Ira J. Dunkel, MD
Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist
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About Me
- Attending Pediatrician
I am a pediatric oncologist on the MSK Kids team who specializes in caring for children, teenagers, and young adults with brain and eye tumors, including medulloblastoma (the most common cancerous brain tumor in children) and retinoblastoma (a rare eye tumor in children). I also treat children and teenagers with melanoma and children and adults with a rare white blood cell disorder called Langerhans cell histiocytosis.
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In my clinical research on brain tumors, my colleagues and I are seeking to develop more-effective therapies with fewer and less severe side effects. Much of this work involves clinical trials to evaluate new drugs for difficult to treat tumors, such as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, glioblastoma, recurrent medulloblastoma, and recurrent ependymoma.
I am also working to develop new treatments for retinoblastoma. These include the use of intensive therapy for children whose retinoblastoma has spread outside the eye and local chemotherapy for those with advanced cancer within the eye.
Nationally, I am chair of the Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium, a National Cancer Institute–sponsored clinical trials group. I am a member of the Children’s Oncology Group’s Rare Tumors (Retinoblastoma) Committee and Brain Tumor Committee, and I serve as the principal investigator for national clinical trials addressing these tumors. I am also a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Brain Malignancy Steering Committee and a special government employee for the US Food and Drug Administration’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee.
In addition to patient care and research, I work closely with young doctors who are training in pediatric oncology to help them learn how best to identify the individual needs of patients and to care for children with cancer.
It is very rewarding to work with patients and their families. I tailor their care to their needs and explain the treatment options to them their treatment options, guiding them in complex decision-making or exploring various alternatives. At MSK, our goal is to cure the cancer while leaving the patient with as normal a life as possible.
A pediatric hematologist-oncologist is a doctor who treats cancers of the blood in children and adolescents. This doctor is a hematologist (HEE-muh-TAH-loh-jist) who diagnoses and treats blood disorders. They also are an oncologist (cancer doctor).
My Specialties
- Brain Tumors
- Retinoblastoma
Education
- MD, Duke University
Residencies
- Pediatrics - Duke University
Awards and Honors
- Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2024)
- Top Doctors New York Metro Area, Castle Connolly (2023)
- Castle Connolly: America's Top Doctors (2023)
- Castle Connolly: New York Magazine Top Doctors (2005-2020)
- Achievement Award, American Academy of Ophthalmology (2012)
- Paul Meyers Teaching Award, Department of Pediatrics, Memorial Sloan Kettering (2015)
Fellowships
- Pediatric Infectious Disease - Duke University/Muhimbili Medical Center
- Pediatric Hematology/Oncology - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Board Certifications
- Pediatric Hematology-Oncology
Insurance Information
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If you have questions about insurance, call us at 646-497-9176.
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Contact and Location
Dr. Dunkel sees patients at one location.
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
- Clinical Trials Investigated by Dr. Dunkel
- A Feasibility Study of the Optune Electric Field Device to Treat Children with Recurrent or Persistent Supratentorial High-Grade Gliomas and Ependymomas
- A Phase I Study of Savolitinib in Patients with Recurrent or Persistent Medulloblastoma, High-Grade Glioma, or Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma
- A Pilot Study of SurVaxM in Children and Young Adults with Progressive or Relapsed Medulloblastoma, High-Grade Glioma, or Ependymoma or Newly Diagnosed Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma
- A Study of the Safety and Preliminary Effectiveness of Pembrolizumab Immunotherapy to Treat Children and Adolescents with Recurrent or Persistent High-Grade Glioma or Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma
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- Clinical Trials Co-Investigated by Dr. Dunkel
- A Phase 2 Study of FORE8394 in People Who Have Cancer With BRAF Mutations
- A Phase 2 Study of HSV G207 With a Single Radiation Dose in Children With Recurrent High-Grade Glioma
- A Phase I Study of HER2-Directed CAR T-Cell Therapy for People with Recurrent or Persistent Ependymoma
- A Phase I/II Study of CX-4945 (a "Sonic Hedgehog Pathway Inhibitor) in Patients with Recurrent Sonic Hedgehog-type Medulloblastoma
- A Phase II International Collaborative Treatment Protocol for Children and Adolescents with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis
- Effect of Treatment on Quality of Life in Survivors of Retinoblastoma in One Eye
- Retinoblastoma Survivor Study: Assessment of General Health and Quality of Life
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
Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Dunkel’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
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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.
Ira J. Dunkel discloses the following relationships and financial interests:
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American Board of Pediatrics
Professional Services and Activities -
AstraZeneca
Professional Services and Activities -
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Professional Services and Activities -
GlaxoSmithKline
Professional Services and Activities (Uncompensated)
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IO Biotech
Professional Services and Activities -
Ipsen Pharma
Professional Services and Activities (Uncompensated) -
Pyramid Biosciences, Inc.
Professional Services and Activities (Uncompensated) -
The Kamen Brain Tumor Foundation
Professional Services and Activities (Uncompensated)
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].