Liang Deng, MD, PhD

Liang Deng, MD, PhD

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Kaposi sarcoma
  • Melanoma of the skin
  • Merkel cell carcinoma

My Specialties

  • Prevention and early detection of melanoma in people with dysplastic nevi (moles)
  • Diagnosis and management of skin cancer
  • Oncodermatology
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Get to Know Me

I am a board-certified dermatologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of various skin conditions — particularly skin cancers including melanoma (the most dangerous form of skin cancer), genetic skin disorders, drug hypersensitivity reaction, therapy-induced skin toxicity, and skin manifestations of infections in immune-compromised individuals.

Most of the patients I care for have prior histories of skin cancers. I have several goals as their dermatologist:  1) to provide the best care possible for the treatment of their newly diagnosed skin cancers; 2) to examine their skin carefully in order to detect skin cancers at an early stage; and, 3) to educate them about sun protection and skin self-examination. Early detection of melanoma can save lives. For patients with many atypical moles and who carry high risks for developing melanoma, whole-body photography is a useful tool to assist dermatologists and patients to identify new or changing moles. I work closely with my colleagues on the melanoma disease management team, which is made up of doctors from medical oncology, clinical immunology, surgery, dermatology, and radiation oncology.

In my laboratory, we are studying the interface between poxviruses and the immune system in order to develop better therapies for poxviruses and harness the potential of poxviruses as oncolytic (cancer killing) and immunotherapeutic agents. I am also interested in understanding the role of apoptosis (programmed cell death) and autophagy (a stress response involving degradation of cellular contents) in the progression of melanoma and in its resistance to treatment. My research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health; Dermatology Foundation; Northeast Biodefense Center; American Skin Association; Lucille Castori Center for Microbes, Inflammation, and Cancer; and research funds from the Dermatology Service and the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

I also enjoy teaching and mentoring students, residents, and fellows in the clinic and in the laboratory.  I am fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

What I Do at MSK

I'm a dermatologist, which is a doctor with special training in skin, hair, and nails.

  • Associate Attending Physician
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Kaposi sarcoma
  • Melanoma of the skin
  • Merkel cell carcinoma
  • Angiosarcoma (ANGS)
  • Atypical moles
  • Basal cell carcinomas of the skin
  • Congenital nevi (moles)
  • Genetic skin disorders
  • Lentigo maligna melanoma (LMM)
  • Non-melanoma skin cancer
  • Rare skin cancers
  • Skin cancer and conditions
  • Squamous cell carcinoma of the skin

My Specialties

  • Prevention and early detection of melanoma in people with dysplastic nevi (moles)
  • Diagnosis and management of skin cancer
  • Oncodermatology
  • Non-surgical treatment of skin cancer
  • Dermatologic symptoms and side effects
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, Weill Cornell Medical College

Residencies

  • Dermatology - New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center

Board Certifications

  • Dermatology

Awards and Honors

  • Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2025)
  • Castle Connolly: Top AAPI Doctor (2024)
  • Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2024)
  • Top Doctors New York Metro Area, Castle Connolly (2023)
  • Castle Connolly: America's Top Doctors (2023)

Insurance Information

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Contact and Location

Dr. Deng sees patients at one location.

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY

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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.

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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

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.

Liang Deng discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • Immunogenesis, Inc.
    Intellectual Property Rights
  • Imvaq Therapeutics
    Equity; 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].


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