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Jonathan Fainberg

Jonathan S. Fainberg, MD, MPH

Urologic Surgeon

My Role at MSK

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Prostate Cancer
  • Prostate Biopsy
  • MRI Image-Guided Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures
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Dr. Fainberg's Office Information
Languages: English & Spanish
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About Me

What I Do at MSK
  • Assistant Attending Surgeon
Get To Know Me

I am a urologic surgeon who specializes in the diagnosis, surveillance, and treatment of localized prostate cancer.

This provider is part of a team that was ranked #1 in the nation for Urology Cancer Care this year by U.S. News & World Report.

Cancer can be a life-changing diagnosis, and men diagnosed with prostate cancer are often stressed about what their diagnosis means for them. Biopsies, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and the thought of radical treatment can be overwhelming, in part because there is so much information available. Often, this makes it difficult to know what specifically matters for you. My specialty is helping you understand the complexities of a prostate cancer diagnosis while outlining the options that are best for you.

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I am particularly interested in image-guided interventions to diagnose and treat prostate cancer and gained expertise on their application in this disease during my fellowship training. As imaging of the prostate with MRI and PET scans has improved, so has our ability to use these methods to diagnose and treat prostate cancer. The better the quality of the imaging, the more confident urologic surgeons like me can be in recommending specific treatments to our patients.

Partial gland ablation (also called focal therapy) is an evolving image-guided treatment option, and it is one of my specialties. This type of therapy is available to a subset of men with cancer in one part of the prostate. We use an MRI to view and treat the part of the prostate gland affected by cancer without harming the surrounding, non-cancerous areas. Partial gland ablation allows us to control the cancer while minimizing the side effects associated with radical treatment. When a patient is interested in partial gland ablation, I typically perform a “confirmatory biopsy” to validate the location and the pathology of the tumor prior to therapy. I do this even if you have had a biopsy done outside of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).

I am also interested in active surveillance for men with low- or favorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer. This type of prostate cancer is unlikely to spread or affect your life expectancy and quality of life. In these cases, the best approach is active surveillance — keeping a close eye on the cancer to monitor it for changes. We have used active surveillance for years at MSK, and with our robust surveillance protocols, you can rest assured that low or intermediate-risk prostate cancer will not be a problem for you.

Prostate biopsy is one of my areas of expertise. Since a prostate biopsy can be uncomfortable, I have trained in several techniques to improve the biopsy process. I have extensive experience in performing transrectal and transperineal prostate biopsies, and I offer a variety of anesthesia options to make patients feel more comfortable. I am a firm believer that it does not need to be a distressing experience for my patients.

When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my wife, who is an OBGYN (obstetrics and gynecology), and daughters. I am an active guy who likes gardening, cooking, playing sports, and watching football (go Pats).

My Role at MSK

A urologic surgeon is a doctor with special training in surgery on the genitourinary (jeh-nih-toh-YOOR-ih-nayr-ee) (GU) system. This includes the bladder, kidney, penis, prostate, and testicles.

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Prostate Cancer
  • Prostate Biopsy
  • MRI Image-Guided Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedures
  • Minimally Invasive Robotic-Assisted Techniques
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, Tufts University School of Medicine
  • MPH, Tufts University School of Public Health

Residencies

  • General Surgery (Intern) - Weill Cornell Medicine
  • Urology (Resident) - Weill Cornell Medicine

Fellowships

  • Advanced Prostate Imaging and Procedures - Weill Cornell Medical 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.

Aetna

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS, Transplant

Aetna Medicare Advantage (MTA and NYC retirees only)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Anthem BCBS and other BCBS licensee plans

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

See updates

Anthem BCBS Health Plus

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

See updates

Anthem Blue Cross Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO, DSN

See updates

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

See updates

Blue Cross Blue Shield states outside of NY/NJ

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS

See updates

Carrum Health

In Network Coverage Type
Supplemental

Cigna

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

Connecticare

In Network Coverage Type
POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Emblem to learn more.

Emblem Essential

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Emblem Medicare Advantage (Medicare Choice PPO Network and VIP Prime Network Only)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

Empire Essential

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

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

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

See updates

Fidelis

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Fidelis to learn more.

Fidelis Managed Medicaid & HARP

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Fidelis Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

First Health

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Healthfirst

In Network Coverage Type
EPO, HMO, PPO, POS

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Healthfirst to learn more.

Healthfirst Managed Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Healthfirst Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

Healthsmart

In Network Coverage Type
PPO EPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (HMO)

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

See updates

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (PPO)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

See updates

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

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

See updates

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

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

See updates

Horizon Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

Husky CT Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Magnacare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO

Straight NJ Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Straight NY Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Medicare Part A&B (traditional Medicare)

In Network Coverage Type
Federal Government

Multiplan/Beech Street/PHCS

In Network Coverage Type
Supplemental

MVP

In Network Coverage Type
PPO/OAP

Non-Participating Plans with Out of Network Benefits

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

NYC Medicare Advantage Plus for City Employees

In Network Coverage Type
TBD

Oscar

In Network Coverage Type
HMO/EPO

Oxford

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, EPO

World Trade Center Health Program (WTC)

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Qualcare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

Tricare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

UMR

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS

United Healthcare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

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.

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Current Patients
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Contact and Location

Dr. Fainberg sees patients at two locations.

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Location
New York, NY
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue New York NY 10065
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Sidney Kimmel Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers
353 East 68th Street New York NY 10065
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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.

See all Urology Service doctors

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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Research and Publications

Fainberg J, Vanden Berg RNW, Chesnut G, Coleman JA, Donahue T, Ehdaie B, Goh AC, Laudone VP, Lee T, Pyon J, Scardino PT, Smith RC. A Novel Expert Coaching Model in Urology, Aimed at Accelerating the Learning Curve in Robotic Prostatectomy. J Surg Educ. 2022 Jul 21:S1931-7204(22)00151-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2022.06.006. Online ahead of print.

Fainberg JS, Al Awamlh BAH, DeRosa AP, Chesnut GT, Coleman JA, Lee T, Ehdaie B. A systematic review of outcomes after thermal and nonthermal partial prostate ablation. Prostate Int. 2021 Dec;9(4):169-175. doi: 10.1016/j.prnil.2021.04.001. Epub 2021 Apr 28. Free PMC article. Review.

Fainberg J, Lee RK. What Is Underlying Resident Burnout in Urology and What Can Be Done to Address this? Curr Urol Rep. 2019 Sep 2;20(10):62. doi: 10.1007/s11934-019-0925-1. Review.

Fainberg J, Kashanian JA. Vasectomy. JAMA. 2018 Jun 19;319(23):2450. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.6514. No abstract available.

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Fainberg’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.

Jonathan S. Fainberg 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].


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