Jonathan A. Forsberg

Jonathan A. Forsberg, MD, PhD

Orthopaedic Surgeon

My Role at MSK

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas
  • Pediatric Sarcomas
  • Metastatic Bone Disease

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About Me

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

I am an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in the care of children and adults with rare bone and soft tissue cancers called sarcomas. These include soft tissue sarcoma, osteosarcoma, Ewing sarcoma, and chondrosarcoma.

My special interests include improving quality of life for patients with metastatic bone disease and restoring function to those who receive major limb amputations. Beyond sarcomas, I also treat noncancerous tumors of the bones and soft tissue. Each year, I perform approximately 200 surgical procedures for patients with cancerous and noncancerous conditions that require surgery.

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I love what I do. The best part of my job involves solving problems with patients together. In cancer surgery, each patient’s tumor is different; this creates the need for thoughtful, creative, and personalized solutions, such as custom surgeries or implants. If a custom implant is the right choice for a patient, we will design one to accommodate their unique needs. During consultations and visits, patients will find me to be attentive, calm, and informative. I take time to educate patients on the different treatment options available to them, and I never let a question go unanswered.

I grew up in the mountains of Montana, a son of a veterinarian who lived a humble life of service, dedication, and compassion. My father bestowed these qualities, along with a healthy work ethic, upon my siblings and me quite early in life. We learned to care for animals, as well as those less fortunate than ourselves. By teaching us to do so, my father instilled within us a sense of duty and commitment — something that I carry with me to this day. 

To that end, service is important to me. I spent 32 years on active duty and was inspired to do so by my father and sister, who were Naval and Air Force officers, respectively. To fulfill my desire to serve, I decided to delay college and enlisted in the Marine Corps. There, I served as an infantryman until I matriculated to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

The Academy trains leaders in a variety of specialties, but it was my interest in becoming a surgeon that led me down a path that is not common in military service. Rather than fly, lead Marines, or go to sea, I entered medical school. I’ve been a student of engineering for as long as I can remember. I learned to improvise, adapt, and overcome as a U.S. Marine and then studied chemistry and engineering at the Naval Academy. When I went on to medical training, I became fascinated with the biomechanics that govern how human body moves. Orthopaedic surgery was the natural choice for me. 

We were at war for my entire residency. The joint replacements and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions that we expected to perform were replaced by blast wounds. As extremity specialists, we focused on cleaning wounds, saving the limbs that we could, and amputating those that we could not save. We helped advance the field of limb-sparing surgery and redefined amputation as a reconstructive procedure that would allow our young, previously healthy patients to return to active lifestyles. During this time, I began to ask relevant research questions and write grants. It became clear to me that I would pursue a life as a surgeon-scientist.

On an “away rotation” in residency, I met an orthopaedic oncologist and assisted him in surgery. I watched as he excised a sarcoma, then reconstructed the shoulder blade and humerus to restore function. I’d never seen anything like it in all of my training. As I look back on this experience, it is humbling that such a chance encounter —one that exposed me to new ideas and surgical possibilities— became an opportunity and later, a passion that would translate to a rewarding career. 

After I completed my residency in orthopaedic surgery, I went to war as part of a small surgical team. We did our best to save lives and limbs, even as we struggled to understand the physiology behind the terrible wounds that we saw. After I returned home, I began my fellowship training in orthopaedic oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Here, I drew on my father’s lessons in compassion, dedication, and duty. I found these qualities to be instrumental to the care of patients with cancer. Later, to support my goal of becoming a surgeon-scientist, I earned a PhD in Applied Bioinformatics from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

Like the Naval Academy, MSK trains leaders. I have led several teams of researchers throughout my career, conducted multicenter clinical trials with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and directed the Department of Defense’s Osseointegration Program. With colleagues in Sweden, I continue to co-direct the International Bone Metastasis Registry and its team of international collaborators.

As a professor of orthopaedic surgery, one of the most rewarding aspects of my job is teaching the next generation of surgeon-scientists. Together, we have helped answer some very important research questions, develop new analytical methods and surgical techniques, and designed and patented unique implants. Our efforts have helped standardize the approach to patients with metastatic bone disease and provide creative surgical solutions to those who had lost hope.

When I’m not in the hospital, I enjoy reading, cooking, and playing golf or tennis if time allows. I sailed competitively in college and enjoy the occasional sailboat race with my friends and family.

My Role at MSK

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.

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Bone and Soft Tissue Sarcomas
  • Pediatric Sarcomas
  • Metastatic Bone Disease
  • Benign Bone Tumors
  • Prosthetic Reconstruction
  • Osseointegration
Education & Honors

Education

  • PhD, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
  • MD, F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine

Residencies

  • Orthopaedic Surgery, National Naval Medical Center

Awards and Honors

  • Ellis Island Medal of Honor, The Ellis Island Honors Society, 2017

Fellowships

  • Orthopaedic Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

  • 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.

Aetna

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

Aetna Medicare Advantage (MTA retirees only)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Anthem BCBS and other BCBS licensee plans

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Anthem BCBS Health Plus

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Anthem Blue Cross Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO, DSN

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield states outside of NY/NJ

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS

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

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

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (PPO)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

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

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

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

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

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

Request an appointment by logging on to MyMSK or calling your doctor’s office. If you aren’t registered for MyMSK, call 646-227-2593 for your Enrollment ID.

Contact and Location

Dr. Forsberg sees patients at two locations.

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY
Uniondale, NY
160 East 53rd Street New York NY 10022
1101 Hempstead Turnpike Uniondale NY 11553

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 Orthopaedic Service doctors

Clinical Trials

Smiling doctors in the lab
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.

Search clinical trials

Research and Publications

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Forsberg’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 A. Forsberg discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • Balmoral Inc.
    Professional Services and Activities
  • MT Innovations
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Onkos Surgical
    Intellectual Property Rights; 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].


View all disclosures