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Dr. Lauren Banaszak

Lauren Banaszak, MD

Leukemia Specialist

4.9 | 81 reviews

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Leukemia
  • Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)
  • Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN)/Myeloproliferative disorders

My Specialties

  • Genetic testing and counseling
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Dr. Banaszak's Office Information
Languages: English
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Get to Know Me

I am a medical oncologist and hematologist who specializes in the care of people with acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, and other leukemias. I also have a special interest in caring for people with an inherited risk for cancer. I see patients at Memorial Hospital and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Clinical Genetics Service.

I work closely with a team of physicians, advanced practice providers, and nurses who are part of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to provide the best treatment for patients with leukemia and other blood cancers. It is my privilege to educate patients and their families on their diagnosis and treatment options and to work together to create a personalized care plan based on their individual goals.

In addition, I have a separate genetics clinic where I provide genetic counseling and testing for people who may have an inherited predisposition to cancer. I also help patients diagnosed with cancer integrate this genetic information into their treatment plan. Though I see patients with inherited risk for all cancer types, I specialize in hereditary blood cancers. My goal is to partner with patients and their families to discover new ways to detect and treat these disorders. 

What I Do at MSK

A leukemia specialist is a doctor with special training in diagnosing and treating leukemia.

  • Clinical Instructor
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Leukemia
  • Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)
  • Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN)/Myeloproliferative disorders
  • Hereditary cancers

My Specialties

  • Genetic testing and counseling
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine

Residencies

  • Internal Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Fellowships

  • Hematology/Medical Oncology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Board Certifications

  • Hematology
  • Medical Oncology
  • Internal Medicine

Awards and Honors

  • Fellow Outstanding Research Award, University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Medicine (2024)
  • Outstanding Fellow Award, University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Medicine (2024)
  • Chief Resident, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2020-2021)
  • Abstract Achievement Award (2016, 2019)
  • Medical Research Scholars Program Fellow, National Institutes of Health (2015-2016)

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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New Patients
Scheduling an appointment is easy. Click or call 800-525-2225— we’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
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Current Patients
Request an appointment by logging in to MSK MyChart or calling your Care Team. If you are not enrolled in MSK MyChart, ask your Care Team to send you an invitation. You can also go to MSK MyChart and select “Sign up now.”

Contact and Location

Dr. Banaszak sees patients at two locations.

Location
New York, NY
Memorial Sloan Kettering Clinical Genetics Service
222 East 70th Street New York NY 10021
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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.

See all Leukemia Service doctors

See all Clinical Genetics 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

Banaszak LG, Cabral PL, Smith-Simmer K, Hassan A, Brunner M, Fallon M, Shoger K, Lovrien L, Golner D, Zurbriggen L, Mattison R, Gahvari Z, Hall A, Nadiminti K, Reinig E, Churpek JE. Implementation of and Systems-Level Barriers to Guideline-Driven Germline Genetic Evaluation in the Care of Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myeloid Leukemia. JCO Precis Oncol. 2024 Jun;8:e2300518. doi: 10.1200/PO.23.00518. PMID: 38848520; PMCID: PMC11234342.

Banaszak LG, Smith-Simmer K, Shoger K, Lovrien L, Malik A, Sandbo N, Sultan S, Guzy R, Lowery EM, Churpek JE. Implementation of a prospective screening strategy to identify adults with a telomere biology disorder among those undergoing lung transplant evaluation for interstitial lung disease. Respir Med. 2023 Dec;220:107464. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2023.107464. Epub 2023 Nov 10. PMID: 37951311.

Banaszak LG, Reinig E, Lasarev MR, Mattison RJ. Clinical utility and real-world application of molecular genetic sequencing in the management of patients with acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. Leuk Lymphoma. 2022 Mar;63(3):684-693. doi: 10.1080/10428194.2021.1999435. Epub 2021 Dec 6. PMID: 34865601.

Banaszak LG, Giudice V, Zhao X, Wu Z, Gao S, Hosokawa K, Keyvanfar K, Townsley DM, Gutierrez-Rodrigues F, Fernandez Ibanez MDP, Kajigaya S, Young NS. Abnormal RNA splicing and genomic instability after induction of DNMT3A mutations by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. Blood Cells Mol Dis. 2018 Mar;69:10-22. doi: 10.1016/j.bcmd.2017.12.002. Epub 2018 Jan 4. PMID: 29324392; PMCID: PMC6728079.

Bade R, Banaszak LG, Osman F, Cabral P, Hassan A, Stepanovic A, Reinig E, Mattison RJ. Neighborhood disadvantage, insurance status, and molecular profiling of patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Leuk Res. 2023 Aug;131:107326. doi: 10.1016/j.leukres.2023.107326. Epub 2023 May 24. PMID: 37263074.

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Banaszak’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 81 reviews

  • 4.9 Provider's Explanations Easy to Understand
  • 4.9 Trusts Provider with Care
  • 4.9 Provider Listened Carefully
  • 4.9 Likelihood of Recommending Provider
Mar 17, 2025

Always great experience with SLK teams

Mar 17, 2025

The doctor is very good and very helpful.

Mar 17, 2025

As hard as it is coming here , i am always treated so politely and i wouldn't go anywhere else.

Mar 17, 2025

I'm pleased to be a patient at MSKCC.

Mar 11, 2025

The geneticist Kelsey Breen is excellent

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