Michael A. Postow, MD

Michael A. Postow, MD

Medical Oncologist

Titles

Chief, Melanoma Service; Co-Director, Melanoma Disease Management Team

Clinical Expertise

Melanoma; Clinical Trials of New Immunotherapeutic and Targeted Therapeutic Agents

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Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., (Eastern time)
Accepted Insurance Providers

Dr. Postow accepts the following list of insurance providers. Select your insurance provider to see more details.

Aetna

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO PPO, POS, Transplant

Aetna Medicare Advantage (City of NY retirees only, starting 7/1/23)

Payor Type:
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield New York

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Blue Cross Blue Shield states outside of NY/NJ

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO PPO, POS

Blue Cross Health Plus

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Carrum Health

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): Supplemental

Cigna

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

Connecticare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem Essential

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Emblem Medicare Advantage

Payor Type:
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

Empire Blue Cross Medicare Advantage

Payor Type:
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO, DSN

Empire Essential

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

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

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Fidelis

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO

Fidelis Managed Medicaid & HARP

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Fidelis Medicare Advantage

Payor Type:
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

First Health

Payor Type:
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

Healthfirst

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO, HMO, PPO, POS

Healthfirst Managed Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Healthfirst Medicare Advantage

Payor Type:
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, PPO

Healthsmart

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO EPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (HMO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (PPO)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO

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

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO

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

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO

Horizon Medicare Advantage

Payor Type:
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

Husky CT Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Magnacare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO

Medicare Part A&B (traditional Medicare)

Payor Type:
In Network Coverage Type(s): Federal Government

Multiplan/Beech Street/PHCS

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): Supplemental

MVP

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO/OAP

Non-Participating Plans with Out of Network Benefits

Payor Type: Other
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

NYC Medicare Advantage Plus for City Employees

Payor Type:
In Network Coverage Type(s): TBD

Oscar

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO/EPO

Oxford

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, EPO

Qualcare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

Straight NJ Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Straight NY Medicaid

Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Tricare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO

UMR

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS

United Healthcare

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO

World Trade Center Health Program (WTC)

Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government

Contact and Location

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Find a Convenient Location

Memorial Sloan Kettering has locations throughout New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, and Westchester. These locations offer many services, including screening, chemotherapy, and medical testing.

See all locations

About Me

Education

MD, New York University School of Medicine

Residencies

Internal Medicine - Harvard University/Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Fellowships

Medical Oncology - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Medical Oncology - Weill Cornell Medical College

Board Certifications

Internal Medicine; Medical Oncology

I am the Chief of the Melanoma Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), where my practice is devoted solely to the care of people with melanoma. It is my privilege to lead an outstanding group of medical oncologists, nurses, and researchers with world-leading expertise in the treatment and management of melanoma. Many FDA-approved therapies for patients with melanoma were developed by our team, including the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo®) and ipilimumab (Yervoy®). The regimen has since been recognized as a major scientific advance in melanoma by The American Society of Clinical Oncology.

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Our service not only takes great pride in offering our patients the latest and best interventions available, but also in affording access to drugs in development when standard approaches might not be helping. People with melanoma have more therapeutic opportunities than ever before, and I believe that we as a field can do even better. To that end, I have spent my professional life working with oncologists from around the globe to expand the portfolio of melanoma treatments, and I am glad to provide fellow doctors with advice when they reach out to me with questions on the optimal approaches or how to manage side effects.

As a board-certified medical oncologist, I spend most of my time with patients. Creating close, trusting relationships with patients and their families as we craft treatment plans tailored to their unique needs is one of the most gratifying aspects of my work. I appreciate that a diagnosis of melanoma can understandably make one feel nervous, and I believe that it is critical to take care of the whole person and their support network in a friendly and personal way. I look forward to caring for you and your loved ones as if you are one of my family members.

In my free time, I enjoy skiing, hiking, and trying to keep up with my toddlers and triathlete wife.

Awards and Honors

  • Solid Tumor Teacher of the Year Award, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (2022
  • 2019)
  • Best Teaching Service Award (Melanoma, 2022)
  • 40 Under 40 in Cancer Award, The Lynx Group (2020)
  • Julia Zelmanovich Young Alumni Award, New York University Grossman School of Medicine

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 Melanoma 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

Postow MA, Goldman DA, Shoushtari AN, Betof Warner A, Callahan MK, Momtaz P, Smithy JW, Naito E, Cugliari MK, Raber V, Eton O, Nair SG, Panageas KS, Wolchok JD, Chapman PB. Adaptive Dosing of Nivolumab + Ipilimumab Immunotherapy Based Upon Early, Interim Radiographic Assessment in Advanced Melanoma (The ADAPT-IT Study). J Clin Oncol. 2022 Apr 1;40(10):1059-1067. doi: 10.1200/JCO.21.01570. Epub 2021 Dec 20. PMID: 34928709; PMCID: PMC8966970.

Postow MA, Knox SJ, Goldman DA, Elhanati Y, Mavinkurve V, Wong P, Halpenny D, Reddy SK, Vado K, McCabe D, Ramirez KA, Macri M, Schwarzenberger P, Ricciardi T, Ryan A, Venhaus R, Momtaz P, Shoushtari AN, Callahan MK, Chapman PB, Wolchok JD, Subrahmanyam PB, Maecker HT, Panageas KS, Barker CA. A Prospective, Phase 1 Trial of Nivolumab, Ipilimumab, and Radiotherapy in Patients with Advanced Melanoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2020 Jul 1;26(13):3193-3201. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-19-3936. Epub 2020 Mar 23. PMID: 32205463; PMCID: PMC7959513.

Postow MA, Sidlow R, Hellmann MD. Immune-Related Adverse Events Associated with Immune Checkpoint Blockade. N Engl J Med. 2018 Jan 11;378(2):158-168. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1703481. PMID: 29320654.

Postow MA, Chesney J, Pavlick AC, Robert C, Grossmann K, McDermott D, Linette GP, Meyer N, Giguere JK, Agarwala SS, Shaheen M, Ernstoff MS, Minor D, Salama AK, Taylor M, Ott PA, Rollin LM, Horak C, Gagnier P, Wolchok JD, Hodi FS. Nivolumab and ipilimumab versus ipilimumab in untreated melanoma. N Engl J Med. 2015 May 21;372(21):2006-17. doi: 10. PMID: 25891304

Pocket Oncology. Drilon AE, Postow MA eds. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2014.

Publications on PubMed

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

Michael A. Postow discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • Alma Eventos
    Provision of Services
  • Cancer Expert Now, Inc.
    Provision of Services
  • Envision Communications
    Provision of Services
  • Evicore
    Provision of Services
  • MJH Associates
    Provision of Services
  • Merck & Co Inc.
    Provision of Services
  • OncologyEducation
    Provision of Services
  • Pfizer, Inc.
    Provision of Services
  • Terranova Medica, LLC
    Provision of Services
  • UptoDate
    Intellectual Property Rights
  • Vindico Medical Education
    Provision of Services
  • high5md GmbH
    Provision of Services

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, 2021 through disclosure submission in spring 2022). 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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