
Samuel H. Selesnick, MD, FACS
Surgeon & Neurotologist
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Areas of Expertise
My Specialties
- Skull-Base Surgery
- Acoustic Neuromas (Vestibular Schwannomas) and Skull Base Tumors
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About Me
- Attending Surgeon
I am a surgeon and neurotologist with 25 years of experience caring for people with diseases in and around the ear, including at the skull base and within the skull. I treat people by observation, radiosurgery (surgery using radiation), and skull base microsurgery (surgery near the bottom of the skull).
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Many of my patients have a benign condition known as an acoustic neuroma, which is a tumor that grows in the ear’s acoustic nerve. When surgery is necessary, I work alongside neurosurgeons to very precisely remove the unwanted tissue.
Other skull base tumors that I treat include meningiomas, epidermoids, and glomus tumors. I also manage the surgical and medical treatment of people suffering from complex ear-related problems such as hearing loss, otosclerosis (an abnormal growth of bone in the ear), cholesteatoma (a skin cyst that grows in the middle ear), and facial nerve tumors.
In addition to being a member of the neurosurgery team at Memorial Sloan Kettering, I serve as a Professor and Vice Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology and as a Professor of Otolaryngology in Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. I greatly enjoy working with students and overseeing their rotation through Cornell’s Department of Otolaryngology.
When I myself was a medical student, I initially thought I would become a family practice doctor. Then I became fascinated with the anatomy of the ear and surrounding areas. So I went from wanting to know a little bit about everything to becoming an expert in this subspecialty.
As such, I lecture nationally and internationally on ear-related, neurotologic, and skull base topics and am Past President of the American Otological Society. I’m also a past President of the American Neurotology Society, the nation’s largest specialty organization of neurotologists/skull base surgeons. I have been on the executive council of the American Neurotology Society and have served on or chaired numerous committees for the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the Triological Society, the American College of Surgeons, and others. I am also on the board of directors of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, and was the proud recipient of their Certificate of Honor in 1996.
In my research, I have been the principal investigator on a number of key clinical trials and have published extensively in peer-reviewed journals. In 2019, I was appointed Editor-in-Chief of The Laryngoscope, a leading journal on head and neck disorders. I am also on the editorial board of the journal Otology and Neurotology and have been a guest editor of The Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America.
One of my jobs is to educate each patient about his or her condition and then to explain what the best treatment options are. My hope is that patients feel confident and reassured that they are getting the very best care possible.
Outside of work, I enjoy sports and traveling with my family.
A surgeon is a doctor with special training in many kinds of surgery.
A neurotologist is a doctor with special training in conditons affecting the nerves that connect the ear and brain.
My Specialties
- Skull-Base Surgery
- Acoustic Neuromas (Vestibular Schwannomas) and Skull Base Tumors
Education
- MD, New York University School of Medicine
Residencies
- General Surgery - St. Vincent's Hospital
- Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery - Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital
Awards and Honors
- Past President of the American Otological Society
- Past President of the American Neurotology Society
- Recipient of The Certificate of Honor bestowed by The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Fellowships
- Otology, Neurotology, and Skull Base Surgery - University of California San Francisco
Board Certifications
- Otolaryngology
- Neurotology
Insurance Information
Dr. Selesnick is primarily affiliated with the Weill Cornell Medical College. His accepted insurance providers are different than most MSK doctors. Any services he provides (even at MSK) may result in an out-of-pocket expense. For more information, contact Dr. Selesnick’s office at 212-746-2934.
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Contact and Location
Dr. Selesnick sees patients at one location.
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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.
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
Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Selesnick’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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