John H. Healey, MD, FACS, FAAOS
Orthopaedic Surgeon & Pediatric Surgeon
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Areas of Expertise
My Specialties
- Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma
- Benign Bone Tumors
- Prosthetic Reconstruction
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About Me
- Stephen McDermott Chair in Surgery
I am an orthopaedic surgeon who cares for people with sarcomas and non-cancerous tumors of the bones and soft tissue. I specialize in removing tumors while preserving limbs (arms and legs). I also have a special interest in treating children who have bone cancers, such as osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma.
I have been at MSK since 1984. During this time, I served as Chief of the Orthopaedic Service for 32 years, treating more of these tumors than any other center in the country. I have also researched the cause of these diseases and have published more scientific articles on the subject than any other surgeon.
When I was in high school, I lost a dear friend to sarcoma. This inspired me to help people with cancers of the musculoskeletal system. Today, I’m proud to be part of a team whose passion is to treat people with these diseases and help them continue to have productive lives.
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When patients meet with me for the first time, they often have many questions and concerns about their diagnosis, treatment options, and how their quality of life will be affected. My approach to care is highly personalized, and I listen carefully to the patient’s needs and objectives. I take whatever time is necessary to educate them about their condition and explain how our team of experts will take care of them. This helps them understand their disease and gain the confidence they need to make informed decisions about their treatment. I ask each person to “take my hand” and I help them find the hope and courage to confront this rare diagnosis successfully. We then creatively work together to choose the best solution to cure the disease and reach their lifestyle goals.
Limb reconstruction has become an important part of treatment. My expertise includes rebuilding bones and joints with bone transplants and joint replacements. I perform limb-preserving surgeries and am experienced in customized techniques to restore function using biologic and man-made materials.
My research involves understanding the biological makeup of sarcoma cells and how they behave. I also develop new ways to deliver chemotherapy to tumors and explore strategies to use the immune system and tumor environment to kill cancer.
In addition, I work to improve the durability and function of joint replacements. I have invented four joint replacement systems. I also lead clinical trials to study different surgical reconstructions, 3-D printed implants, and ways to reduce surgical complications.
I am a professor of orthopaedic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. I am a founding board member of the pediatric osteosarcoma organization, Make it Better (MIB) Agents. Nationally, I have served as chair of the Children’s Oncology Group Orthopaedics Section, president of the Musculoskeletal Tumor Society, the International Society of Limb Salvage, and the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons. I am also on the boards of several musculoskeletal and orthopaedic organizations. I am an advisor to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.
Education is also an important part of my job. I directed the Orthopaedics Fellowship Program at MSK for 20 years and am proud to have trained leading specialists in this field in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. My academic career has allowed me to spend time abroad. I was the first American traveling fellow in Japan, and I studied at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
I played Division 1 baseball at Yale University and continue to love and follow the game.
My Specialties
- Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcoma
- Benign Bone Tumors
- Prosthetic Reconstruction
- Metabolic Bone Disease
- Pediatric Sarcomas
Education
- MD, University of Vermont College of Medicine
Residencies
- General Surgery - Tufts-New England Medical Center
- Orthopaedic Surgery - Hospital for Special Surgery
Awards and Honors
- Top Doctors New York Metro Area, Castle Connolly (2023)
- Castle Connolly: America's Top Doctors (2023)
- Castle Connolly: New York Magazine Top Doctors (2002–2020)
- the Sarcoma Foundation of America’s Nobility in Science Award
- inaugural recipient of the Dominican Health Care Ministry of New York’s Spe Salvi Award
Fellowships
- Musculoskeletal Oncology - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Metabolic Bone Disease - Hospital for Special Surgery
Board Certifications
- Orthopaedic Surgery
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New Patients
Current Patients
Contact and Location
Dr. Healey 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
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
Books
Osteosarcoma: From Our Family to Yours. Ann Graham, Jim Reilly, Alanna Church, John Healey, Matteo Trucco, Maureen Smart. 2023 mibagents.org, PO Box 858, Barnard, Vermont.
Diagnosis and Management of Pathologic Fractures. Lane JM, Healey JH, eds. New York, NY: Raven Press; 1993.
Selected Book Chapters
“Bone tumors.” Healey JH. In Sabiston Textbook of Surgery: The Biological Basis of Modern Surgical Practice. 16th ed. Townsend CM Jr, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders; 2001: 519-532.
“Bone and soft tissue tumors around the knee.” Healey JH. In Surgery of the Knee. 3rd ed. Insall JN, Scott WN, eds. New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone; 2001: 1997-2028.
“Sarcomas of bone.” Lin PP, Healey JH. In: Surgical Oncology. Bland KI, Daly JM, Karakousis CP, eds. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2001: 1015-1053.
“Bone and soft tissue tumors about the knee.” Healey JH, Kennedy JG. In: The Adult Knee. Callaghan JJ, Rosenberg AG, Rubash HE, Simonian PT, Wickiewicz TL, eds. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2003: 495-520.
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“Soft tissue sarcomas and bone tumors.” Healey JH. In: Sabiston Textbook of Surgery: The Biological Basis of Modern Surgical Practice. 17th ed. Townsend CM Jr, Beauchamp RD, Evers BM, Mattox KL, eds. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders; 2004: 815-832.
“Metastatic cancer to the bone.” Manoso MM, Healey JH. In: Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 7th ed. DeVita VT Jr, Hellman S, Rosenberg SA, eds. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2005: 2368-2380.
“Bone tumors.” Nathan SS, Healey JH. In: Pediatric Surgery. 6th ed. Grosfeld JL, O’Neill JA Jr, Fonkalsrud EW, Coran AG, eds. Philadelphia, PA: Mosby; 2006: 649-670.
“Cancer pain management in orthopedic surgery.” Healey JH. In: Encyclopedia of Pain. Schmidt RF, Willis WD, eds. Berlin, Germany: Springer-Verlag; 2007: 359-361.
“The role of orthopaedic surgery in the palliative care of patients with cancer.” Healey JH, Tyler WK. In: Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine. 4th ed. Hanks G, Cherny NI, Christakis NA, Fallon M, Kaasa S, Portenoy RK, eds. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2009: 558-572.
“Bone tumors.” Nathan SS, Healey JH. In: Pediatric Surgery. 7th ed. Coran AG, Adzick NS, Krummel TM, Laberge JM, Shamberger RC, Caldamone AA, eds. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2012: 577-590.
Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Healey’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.
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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.
John H. Healey 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 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, 2022 through disclosure submission in spring 2023). 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].
