William S. Breitbart, MD
Psychiatrist
Titles
Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Jimmie C. Holland Chair in Psychiatric Oncology
Clinical Expertise
Management of Depression, Delirium, Pain, Fatigue, and Distress; End of Life Care
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Only outpatient providers are included in the survey. Healthcare providers who only work in the hospital or in urgent care are not included in the survey. Pathologists or researchers who do not provide direct care to patients do not have reviews.
New Patient Appointments
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Dr. Breitbart accepts the following list of insurance providers. Select your insurance provider to see more details.
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO PPO, POS, Transplant
Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, PPO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO PPO, POS
Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): Supplemental
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): POS, EPO, HMO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO
Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO
Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO
Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO, DSN
Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, EPO
Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO
Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO
Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO, HMO, PPO, POS
Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO
Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO, PPO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO EPO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): EPO
Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO
Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO
Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government
Payor Type: Medicaid/Managed Medicaid
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government
Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): Federal Government
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): Supplemental
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO/OAP
Payor Type: Other
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, EPO, HMO
Payor Type: Medicare/Medicare Advantage
In Network Coverage Type(s): TBD
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): HMO/EPO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, EPO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): State Government
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, HMO
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS
Payor Type: Commercial
In Network Coverage Type(s): PPO, POS, HMO
Contact and Location
- 646-888-0020 Office Phone
- Speaks English
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 locationsAbout Me
Education
MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Residencies
Bronx Municipal Hospital Center
Fellowships
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Board Certifications
Internal Medicine; Psychiatry
I am a board-certified psychiatrist whose expertise focuses on the psychiatric aspects of pain, symptom control, and palliative care in cancer patients. I have been Chief of the Psychiatry Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center since 1996 and Vice Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences since 2009, and currently serve as Chair of the Department. I provide individual interventions to patients, couples, and family members. In addition, I am the psychiatric liaison to the Hepatobiliary Disease Management Team and the Palliative Medicine Service. I am also a member of the Brain Tumor Center faculty.
Read more
I also lead the psychotherapy laboratory, which conducts novel counseling interventions for cancer patients at all stages of disease and cancer types as well as couples and families. My research interests have included fatigue related to cancer and AIDS; depression in terminally ill AIDS and cancer patients; meaning-centered psychotherapy for advanced cancer patients; and delirium research.
I helped to establish the American Psycho-Oncology Society (APOS), I am the President of the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS), and I am the past president of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine, all organizations of specialists in my field. In addition, I am on the board of directors of many other medical societies. I am the recipient of the 2009 Willet F. Whitmore Award for Clinical Excellence from Memorial Sloan Kettering, and the 2009 Arthur Sutherland Award for Lifetime Achievement in the field of psycho-oncology from IPOS. Additionally, I am a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and was a faculty scholar of the Project on Death in America. I am editor-in-chief of the international palliative care journal entitled Palliative and Supportive Care.
Awards and Honors
- Castle Connolly: America's Top Doctors (2023)
- Castle Connolly: New York Magazine Top Doctors (2002-2020)
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 Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences doctors
Clinical Trials
- Clinical Trials Co-Investigated by Dr. Breitbart
- Attention and Interpretation Modification (AIM) for Fear of Cancer Recurrence: An Intervention Development Study
- Development of Psychotherapeutic Interventions for Parents Who Lost a Child
- Evaluation of Grief Therapy Approaches for Bereaved Parents
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. Breitbart’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 PubMedPatient Reviews
At MSK, we’re committed to delivering the best care to every patient. We use feedback from our patients to continue to improve our care. We also post patient reviews online to help you make healthcare choices. Learn more about our patient experience reviews.
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.
William S. Breitbart discloses the following relationships and financial interests:
-
Adventist HealthCare
Provision of Services -
Blue Note Therapeutics, Inc.
Intellectual Property Rights; Provision of Services -
Cambridge University Press
Provision of Services -
Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services, Inc.
Fiduciary Role/Position
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Elisabeth Kübler-Ross Foundation
Provision of Services -
Oxford University Press
Intellectual Property Rights -
Reset Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Provision of Services (uncompensated) -
University of Turin
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].
