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Ashok R. Shaha, MD, FACS -- Jatin P. Shah Chair in Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology

Ashok R. Shaha, MD, FACS

Head and Neck Surgeon

4.9 | 338 reviews

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Head and neck cancers
  • Thyroid cancer and conditions
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Dr. Shaha's Office Information
Languages: English
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Get to Know Me

Dr. Shaha specializes in head and neck surgery, with a particular interest in thyroid and parathyroid surgery. He uses an algorithm of selective thyroid tumor criteria (the size, location, stage and type of cancer, along with the patient’s age), to tailor therapy to each individual’s circumstances. This can help thyroid cancer patients avoid unnecessary and potentially damaging over-treatment, while still providing the best option for control of their cancer and better quality of life after treatment.

Dr. Shaha works very closely with Memorial Sloan Ketterings’ endocrinologists to monitor the careful post-treatment hormone balancing necessary for thyroid cancer patients. Many academic hospitals and medical societies worldwide have invited Dr. Shaha to speak on the principles of targeted thyroid surgery and to share his expertise in the treatment of head and neck cancers.

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His well-established authority in head and neck oncologic surgery has resulted in honors from the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery and the Society of Head and Neck Surgeons. He has been elected to top leadership positions in the American Head and Neck Society, the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, the New York Head and Neck Society, the New York Cancer Society, the New York Surgical Society, the Brooklyn Surgical Society, and the American Society for Surgeons of Indian Origin.

Dr. Shaha serves on the boards of the Journal of Surgical Oncology, Head and Neck, the Annals of Surgical Oncology, the Brazilian Journal of Surgery, and the Gulf Journal of Medicine. He has published more than 275 peer-reviewed scientific articles and more than 125 invited articles.

Noted for his commitment and skill in educating physicians, he has chaired several international conferences, and currently serves as the Chairman of the American Head and Neck Society’s Advanced Training Council, the society granting academic approval to head and neck surgical programs and trainees. He relishes his involvement in training the next generation of head and neck surgeons, and is the recipient of outstanding teaching awards from Memorial Sloan Kettering and SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn.

What I Do at MSK

A head and neck surgeon is a doctor with special training in surgery on the head and neck. This includes the larynx, lips, mouth, nose, salivary glands, and throat.

  • Allan H. Selig Chair
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Head and neck cancers
  • Thyroid cancer and conditions
Education & Honors

Education

  • MBBS, Maharaja Sayajirao University

Residencies

  • Surgery - Shri Sayaji General Hospital
  • Surgical Oncology - Tata Cancer Hospital
  • Surgery - St. Vincent's Medical Center
  • Surgery - SUNY Downstate Medical Center

Fellowships

  • General Surgery - Shri Sayaji General Hospital
  • Surgical Oncology - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  • Head and Neck Surgery - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

  • Surgery

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

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Anthem BCBS Health Plus

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

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Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

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Blue Cross Blue Shield states outside of NY/NJ

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS

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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

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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

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Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (PPO)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

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

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

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

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

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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.

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Contact and Location

Dr. Shaha sees patients at one location.

Office Phone
Location
New York, 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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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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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

Books
Proceedings of the Fifth International Head and Neck Oncology Meeting. Johnson J, Shaha AR. Los Angeles: American Head and Neck Society; 2000.

Operative Techniques in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Shaha AR. Philadelphia: WB Saunders; 2003.

Operative Techniques in General Surgery. Shaha AR, van Heerden J, Farley DR, eds. Philadelphia: WB Saunders; 2004.

Proceedings of the Sixth International Head and Neck Meeting. Shaha AR, Weymueller E. Washington, DC: American Head and Neck Society; 2004.

Selected Book Chapters
“Differentiated thyroid carcinoma.” Shaha AR, Lim D. In: Prognosis and outcomes in surgical disease. McKellar DP, Reiling RB, Eiseman B, eds. St Louis: Quality Medical Publishing; 1999: 18-19.

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“Medullary thyroid cancer.” Shaha AR, Lim D. In: Prognosis and Outcomes in Surgical Disease. McKellar DP, Reiling RB, Eiseman B, eds. St Louis: Quality Medical Publishing; 1999:20-21.

“Anaplastic thyroid cancer.” Shaha AR. In: Endocrine Surgery. Prinz RA and Staren E, eds. Georgetown, TX: Landes Bioscience; 2000: 80-86.

“Prognostic factors and risk groups in well-differentiated thyroid cancer.” Shaha AR.  In: Endocrine Surgery of the Head and Neck. Pelliteri PK, McCaffrey TV, eds. Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning; 2002.

“Follicular carcinoma of the thyroid.” Shaha AR, Shah JP. In: Surgery of the Thyroid and Parathyroid. Randolph G, ed. Philadelphia; WB Saunders; 2003.

“How to preserve the parathyroid glands during thyroid surgery.” Shaha AR, de Araujo Filho VF. In: Pearls and Pitfalls in Head and Neck Surgery. Cerneo CR, ed. New York, NY: Karger; 2008: 8-9.

 

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Shaha’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.

4.9 338 reviews

  • 4.8 Provider's Explanations Easy to Understand
  • 4.9 Trusts Provider with Care
  • 4.9 Provider Listened Carefully
  • 4.9 Likelihood of Recommending Provider
Mar 14, 2025

Hi, I just want to say thank you, Dr. Shahar, because you went above and beyond, because you didn't have tele-talk certification in Maryland, so I couldn't do my video conference, but you called and I was able to get another appointment for next Friday because I really wanted Dr. Shahar to perform my surgery. He's very experienced and takes his time to talk to me, and I really appreciate his communication today, and I would definitely recommend and have been talking about this hospital and especially Dr. Shahar. Thank you.

Mar 12, 2025

Dr. Shaha is very knowledgeable and professional. He explains things very well. Dr. Shaha is an excellent doctor!

Mar 7, 2025

Sloan Kettering is the moat positive hospital I have ever been to. The doctors are through and understanding .

Mar 7, 2025

Excellent as always.

Mar 5, 2025

The provider, Dr. Ashok Shaha, was very helpful and very nice, and he explains things very well. And he's patient and speaks clearly and speaks in a way that I can understand. And he's very nice and very kind.

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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.

Ashok R. Shaha discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

No disclosures meeting criteria for time period


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.


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