Jonathan Fainberg

Jonathan S. Fainberg, MD, MPH

Urologic Surgeon

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Prostate cancer and conditions

My Specialties

  • Prostate biopsy
  • Minimally invasive surgery
  • Robotic surgery
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Dr. Fainberg's Office Information
Languages: English & Spanish
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Get to Know Me

I am a urologic surgeon who specializes in the diagnosis, surveillance, and treatment of localized prostate cancer.

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.

Cancer can be a life-changing diagnosis, and men diagnosed with prostate cancer are often stressed about what their diagnosis means for them. Biopsies, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, and the thought of radical treatment can be overwhelming, in part because there is so much information available. Often, this makes it difficult to know what specifically matters for you. My specialty is helping you understand the complexities of a prostate cancer diagnosis while outlining the options that are best for you.

I am particularly interested in image-guided interventions to diagnose and treat prostate cancer and gained expertise on their application in this disease during my fellowship training. As imaging of the prostate with MRI and PET scans has improved, so has our ability to use these methods to diagnose and treat prostate cancer. The better the quality of the imaging, the more confident urologic surgeons like me can be in recommending specific treatments to our patients.

Partial gland ablation (also called focal therapy) is an evolving image-guided treatment option, and it is one of my specialties. This type of therapy is available to a subset of men with cancer in one part of the prostate. We use an MRI to view and treat the part of the prostate gland affected by cancer without harming the surrounding, non-cancerous areas. Partial gland ablation allows us to control the cancer while minimizing the side effects associated with radical treatment. When a patient is interested in partial gland ablation, I typically perform a “confirmatory biopsy” to validate the location and the pathology of the tumor prior to therapy. I do this even if you have had a biopsy done outside of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).

I am also interested in active surveillance for men with low- or favorable intermediate-risk prostate cancer. This type of prostate cancer is unlikely to spread or affect your life expectancy and quality of life. In these cases, the best approach is active surveillance — keeping a close eye on the cancer to monitor it for changes. We have used active surveillance for years at MSK, and with our robust surveillance protocols, you can rest assured that low or intermediate-risk prostate cancer will not be a problem for you.

Prostate biopsy is one of my areas of expertise. Since a prostate biopsy can be uncomfortable, I have trained in several techniques to improve the biopsy process. I have extensive experience in performing transrectal and transperineal prostate biopsies, and I offer a variety of anesthesia options to make patients feel more comfortable. I am a firm believer that it does not need to be a distressing experience for my patients.

When I am not working, I enjoy spending time with my wife, who is an OBGYN (obstetrics and gynecology), and daughters. I am an active guy who likes gardening, cooking, playing sports, and watching football (go Pats).

What I Do at MSK

I'm a urologic surgeon, which is a doctor with special training in surgery on the genitourinary (jeh-nih-toh-YOOR-ih-nayr-ee) (GU) system. This includes the bladder, kidney, penis, prostate, and testicles.

  • Assistant Attending Surgeon
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Prostate cancer and conditions

My Specialties

  • Prostate biopsy
  • Minimally invasive surgery
  • Robotic surgery
  • Focal therapy
  • Active surveillance
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, Tufts University School of Medicine
  • MPH, Tufts University School of Public Health

Residencies

  • General Surgery (Intern) - Weill Cornell Medicine
  • Urology (Resident) - Weill Cornell Medicine

Fellowships

  • Advanced Prostate Imaging and Procedures - Weill Cornell Medical Center

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.

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

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Location
New York, NY
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue New York NY 10065
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Sidney Kimmel Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers
353 East 68th Street 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.

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Research and Publications

Fainberg J, Vanden Berg RNW, Chesnut G, Coleman JA, Donahue T, Ehdaie B, Goh AC, Laudone VP, Lee T, Pyon J, Scardino PT, Smith RC. A Novel Expert Coaching Model in Urology, Aimed at Accelerating the Learning Curve in Robotic Prostatectomy. J Surg Educ. 2022 Jul 21:S1931-7204(22)00151-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2022.06.006. Online ahead of print.

Fainberg JS, Al Awamlh BAH, DeRosa AP, Chesnut GT, Coleman JA, Lee T, Ehdaie B. A systematic review of outcomes after thermal and nonthermal partial prostate ablation. Prostate Int. 2021 Dec;9(4):169-175. doi: 10.1016/j.prnil.2021.04.001. Epub 2021 Apr 28. Free PMC article. Review.

Fainberg J, Lee RK. What Is Underlying Resident Burnout in Urology and What Can Be Done to Address this? Curr Urol Rep. 2019 Sep 2;20(10):62. doi: 10.1007/s11934-019-0925-1. Review.

Fainberg J, Kashanian JA. Vasectomy. JAMA. 2018 Jun 19;319(23):2450. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.6514. No abstract available.

Publications on PubMed

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

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Disclosures

Members of the MSK Community 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. These activities outside of MSK further our mission, provide productive collaborations, and promote the practical application of scientific discoveries.

MSK requires doctors, faculty members, and leaders 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. Not all disclosed interests and relationships present conflicts of interest. MSK reviews all disclosed interests and relationships to assess whether a conflict of interest exists and whether formal COI management is needed.

Jonathan S. Fainberg discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

  • AngioDynamics
    Professional Services and Activities
  • EDAP Technomed Inc.
    Professional Services and Activities (Uncompensated)
  • KOELIS Inc.
    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, 2024 through disclosure submission in spring 2025). 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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