Monica Morrow, MD, FACS
Breast Surgeon
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Meet Breast Cancer Surgeon Monica Morrow
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About Me
- Chief, Breast Service, Department of Surgery
- Anne Burnett Windfohr Chair of Clinical Oncology
I am a surgical oncologist with a practice dedicated to the care of people with breast cancer. I treat all types of the disease and most stages, except metastatic breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast and lymph nodes.
My goal is to make sure that my patients and their loved ones understand their treatment options by taking the time to answer all their questions. I help them make informed decisions that will lead to the best possible outcomes. It’s important that they feel confident about their treatment plan and the devoted team of specialists at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center who will take care of them.
When patients first come to see me, they are often scared because they have been told they have a potentially life-threatening disease, or perhaps because they are afraid of being disfigured. Many newly diagnosed patients are also confused because there is so much information out there about breast cancer, some of which is incorrect, that it is hard for them to figure out what applies to them and what does not.
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I truly believe that knowledge is power, and it’s important to distinguish between what is scientific fact and what may be someone else’s personal experience. My goal is to provide people with the information they need to understand their disease and face the challenge of treatment. We also cannot know every treatment a person will need based only on a biopsy that shows breast cancer, so I explain that the treatment process unfolds step-by-step. I try to allay the sense of panic that often comes with diagnosis to allow people to be more comfortable as their treatment journey unfolds.
The way we treat breast cancer began to change dramatically during my training to become a surgical oncologist. It’s been wonderful to be able to offer patients improved, less radical surgical approaches. Breast cancer is a common disease that affects people of all ages and races and ethnicities. It runs the spectrum, from very aggressive to very slow-growing. Understanding how best to treat each individual and their cancer is a challenge that has kept me dedicated to clinical care and research throughout my career.
My research has focused on how to apply advances from clinical trials to daily surgical practice. I am currently investigating how treatment choices for breast cancer surgery are made — such as how well patients understand their options and when it is more beneficial for a person newly diagnosed with breast cancer to have chemotherapy before surgery to reduce the extent of the operation.
I have co-chaired two joint committees of the American College of Surgeons, American College of Radiology, and College of American Pathologists: Standards for Breast Conserving Therapy for Invasive Breast Cancer (2002), and Standards for Breast Conserving Therapy in Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) (2007). I also co-chaired committees for the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) and American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) to develop standards for margins for lumpectomy in invasive breast cancer (2013) and DCIS (2015), and I have served as an Associate Editor of JAMA Oncology since 2014.
I am the surgical editor of the textbook Diseases of the Breast and a co-author of Breast Cancer for Dummies. I was the 2012–13 President of the Society of Surgical Oncology, the professional organization for surgeons who specialize in cancer treatment.
A breast surgeon is a doctor with special training in surgery on breasts.
My Specialties
- Breast Disease
Education
- MD, Jefferson Medical College
Residencies
- General Surgery - Medical Center Hospital of Vermont
Awards and Honors
- Castle Connolly: Exceptional Women in Medicine (2024)
- Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2024)
- Top Doctors New York Metro Area, Castle Connolly (2023)
- Exceptional Women in Medicine Award, Castle Connolly (2023)
- Castle Connolly: America's Top Doctors (2023)
- Charles M. Balch Distinguished Service Award, Society of Surgical Oncology (2022)
- Castle Connolly: New York Magazine Top Doctors (2008-2021)
- John Wayne Clinical Research Award, Society of Surgical Oncology (2019)
- St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Award (2019)
- Impact Award, Breast Cancer Society of Taiwan (2016)
- Susan G. Komen Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in Clinical Research (2016)
- Lifetime Achievement Award, Vienna Breast Surgery Conference, University of Vienna (2015)
- Honorary Fellow, Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland (2012)
- Honorary Fellow, Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow (2005)
Fellowships
- General Surgical Oncology - Memorial Sloan Ketttering Cancer Center
Board Certifications
- Surgery
Insurance Information
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Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Emblem to learn more.
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Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Fidelis to learn more.
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Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Healthfirst to learn more.
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PPO, POS, EPO, HMO
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If you have questions about insurance, call us at 646-497-9176.
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Contact and Location
Dr. Morrow sees patients at one location.
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. I work closely with nurse practitioner Jennifer Baranello and registered nurse Karen Crisol. We combine our expertise to provide comprehensive care to our patients at every step of their cancer journey.
Clinical Trials
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 trialsResearch and Publications
Selected Books and Book Chapters
“Uncommon presentations of cancer affecting the breast.” Miller ME, Morrow M. In: A Companion to Specialist Surgical Practice Breast Surgery 6e. Dixon, JM, Barber MD, eds. Elsevier. 2019
“Surgical margins in breast-conserving surgery.” Mantani A, Corben AD, Morrow M. In: Oncoplastic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery, 2nd Edition. Urban C. Rietjens M, El-Tamer M, Sacchini VS, eds. Springer. New York, 2016.
“Mastectomy.” Morrow M, Golshan M..Chapter 34: In: Diseases of the Breast. 5th ed. Harris JR, Lippman ME, Morrow M, Osborne CK, eds. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 2014.
“Breast-conserving therapy.” Chapter 36: Morrow M, Harris JR. In: Diseases of the Breast. 5th ed. Harris JR, Lippman ME, Morrow M, Osborne K, eds. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Philadelphia. 2014.
“Malignant tumors of the breast.” Burstein MJ, Harris JR, Morrow M. In: Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. 9th ed. Devita V, Lawrence T, Rosenberg S, eds. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2011: 1392-1400.
“Breast cancer in the elderly.” Wiechmann L, Morrow M. In: Principles and Practice in Geriatric Surgery. 2nd ed. Rosenthal RA, Zenilman ME, Katlic MR, eds. NewYork: Springer; 2011: 479-92.
“DCIS and microinvasive carcinoma.” Morrow M, Harris JR. In: Diseases of the Breast. 4th ed. Harris, Lippman, Morrow, Osborne, eds. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2010: 349-62.
Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Morrow’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.
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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.
Monica Morrow 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.
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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.
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