Symptoms and side effects

My Specialties

  • Psycho-oncology
  • Clinical psychology
  • Counseling
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Get to Know Me

I am a clinical psychologist with expertise in treating men with prostate cancer and other genitourinary malignancies. As the psychological liaison to Memorial Sloan Kettering’s genitourinary and sexual medicine services, I provide short- and long-term counseling services to patients struggling with cancer-related issues. Men who are undergoing treatment for these diseases sometimes experience treatment-related sexual dysfunction, and I help them and their partners optimize intimacy before, during, and after treatment. I also work with the Center’s 65+ Program, providing psychological support for our patients who are 65 and older, and I co-facilitate a support group for patients dealing with the combined issues of cancer and aging.

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Working with members of the symptom management, neurocognitive, and psychotherapy laboratories, I have focused my research on cancer’s impact on quality of life in prostate and geriatric cancer patients, and on developing new psychotherapy approaches for these groups. Some specific studies I have conducted include the impact of sexual dysfunction following cancer treatment; the cognitive effects of hormonal therapy on prostate cancer patients; distress in African-American men with prostate cancer; and developing assessment measures and psychotherapy specific to geriatric patients.

I am a member of many scientific and medical societies including Sexual Medicine Society of North American, Psycho-Oncology Association, and American Psychological Association, all organizations of specialists in my field. In addition, I am on the editorial board of and serve as statistical consultant for the Journal of Sexual Medicine and am a reviewer for various journals including the Journal of Urology and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. I am a member of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Data Safety and Monitoring Committee.

What I Do at MSK

I'm a psychologist (sy-KAH-loh-jist). I have special training in therapy to help people with mental and behavioral health issues.

  • Chief, Psychiatry Service
  • Attending Psychologist
  • Co-Director, Psycho-Oncology of Cancer and Aging Program
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Prostate cancer and conditions
  • Sexual dysfunction
  • Symptoms and side effects
  • Quality of life

My Specialties

  • Psycho-oncology
  • Clinical psychology
  • Counseling
  • Managing symptoms of cancer treatment
  • Cancer care for older adults
  • Geriatrics
Education & Honors

Education

  • PhD, Long Island University

Residencies

  • Kings County Hospital Center, Brooklyn

Fellowships

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Insurance Information

Understanding your insurance options is an important part of managing your cancer care. We have relationships with many common healthcare providers and plans.

Don't see your carrier or plan? We can help you understand your coverage.

If you don't have health insurance or are worried that your care may not be fully covered, our financial assistance programs may be able to help.

If you have questions about insurance, call us at 646-497-9176.

Make an Appointment

Current Patients
Request an appointment by logging in to MSK MyChart or calling your Care Team. If you are not enrolled in MSK MyChart, ask your Care Team to send you an invitation. You can also go to MSK MyChart and select “Sign up now.”

Contact and Location

Dr. Nelson sees patients at one location.

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY
160 East 53rd Street New York NY 10022

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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.

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Clinical Trials

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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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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.

Christian J. Nelson discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • Haleon
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Sexual Medicine Society of North America (SMSNA)
    Fiduciary Role / Position

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 a complement to other publicly reported data and 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, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). 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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