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Dr. Mohammad Ali Abbass

Mohammad Ali Abbass, MD, MPH

Colorectal Surgeon & Clinical Geneticist

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Colon cancer
  • Rectal cancer
  • Anal cancer

My Specialties

  • Colorectal surgery
  • Genetics
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Dr. Abbass's Office Information
Languages: English
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Get to Know Me

I am a colorectal surgeon who has special training in treating people with the following types of cancers:

I see patients at Memorial Hospital in New York City and at Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau on Long Island.

I am an expert in minimally invasive surgery techniques as well as robotic surgery and open surgery. I see people who have a genetic predisposition to cancer, meaning that they have genes that put them at a higher risk for cancer. This includes people with Lynch syndrome or Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), an inherited disorder that causes colon and rectal polyps and cancer.

I am the first in my family to become a doctor. I chose a career in medicine because of the opportunity to take care of people. When I meet with a patient, I understand that it is a vulnerable time in their life. It is a privilege to help them navigate this difficult time and come up with surgical solutions that fit their need and help achieve the best results. My goal is to make sure that the patient receives the best treatment while maintaining their quality of life.

I am passionate about cancer prevention. I am involved in national clinical trials where we study how certain interventions or medications can lower the risk of cancer in the future. My research focuses on understanding the role genes play in causing cancer, how tumors progress, and studying genetic makeup in families that have cancer.

When I am not seeing patients, I enjoy exercising, spending time with my two young children, and reading biographies and non-fiction books.

What I Do at MSK

I'm a colorectal (KOH-loh-REK-tul) surgeon, which is a doctor with special training in surgery on the colon and rectum.

I'm a clinical geneticist, which is a scientist with special training in diagnosing and treating genetic problems. We can help explain your risk of getting a genetic condition that's passed on from parents to children.

  • Assistant Attending Physician
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Colon cancer
  • Rectal cancer
  • Anal cancer
  • Small intestine cancer
  • Appendiceal (appendix) cancer and conditions
  • Hereditary colorectal cancer

My Specialties

  • Colorectal surgery
  • Genetics
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, Faculty of Medicine at Damascus University, Syria
  • MPH, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

Residencies

  • General Surgery Internship, University of Southern California
  • General Surgery Residency, Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Fellowships

  • Colorectal Surgery
  • Cleveland Clinic Foundation
  • Hereditary Colorectal Cancer and Cancer Genetics, Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Board Certifications

  • American Board of Colorectal Surgery
  • American Board of Surgery

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

Horizon Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

Healthfirst Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

Fidelis Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

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

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

First Health

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Husky CT Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

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

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

NYC Medicare Advantage Plus for City Employees

In Network Coverage Type
TBD

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

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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Current Patients
Request an appointment by calling your Care Team or messaging them in MSK MyChart.

Contact and Location

Dr. Abbass sees patients at two locations.

Location
New York, NY
Uniondale, NY
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue New York NY 10065
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Nassau
1101 Hempstead Turnpike Uniondale NY 11553
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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 Clinical Genetics Service doctors

See all Colorectal Service doctors

Clinical Trials

Smiling doctors in the lab
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

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Abbass’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