Dr. Lonny B. Yarmus

Lonny B. Yarmus, DO, MBA

Interventional Pulmonologist

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Lung cancer
  • Lung nodules
  • Tracheal and bronchial cancers and conditions

My Specialties

  • Robotic bronchoscopy
  • Ablation
  • Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)
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Dr. Yarmus's Office Information
Languages: English

Get to Know Me

I’m an interventional pulmonologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). I have special training in treating lung problems which could arise because of lung cancer or other tumors. I’m an expert in using minimally invasive methods to diagnose and treat lung cancer.

As an interventional pulmonologist, I help manage obstruction of the airways. I also diagnose and treat other lung disorders and pleural diseases which can cause fluid buildup in the lungs or chest cavity.

At MSK, I also serve as the head of the Division of Subspecialty Medicine within the Department of Medicine. In this role, I lead many clinical services and specialties that are important for offering complete cancer care. I focus on helping our teams work closely together with the goal of reducing delays in diagnosis, improving innovation, and access to clinical trials.

My father was treated for cancer at MSK many years ago. My personal experience with cancer makes me well aware of the emotional burden of these diseases. I keep in mind what a person may be going through and this helps me always put the patient at the center of our care.

Besides clinical care, I am involved in research. I founded and lead the Interventional Pulmonary Outcomes Group. This is a global research program dedicated to improving results for minimally invasive procedures in pulmonology. My work has driven national and international standards in robotic bronchoscopy, cryobiopsy, and advanced diagnostic imaging.

My research also led to the invention of an encapsulated cryoprobe used during a bronchoscopic lung biopsy. This is a minimally invasive procedure that lets your doctor look inside your airways and lungs. Using this smaller cryoprobe led to superior results, compared to traditional methods in the largest randomized clinical trial in bronchoscopy.

I currently lead clinical trials funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI). These trials are focused on improving lung cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Outside of work, I enjoy playing golf. I also love the outdoors, camping, biking, and hiking. I’ve visited 30 different national parks with my wife and three boys who are triplets.

What I Do at MSK

I'm an interventional pulmonologist (IN-ter-VEN-shun-al pull-muh-NAHL-uh-jist) at MSK. This is a doctor with special training in treating lung problems, such as blocked airways, cancer, and tumors.

  • Head of the Division of Subspecialty Medicine
  • Attending Physician
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Lung cancer
  • Lung nodules
  • Tracheal and bronchial cancers and conditions
  • Pleural effusion

My Specialties

  • Robotic bronchoscopy
  • Ablation
  • Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)
Education & Honors

Education

  • MBA, Johns Hopkins University Carey School of Business
  • DO, University of New England
  • Postbaccalaureate, Harvard University
  • Bachelor of Arts, Emory University

Residencies

  • Internal Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Maine Medical Center

Fellowships

  • Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Maine Medical Center
  • Interventional Pulmonology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Board Certifications

  • Internal Medicine, Interventional Pulmonology, Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care Medicine

Awards and Honors

  • Pasquale Ciaglia Memorial Award in Interventional Medicine, American College of Chest Physicians (2020)
  • Member of the Fleischner Society, Lung Cancer Screening Center of Excellence Lung Cancer Alliance (2018)
  • Distinguished CHEST Educator Award, American College of Chest Physicians (2018-2024)

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.

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 Pulmonary 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

  1. Lentz, R.J., Frederick-Dyer, K., Cheng, G., Silvestri, G., Wahidi, M., Rahman, N., Yarmus, L., Maldonado, F., et al. Navigational Bronchoscopy or Transthoracic Needle Biopsy for Lung Nodules. N Engl J Med. 2025 Jun 5;392(21):2100-2112. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2414059. Epub 2025 May 18. PMID: 40387025; PMCID: PMC12640718.
  2. Gonzalez, A.V., Silvestri, G.A., Korevaar, D., Gesthalter, Y., Almeida, N., Chen, A., Gilbert, C., Illei, P., Navani, N., Pasquinelli, M., Pastis, N., Sears, C., Shojaee, S., Solomon, S., Steinfort, D., Maldonado, F., Rivera, M.P., and Yarmus, L. Assessment of Advanced Diagnostic Bronchoscopy Outcomes for Peripheral Lung Lesions: A Delphi Consensus Definition of Diagnostic Yield and Recommendations for Patient-centered Study Designs. An Official American Thoracic Society/American College of Chest Physicians Research Statement. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2024 Mar 15;209(6):634-646. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202401-0192ST. PMID: 38394646; PMCID: PMC10945060.
  3. Thiboutot, J., Pastis, N., Akulian, J., Wahidi, M., Chen, A., Silvestri, G., Gilbert, C., Feller-Kopman, D., Cheng, G., Rahman, N., Maldonado, F., Lee, H., and Yarmus, L.; on behalf of IPOG. A Multicenter, Single-Arm, Prospective Trial Assessing the Diagnostic Yield of Electromagnetic Bronchoscopic and Transthoracic Navigation for Peripheral Pulmonary Nodules. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2023 Oct 15;208(8):837-845. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202301-0099OC. PMID: 37582154.
  4. Yarmus, L., Akulian, J., Wahidi, M., Chen, A., Maldonado, F., Molena, D., Lee, H., and Vachani, A.; on behalf of IPOG. A Prospective Randomized Comparative Study of Three Guided Bronchoscopic Approaches for Investigating Pulmonary Nodules: The PRECISION-1 Study. Chest. 2020 Mar;157(3):694-701. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2019.10.016. Epub 2019 Nov 1. PMID: 31678307; PMCID: PMC7534032.
  5. Thiboutot, J., Illei, P., Maldonado, F., Kapp, C., DeMaio, A., Lee, H., Feller-Kopman, D., Lentz, R., Sathyanarayan, P., Rahman, N., Silvestri, G., and Yarmus, L.; on behalf of IPOG. Interventional Pulmonary Outcomes Group. Safety and Feasibility of a Sheath Cryoprobe for Bronchoscopic Transbronchial Biopsy: The FROSTBITE Trial. Respiration. 2022;101(12):1131-1138. doi: 10.1159/000526876. Epub 2022 Oct 20. PMID: 36265451.

 

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Yarmus’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