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Memorial Sloan Kettering pediatric oncologist Brian Kusnher

Brian H. Kushner, MD

Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist

My Role at MSK

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Neuroblastoma
  • Immunotherapy
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Dr. Kushner's Office Information
Languages: English

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About Me

What I Do at MSK
  • Attending Physician
Get To Know Me

I am a pediatric oncologist at MSK Kids whose specialty is neuroblastoma, which can occur in babies, children, teenagers, and young adults. We have made great progress toward our goal of a cure with as few side effects as possible. For those whose neuroblastoma relapses, we have shown that a cure is still possible. Many patients come to us after they received treatment elsewhere, often because of problems such as relapse, poor response to therapy, or major side effects. Our team carefully discusses each patient’s unique situation and tailors an individualized plan of care to achieve the greatest chance of success.

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I feel privileged to work as part of a team that focuses only on neuroblastoma. We see more patients with neuroblastoma than any other institution. Each patient is extremely important to us — we draw inspiration from every one of them and their families. Our exposure to patients from across the United States and from other countries affords us an extraordinary amount of experience and knowledge that we draw on each time we meet a new patient. In addition, because we treat so many patients, we are able to study the results of our treatments constantly, with a view toward identifying changes we can make right away to further improve cure rates and avoid side effects. 

Our neuroblastoma team is dedicated to finding better treatments for this disease. One major effort is finding better ways to direct a patient’s own immune system to attack neuroblastoma. I am leading clinical trials assessing these new immunotherapies in patients with high-risk forms of this cancer.

We have also learned from the large number of patients we have cared for that in some cases, neuroblastoma disappears on its own. We are identifying factors that may predict which patients will experience such “spontaneous regression” and will be cured with little or no treatment.

I have covered the 26.2 miles of the New York City Marathon 15 times. I was on Fred’s Team, an organization of runners who raise funds to support cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering. During the most challenging parts of the marathon, I would picture in my mind the children and young adults we treat and how hard they fight for their lives, and I realized that what I was going through at those points in the race was nothing compared to what they endure. As we came to mile 17, on First Avenue in front of MSK, it was so exciting to high-five the patients and families who came out to watch us and to stop for a hug.

My Role at MSK

A pediatric hematologist-oncologist is a doctor who treats cancers of the blood in children and adolescents. This doctor is a hematologist (HEE-muh-TAH-loh-jist) who diagnoses and treats blood disorders. They also are an oncologist (cancer doctor).

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Pediatric Oncology
  • Neuroblastoma
  • Immunotherapy
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, Johns Hopkins University

Residencies

  • Pediatrics - Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center
  • Pediatrics - New York Hospital

Awards and Honors

  • Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2024)
  • Top Doctors New York Metro Area, Castle Connolly (2023)
  • Castle Connolly: America's Top Doctors (2023)
  • Castle Connolly: New York Magazine Top Doctors (2002-2012, 2018, 2020)

Fellowships

  • Pediatric Hematology/Oncology - Children's Hospital Boston and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

  • Pediatrics
  • Pediatric Hematology-Oncology

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 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

Anthem Blue Cross Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO, DSN

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

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

First Health

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

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

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

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Contact and Location

Dr. Kushner sees patients at one 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.

Search clinical trials

Research and Publications

Publications on PubMed

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

Brian H. Kushner 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 [email protected].


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