Edward A. Athanasian, MD
Orthopaedic Surgeon
My Role at MSKWe post reviews for MSK healthcare providers who have at least 30 patient experience surveys completed. If you do not see reviews for a provider, it may be because they do not yet have enough survey responses, or the provider may not be part of the group of healthcare providers included in the survey.
Only outpatient providers are included in the survey. Healthcare providers who only work in the hospital or in urgent care are not included in the survey. Pathologists or researchers who do not provide direct care to patients do not have reviews.
Request an Appointment
About Me
- Attending Surgeon
As an Attending Surgeon on MSK’s Orthopaedic Service, I specialize in caring for people with upper extremity bone and soft tissue tumors. I use advanced limb salvage and reconstruction techniques.
I am also Chief Emeritus of the hand and upper extremity service at the Hospital for Special Surgery, where I perform surgery to treat bone and soft tissue conditions of the hand and upper extremity.
Read more
My research includes a study to develop and test a validated survey that measures patients’ expectations after treatment for basilar joint arthritis. I am also doing a pilot study of treatment for carpometacarpal osteoarthritis. My cancer-related research interests include the imaging characteristics of and biopsy techniques for upper extremity tumors. I have reported the largest series of patients with soft tissue sarcoma of the hand. I am currently extending the follow-up on these patients and adding additional patients for what will be a 25-year experience. I also study postsurgical quality of life and specialized reconstruction techniques after surgery to remove tumors of the hand.
I am a founding member of the American Society for Reconstructive Transplantation, a member of numerous other orthopedic and musculoskeletal oncology professional societies, and a faculty member of the annual joint Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center/Hospital for Special Surgery/Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli course Musculoskeletal Tumor Pathology and Clinical Oncology.
An orthopaedic (OR-thuh-PEE-dik) surgeon is a doctor with special training in surgery on the musculoskeletal system. This includes the bones, joints, tendons, and muscles.
My Specialties
- Bone Cancer
- Ewing Sarcoma
- Osteosarcoma
- Soft Tissue Sarcoma
- Hand Surgery
- Hand and Upper Extremity Disorders
- Upper Limb Reconstruction
- Nerve Tumors
Education
- MD, Columbia University
Residencies
- Orthopaedics - Hospital for Special Surgery
Awards and Honors
- New York Magazine Top Doctors (2005-2016)
Fellowships
- Hand and Microvascular Surgery - The Mayo Clinic
- Orthopaedic Oncology - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Board Certifications
- Surgery
- Orthopaedic Surgery
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.
In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO
In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO
Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Emblem to learn more.
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO, DSN
In Network Coverage Type
PPO
In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO
Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Fidelis to learn more.
In Network Coverage Type
EPO, HMO, PPO, POS
Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Healthfirst to learn more.
In Network Coverage Type
HMO
In Network Coverage Type
PPO
In Network Coverage Type
EPO
In Network Coverage Type
EPO
In Network Coverage Type
Federal Government
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO
In Network Coverage Type
State Government
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
New Patients
Current Patients
Contact and Location
Dr. Athanasian sees patients at two locations.
Looking to see a doctor at a different location? See all MSK locations.
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.
Clinical Trials
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.
Search clinical trialsResearch and Publications
Selected Book Chapters
Athanasian EA. Soft tissue tumors. Jebson PJL, Kasdan ML, eds. Hand Secrets. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Hanley & Belfus; 2001: 310-315.
Athanasian EA. Tumors: general principles. Berger RA, Weiss APC, eds. Hand Surgery. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2004: 1721-1736.
Read more
Athanasian EA. Synovial chondromatosis and pigmented villonodular synovitis. Schwartz HS, ed. Orthopaedic Knowledge Update: Musculoskeletal Tumors 2. 2nd ed. Rosemont, IL: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; 2007: 265-271.
Athanasian EA. Biopsy of musculoskeletal tumors. Damron TA, ed. Oncology and Basic Science (Orthopaedic Surgery Essentials). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008: 37-49.
Athanasian EA. Bone and soft-tissue tumors of the hand and forearm. Lieberman JR, ed. AAOS Comprehensive Orthopaedic Review. Rosemont, IL: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; 2009: 927-930.
Athanasian EA, Irons GB. Tumors of the wrist. Cooney WP III, ed. The Wrist: Diagnosis and Operative Treatment. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2010: 1187-1211.
Athanasian EA. Bone and soft tissue tumors. Wolfe SW, Hotchkiss RN, Pederson WC, Kozin SH, eds. Green’s Operative Hand Surgery. 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2010: 2141-2196.
Athanasian EA. Tumors. Hammert WC, Calfee RP, Bozentka DJ, Boyer MI, eds. ASSH Manual of Hand Surgery. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2010: 460-470.
Athanasian EA. Treatment of enchondroma, bone cyst, and giant cell tumor of the distal upper extremity. Wiesel SW, ed. Operative Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2010: 3029-3041.
Puhaindran ME, Athanasian EA. Malignant and Metastatic Tumors of the Hand. Hand Surgery Update 5. American Society for Surgery of the Hand.
Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Athanasian’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 PubMedPatient Reviews
Your trust is our main concern
We strive to keep reviews trustworthy, honest and fair. Learn more about our patient experience reviews.
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.
Edward A. Athanasian discloses the following relationships and financial interests:
No disclosures meeting criteria for time period
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].