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Alissa Cooper

Alissa J. Cooper, MD

Thoracic Medical Oncologist

4.9 | 157 reviews

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Lung cancer

My Specialties

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

I am a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of lung cancer. In concert with a team of experts across medical specialties, like surgery and radiation oncology, I work with patients to create treatment plans tailored not only to the specific needs of their disease, but also to their goals and preferences for care.  

When patients meet with me, I want them to feel heard and reassured that I will be there to support them each step the way. My MSK colleagues and I are attuned to the diverse ways in which a cancer diagnosis can impact a person’s life. Partnering with our patients to identify the treatment path that is right for them is our mission. 

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To that end, we are always hoping to improve upon the treatment options currently available for lung cancer. I have held a long-standing interest in improving patient outcomes through clinical research, with an emphasis on biomarkers as indicators of treatment response and resistance. At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, I lead clinical trials of novel therapeutics and combination treatment strategies. I collaborate with MSK’s laboratory-based researchers to investigate how and why new treatment regimens work in lung cancer. Ultimately, my goal as a clinician and researcher is to advance knowledge in the field of lung cancer for the benefit of current and future patients.

 

What I Do at MSK

A thoracic medical oncologist is a cancer doctor who specializes in thoracic (thor-A-sik) cancers. These are cancers that have to do with the chest, including lung, tracheal (windpipe), and thymic (thymus) cancers.

  • Assistant Attending Physician
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Lung cancer

My Specialties

  • Immunotherapy
  • Clinical trials
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Residencies

  • Internal Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Fellowships

  • Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Mass General Brigham, Harvard Medical School

Awards and Honors

  • Targeted Therapies of Lung Cancer Education Award, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, (2022, 2023)
  • Chief Fellow, Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Mass General Brigham Fellowship Program (2022-2023)

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 (MTA and NYC retirees only)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Anthem BCBS and other BCBS licensee plans

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

See updates

Anthem BCBS Health Plus

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

See updates

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

See updates

Blue Cross Blue Shield states outside of NY/NJ

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS

See updates

Carrum Health

In Network Coverage Type
Supplemental

Cigna

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

Connecticare

In Network Coverage Type
POS, EPO, HMO

First Health

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Straight NJ Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Straight NY Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Emblem

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Emblem to learn more.

Emblem Essential

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Emblem Medicare Advantage (Medicare Choice PPO Network and VIP Prime Network Only)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

Empire Essential

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

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

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

See updates

Fidelis

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Fidelis to learn more.

Fidelis Managed Medicaid & HARP

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Fidelis Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Healthfirst

In Network Coverage Type
EPO, HMO, PPO, POS

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Healthfirst to learn more.

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

See updates

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (PPO)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

See updates

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

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

See updates

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

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

See updates

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

Medicare Part A&B (traditional Medicare)

In Network Coverage Type
Federal Government

Metroplus

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

City Employee Health Plans (Gold and Gold Care)

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.

Make an Appointment

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Current Patients
Request an appointment by logging in to MSK MyChart or calling your Care Team. If you are not enrolled in MSK MyChart, ask your Care Team to send you an invitation. You can also go to MSK MyChart and select “Sign up now.”

Contact and Location

Dr. Cooper sees patients at two locations.

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY
West Harrison, NY
David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
530 East 74th Street New York NY 10021
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Westchester
500 Westchester Avenue West Harrison NY 10604
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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.

See all Thoracic Oncology Service doctors

Clinical Trials

Read more
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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. Cooper’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

Patient Reviews

Your trust is our main concern

We strive to keep reviews trustworthy, honest and fair. Learn more about our patient experience reviews.

4.9 157 reviews

  • 4.9 Provider's Explanations Easy to Understand
  • 4.8 Trusts Provider with Care
  • 4.9 Provider Listened Carefully
  • 4.9 Likelihood of Recommending Provider
Mar 25, 2025

Dr. Cooper was terrific!

Mar 24, 2025

Always an Excellent experience because MSK simply CARES.

Mar 24, 2025

Many thanks to Alissa Cooper, MD for her attention and information about available clinical trials. Best regards, [patient name removed]'s family

Mar 24, 2025

Dr. Cooper is wonderful... just wonderful... thank you!

Mar 18, 2025

My family could not be happier with our first appointment. Everyone was so kind and helpful. The RN and Dr. Cooper were thorough and helped to put us at ease. Dr. Cooper explained everything and answered our questions. We are so thankful we got into MSK and look forward to seeing Dr. Cooper again soon.

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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.

Alissa J. Cooper discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • Gilead Sciences, Inc.
    Professional Services and Activities
  • MJH Life Sciences
    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, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). 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 ecoi@mskcc.org.


View all disclosures