Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center medical oncologist David Aggen

David H. Aggen, MD, PhD

Genitourinary Medical Oncologist & Cellular Therapist

My Role at MSK

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Bladder cancer
  • Kidney (renal cell) cancer and conditions
  • Prostate cancer and conditions

My Specialties

  • Clinical trials
  • Immunotherapy
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About Me

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

I am a medical oncologist who cares for people with genitourinary cancers. This includes bladder cancer, urinary tract cancer, kidney cancer, and prostate cancer.

At MSK, I work closely with a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, radiation oncologists, and pathologists. Together, we provide personalized care for each of our patients.

This provider is part of a team that was ranked #1 in the nation for Urology Cancer Care this year by U.S. News & World Report.

For more than a decade, I have been interested in using immunotherapy to improve outcomes for people with cancer. I work with my patients to tailor the best treatments for them, whether it is immunotherapy, targeted therapy, chemotherapy, or a combination. The people we care for at MSK are also able to participate in cutting-edge clinical trials, both in Manhattan and at regional sites, like MSK Bergen.

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Understandably, a diagnosis of cancer can be frightening. When I first meet my patients, I try to address their concerns about the extent of their illness, the available treatments, and their prognosis. A critical part of my job is talking with patients about treatment options so that they can make informed decisions about their care. My goal is to have my patients leave their visit with an improved understanding of their condition, the available treatments, and their dedicated care plan.

My research interests include developing new treatments and clinical trials for people with bladder cancer. My team works to identify relationships between tumor genomics, the tumor immune microenvironment, and the response to immunotherapy. We want to be able to figure out which combinations are more likely to benefit an individual patient using genomics, transcriptomics, and immunoprofiling. Additionally, I have a long-standing interest in developing cellular therapeutics, such as T cell receptors and chimeric antigen receptor T cells. By finding new targets in genitourinary cancer for cellular therapeutics, we can better care for people who don’t respond to conventional treatment.  

Outside of work, I enjoy running in Central Park, cycling, and spending time with my wife and family.

My Role at MSK

A genitourinary (jeh-nih-toh-YOOR-ih-nayr-ee) medical oncologist is a cancer doctor who specializes in genitourinary (GU) cancers. This includes bladder, kidney, penis, prostate, and testicular cancers.

A cellular therapy specialist is a doctor with special training in using cell therapies to treat health conditions such as cancer. Therapies can include chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy.

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Bladder cancer
  • Kidney (renal cell) cancer and conditions
  • Prostate cancer and conditions

My Specialties

  • Clinical trials
  • Immunotherapy
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, University of Illinois College of Medicine
  • PhD, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Residencies

  • Internal Medicine - Wayne State University School of Medicine

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)
  • Conquer Cancer Foundation – ASCO Career Development Award (2021)
  • Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Research Program – CDA Award (2022)
  • Conquer Cancer Foundation - ASCO Young Investigator Award (2018)

Fellowships

  • Medical Oncology - Columbia University Medical Center

Board Certifications

  • Internal Medicine
  • Medical 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 and NYC retirees only)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Anthem BCBS and other BCBS licensee plans

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Anthem BCBS Health Plus

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Anthem Blue Cross Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO, DSN

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

Blue Cross Blue Shield states outside of NY/NJ

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS

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

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

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.

Make an Appointment

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. Aggen sees patients at three locations.

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY
Montvale, NJ

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 Cellular Therapy Service doctors

See all Genitourinary Oncology Service doctors

Clinical Trials

Research and Publications

Publications on PubMed

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

David H. Aggen discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • Alpha Insights
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Aptitude Health
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Bristol-Myers Squibb
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Century Therapeutics
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Curio Science LLC
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Guidepoint Global Advisors
    Professional Services and Activities
  • MJH Life Sciences
    Professional Services and Activities
  • RC Horowitz & Co
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Seagen
    Professional Services and Activities
  • University of Illinois
    Intellectual Property Rights

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].


View all disclosures