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Memorial Sloan Kettering Psychiatrist William S. Breitbart

William S. Breitbart, MD

Psychiatrist

My Role at MSK

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Management of Depression, Delirium, Pain, Fatigue, and Distress
  • End of Life Care
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Dr. Breitbart's Office Information
Languages: English

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About Me

What I Do at MSK
  • Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
  • Jimmie C. Holland Chair
Get To Know Me

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.

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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.

My Role at MSK

A psychiatrist (sy-KY-uh-trist) is a doctor with special training in mental, emotional, and behavioral health. They can prescribe medication to help with these conditions.

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Management of Depression, Delirium, Pain, Fatigue, and Distress
  • End of Life Care
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Residencies

  • Bronx Municipal Hospital Center

Awards and Honors

  • Top Doctors New York Metro Area, Castle Connolly (2023)
  • Castle Connolly: America's Top Doctors (2023)
  • Castle Connolly: New York Magazine Top Doctors (2002-2020)

Fellowships

  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

  • Internal Medicine
  • Psychiatry

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.

Aetna

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS, Transplant

Aetna Medicare Advantage (City of NY retirees only, starting 9/1/23)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield New York

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Blue Cross Blue Shield states outside of NY/NJ

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS

Blue Cross Health Plus

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Carrum Health

In Network Coverage Type
Supplemental

Cigna

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

Connecticare

In Network Coverage Type
POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem Essential

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Emblem Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

Empire Blue Cross Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO, DSN

Empire Essential

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

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

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Fidelis

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO

Fidelis Managed Medicaid & HARP

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Fidelis Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

First Health

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Healthfirst

In Network Coverage Type
EPO, HMO, PPO, POS

Healthfirst Managed Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Healthfirst Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

Healthsmart

In Network Coverage Type
PPO EPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (HMO)

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (PPO)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

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

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

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

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

Horizon Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

Husky CT Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Magnacare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO

Straight NJ Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Straight NY Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Medicare Part A&B (traditional Medicare)

In Network Coverage Type
Federal Government

Multiplan/Beech Street/PHCS

In Network Coverage Type
Supplemental

MVP

In Network Coverage Type
PPO/OAP

Non-Participating Plans with Out of Network Benefits

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

NYC Medicare Advantage Plus for City Employees

In Network Coverage Type
TBD

Oscar

In Network Coverage Type
HMO/EPO

Oxford

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, EPO

World Trade Center Health Program (WTC)

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Qualcare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

Tricare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

UMR

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS

United Healthcare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

Don't see your carrier or plan? We can help you understand your coverage.

If you don't have health insurance or are worried that your care may not be fully covered, our financial assistance programs may be able to help.

If you have questions about insurance, call us at 646-497-9176.

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Current Patients

Request an appointment by logging on to MyMSK or calling your doctor’s office. If you aren’t registered for MyMSK, call 646-227-2593 for your Enrollment ID.

Contact and Location

Dr. Breitbart sees patients at one location.

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY
Rockefeller Outpatient Pavilion
160 East 53rd Street New York NY 10022
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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. This allows us to consider all your needs together, and to give you the best possible care.

See all Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences doctors

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See all Psychiatry Service doctors

Clinical Trials

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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

Publications on PubMed

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 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.

William S. Breitbart discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • Blue Note Therapeutics, Inc.
    Intellectual Property Rights; Professional Services and Activities
  • Cambridge University Press
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Oxford University Press
    Intellectual Property Rights
  • Reset Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
    Professional Services and Activities

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, 2022 through disclosure submission in spring 2023). 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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