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Doris M. Ponce, MD

Doris M. Ponce, MD, MS

Bone Marrow Transplant Specialist

4.9 | 61 reviews

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD)
  • Leukemia
  • Blood, bone marrow, and hematologic cancers and conditions

My Specialties

  • Stem cell transplant
  • Bone marrow transplant
  • Clinical trials
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Dr. Ponce's Office Information
Languages: English & Spanish
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Get to Know Me

I am a board-certified hematologist and oncologist with special expertise in using hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cell transplantation to treat adults with blood cancers. I am part of a group of hematologists and transplant specialists who work together in a coordinated and collaborative manner to provide our patients with the best cancer care.

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My particular interest is in expanding transplant access, particularly for patients from racial and ethnic minorities who may have lower chances of finding a compatible donor. To do so, we can use alternative stem cell sources, such as cord blood (blood collected from the umbilical cord and placenta of healthy newborns) and mismatched donors (donors whose stem cells do not match the patient’s).

I investigate ways to make transplant safer by reducing the risk of related issues, including a potentially life-threatening complication known as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). GVHD happens when donor immune cells identify the patient’s tissue as foreign and begin to attack it. As a clinical researcher, I am investigating novel therapies to prevent and treat acute and chronic GVHD.  

I see patients with a variety of blood cancers who need a stem cell transplant, including patients with acute leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), lymphoma, and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). Additionally, I lead a multidisciplinary GVHD clinic in the Bone Marrow Transplant Service for the care of adults who develop this complication. The goal of my practice is to provide customized care with a dedicated team of advanced care providers, nurses, office assistants, pharmacists, and social workers, while providing access to novel therapies through clinical trials.

What I Do at MSK

A bone marrow transplant specialist is a doctor with special training in bone marrow transplants.

  • Co-Chair, Center for Hematologic Malignancies Translational Research Council
  • Director, Graft-Versus-Host Disease Program
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD)
  • Leukemia
  • Blood, bone marrow, and hematologic cancers and conditions
  • Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)
  • Lymphoma
  • Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN)/Myeloproliferative disorders

My Specialties

  • Stem cell transplant
  • Bone marrow transplant
  • Clinical trials
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, Universidad Central de Venezuela
  • MS, Clinical and Translational Cancer Research, The Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Residencies

  • Internal Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Fellowships

  • Hematology/Oncology - New York Medical College
  • Bone Marrow Transplantation - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

  • Internal Medicine
  • Hematology
  • Medical Oncology

Awards and Honors

  • Incyte Ingenuity Award in GVHD (2024 & 2021)

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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Contact and Location

Dr. Ponce 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.

See all Bone Marrow Transplant Service doctors

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

Andrew C. Harris, Alina Markova, Sean Devlin, Amandeep Singh, Pamela Susman, Soni Brown, Christine Grasso, Christian Custodio, Cherry Estilo, Katarzyna Ibanez, Michelle Myers, Grigory Syrkin, SaeHee Yom, Miguel-Angel Perales, Doris M. Ponce, Establishing a Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD)-Focused Multidisciplinary Telehealth Clinic, Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, 2024, ISSN 2666-6367.

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 61 reviews

  • 4.8 Provider's Explanations Easy to Understand
  • 4.8 Trusts Provider with Care
  • 4.8 Provider Listened Carefully
  • 4.9 Likelihood of Recommending Provider
Mar 5, 2025

It was exactly what it needed to be.

Feb 26, 2025

Hi, this is [patient name removed]. Dr. Ponce and her nurse, Sarah, are wonderful. They've been excellent through all the care I've received from them. Dr. Ponce has been so beneficial through my struggles with my cancer and since transplant and has helped with a lot of the chemo drugs and advocated for me to stay on some of them and to get on some of them. So it's been a wonderful experience with us over the last 10 years. Thank you so much.

Feb 19, 2025

I appreciate the continued care all round , thank you.

Jan 8, 2025

Yes, the doctor was very good. We understood everything that she was saying. Only thing is that there were several times where it was very hard to hear her. She had a mask on and she was very soft spoken. Other than that, it was great.

Dec 11, 2024

Dr. Ponce and her team have been very supportive, and I have trusted her's and her team's judgment and recommendations.

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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.

Doris M. Ponce discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • CareDx
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Evive Biotech
    Professional Services and Activities (Uncompensated)
  • Guidepoint Global Advisors
    Professional Services and Activities (Uncompensated)
  • Incyte
    Professional Services and Activities
  • OncLive
    Professional Services and Activities
  • Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC
    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.


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