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Gregory Harrison Nalesnik

Gregory Harrison Nalesnik, DO, FAAP

Pediatric Hematologist-Oncologist

Patient Reviews

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Pediatric bone tumors
  • Pediatric brain tumors
  • Pediatric leukemias

My Specialties

  • Pediatric cancer care
  • Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer care
  • Lumbar puncture (spinal tap)
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Dr. Nalesnik's Office Information
Languages: English
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Get to Know Me

I am a general pediatric oncologist who cares for children and young adults with all types of cancer including:

 

I provide care on the MSK Kids inpatient unit at Memorial Hospital as well as outpatient care. My patients receive different types of treatments, including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery, depending on the cancer diagnosis.

When I meet a new patient and their family, I put myself in their shoes. My priority is to get to know them and build a relationship and trust with them. Once I have earned their trust, I can address the disease.

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In addition to patient care, I conduct research. As a fellow, I conducted laboratory research on high-risk leukemia, which has a higher chance of not responding to treatment or coming back compared to standard-risk leukemia. Here at MSK, I study Ewing sarcoma and other challenging cancers.

My goal is to explore new therapies to improve patient outcomes for some of the most aggressive pediatric cancers. This includes developing adaptive therapies for children with aggressive cancers, Ideally, we would give patients with aggressive cancers more intensive treatment than those with slower-growing cancers. Our aim is to treat these cancers strongly from the outset, rather than waiting until after they came back.

I chose pediatric oncology for several reasons. First, both my parents are cancer survivors. Their success stories of getting early, effective treatment is the reason they are still with us today. This inspired me to go to medical school and become a doctor. I specialized in pediatric oncology because I love working with children.

If you’re successful in treating a child who has cancer, you can potentially add many years to their life. I enjoy receiving emails and pictures from the families I’ve treated. It’s great to see them sharing the news of their children starting preschool, graduating high school, or seeing their families grow.

At MSK Kids, I am gratified to care for these amazing children and help them through the most difficult time of their lives. I don’t take that responsibility lightly, and I feel truly blessed. 

What I Do at MSK

A pediatric hematologist-oncologist is a doctor who treats cancers and blood diseases in children, adolescents and young adults.

  • Assistant Attending Physician
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Pediatric bone tumors
  • Pediatric brain tumors
  • Pediatric leukemias
  • Pediatric lymphomas
  • Pediatric sarcomas
  • Pediatric spinal tumors
  • Graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD)
  • Histiocytosis
  • Rare blood cancers and conditions

My Specialties

  • Pediatric cancer care
  • Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer care
  • Lumbar puncture (spinal tap)
  • Bone marrow aspiration
  • Bone marrow biopsy
Education & Honors

Education

  • Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO), University of Pikeville

Residencies

  • Pediatrics, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital

Fellowships

  • Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, Penn State Children's Hospital

Board Certifications

  • Pediatrics

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.

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Contact and Location

Dr. Nalesnik sees patients at one location.

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.

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.

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Research and Publications

Bogush, D., Schramm, J., Ding, Y., He, B., Singh, C., Sharma, A., Tukaramrao, D.B., Iyer, S., Desai, D., Nalesnik, G. and Hengst, J., 2023. Signaling pathways and regulation of gene expression in hematopoietic cells. Advances in Biological Regulation, 88, p.100942.

Melendez, A., Lee, J., Nalesnik, G., Barsoom, R., King, D., Tine, E., MvAleavy, M., DasMahapatra, B., Doll, R.J. and Theivakumar, T., 2012, August. 8-Quinolyl-N-arylcarbamates as re-activators of mutant p53 and potential antitumor agents. In ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY (Vol. 244). 1155 16TH ST, NW, WASHINGTON, DC 20036 USA: AMER CHEMICAL SOC.

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Nalesnik’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