Meet MSK Kids Pediatric Neurologist & Neuro-Oncologist Yasmin Khakoo

Yasmin Khakoo is the Director of the MSK Kids Child Neurology Program. Learn about her expertise in caring for children and young adults with primary brain tumors.
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 Memorial Sloan Kettering Pediatric Neurologist & Neuro-Oncologist Yasmin Khakoo

Yasmin Khakoo, MD

Pediatric Neurologist & Neuro-Oncologist

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Pediatric brain tumors

My Specialties

  • Clinical trials
Dr. Khakoo's Office Information
Languages: English
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Get to Know Me

I am a board-certified pediatric neurologist and neuro-oncologist on the MSK Kids team who cares for children and young adults with primary brain tumors. As Director of the MSK Kids Child Neurology Program, I have a special interest in the prevention and treatment of nervous system complications in young patients receiving treatment for these tumors and other cancers. My goal is to help preserve neurologic and cognitive function (thinking abilities) in children with cancer so that when therapy is completed, a child can return to school and their family and resume a normal life. I consider myself a guardian of my patients’ nervous systems, and I want them to survive and thrive to be the best they can be.

Along with my colleagues in the Brain Tumor Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), I am involved in several clinical trials. We are evaluating novel approaches to treat people who have been newly diagnosed with brain tumors or who have brain tumors that have come back after earlier treatment.

I received funding from the Cycle for Survival Foundation to study low-grade gliomas in children as the principal investigator. My MSK colleagues, Neal Rosen, Ingo Mellinghoff, Jeffrey Greenfield, and I obtained tumor tissue samples from people who had low-grade gliomas surgically removed. In the laboratory, we studied the effects of novel medications on these tumor tissues and helped find a new drug to treat these tumors.

I am also conducting research on the development of cerebellar mutism (also called “posterior fossa syndrome”). This complication is seen in people who have had surgery for medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor in children. People with this syndrome are unable to speak and may have trouble walking, chewing, eating, and swallowing. I also investigate paraneoplastic syndromes in people with neuroblastoma (opsoclonus myoclonus ataxia syndrome) and other childhood cancers. Such syndromes may impair walking, talking, and eye movements resulting from these cancers or their treatment.

I specialize in research and the care of children with a rare neurologic condition called neurocutaneous melanocytosis. It is sometimes seen in people with large birthmarks (also called “congenital melanocytic nevi”). We recently received funding from the Nevus Outreach advocacy group to maintain a registry of these patients. The goal is to identify those at high risk and better understand why some of them develop melanoma of the central nervous system.

Along with J. J. Boelens and other colleagues in the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapies Service, I am developing novel treatments for genetic and metabolic diseases that affect the central nervous system. These include adrenoleukodystrophy and metachromatic leukodystrophy.

In addition to my clinical and research responsibilities, I teach and supervise residents and fellows. In 2005, I founded MSK’s Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Fellowship, which I directed from 2005 to 2014. I continue to be heavily involved in running the fellowship. Fellows who train at MSK have the benefit of encountering a large volume of patients cared for by an experienced team of leading clinicians.

I was recently awarded admission into a year-long mentorship program through the American Academy of Neurology. This opportunity will enable me to hone my leadership skills and take the MSK Kids Child Neurology Program to the next level.

What I Do at MSK

I’m a pediatric neurologist, which is a doctor with special training in the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and muscles. I treat children and adolescents.

I'm a neuro-oncologist at MSK. This is a doctor with special training in cancers that affect the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and muscles. This includes brain tumors and central nervous system tumors.

  • Director, Child Neurology Program
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Pediatric brain tumors

My Specialties

  • Clinical trials
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, Columbia University

Residencies

  • Pediatrics - University of California, San Francisco
  • Child Neurology - University of California, San Francisco

Fellowships

  • Neuro-Oncology - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

  • Pediatrics
  • Neurology (CAQ in Child Neurology)
  • Neuro-Oncology

Awards and Honors

  • Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2025)
  • Castle Connolly: Top AAPI Doctor (2024)
  • Castle Connolly: Exceptional Women in Medicine (2024)
  • Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctors (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)
  • Pediatric Neurology Faculty Teaching Award, Weill Cornell Medical College, Department of Neurology (2021)
  • Castle Connolly: New York Magazine Best Doctors (2013-2014, 2016-2020)

Insurance Information

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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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Contact and Location

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue New York NY 10065
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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.

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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.

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Research and Publications

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Khakoo’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

Members of the MSK Community 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. These activities outside of MSK further our mission, provide productive collaborations, and promote the practical application of scientific discoveries.

MSK requires doctors, faculty members, and leaders 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. Not all disclosed interests and relationships present conflicts of interest. MSK reviews all disclosed interests and relationships to assess whether a conflict of interest exists and whether formal COI management is needed.

Yasmin Khakoo discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • Elsevier
    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 a complement to other publicly reported data and 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, 2024 through disclosure submission in spring 2025). 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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