Memorial Sloan Kettering surgeon Paul Russo

Paul Russo, MD, FACS

Urologic Surgeon

Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Kidney (renal cell) cancer and conditions
  • Metastatic kidney cancer

My Specialties

  • Radical nephrectomy
  • Partial nephrectomy
  • Clinical trials
Dr. Russo's Office Information
Languages: English
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Get to Know Me

I am a urologic surgeon who specializes in caring for people with kidney (renal cell) cancer. I treat people with all stages of the disease, from small localized tumors to larger, more-advanced kidney cancers that have spread.

I have more than 30 years of experience and perform about 250 major operations each year.

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.

People who have been newly diagnosed with cancer can understandably be anxious about their illness and what lies ahead. My goal is to reassure the people who meet with me, to let them know that they are in excellent hands. I want them to be bolstered by the knowledge that my experienced team and I will customize their care to achieve the best possible outcome.

My area of expertise includes partial nephrectomy for people with smaller kidney tumors. In this surgery, we remove the tumor but leave the vast majority of the kidney alone. This approach preserves renal function and can prevent or delay the onset of chronic kidney disease and related cardiovascular problems.

I also perform complete removal of the kidney (radical nephrectomy) for people with large tumors that have destroyed most of the kidney. This procedure is for those with more-advanced cancers that have spread to the lymph nodes or the major veins that carry blood into the heart.

I often work with my colleagues in medical oncology to make these types of operations part of clinical trials. Through studies we can find out if new chemotherapies given before or after surgery can improve people’s outcomes.

In addition to caring for patients, I am known for my academic work in the field. I lead a research team at MSK with surgeons, oncologists, epidemiologists, pathologists, molecular biologists, and radiologists. We work diligently on both basic science and clinical aspects of kidney cancer. Members of our team publish many academic papers and present at national and international meetings. We are invited as visiting professors to many centers in the United States and abroad. Our research program attracts talented medical students and residents who are interested in an academic career.

I come from a family of doctors, including a father who was a urologist. I was drawn to oncology by the desire to help people with cancer. I believe that research into the biology of the disease will lead to better outcomes and renewed hope for people with cancer — something that I gratefully witness every day here at MSK.

In my free time, I love spending time with my kids and my wife (who is also a surgeon), playing golf, cooking, and reading. I also enjoy traveling around the world and teaching as a visiting professor in many countries, including Cuba, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, among others.

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.

  • Attending Physician
Areas of Expertise

Conditions I Treat

  • Kidney (renal cell) cancer and conditions
  • Metastatic kidney cancer

My Specialties

  • Radical nephrectomy
  • Partial nephrectomy
  • Clinical trials
Education & Honors

Education

  • MD, Columbia University

Residencies

  • General Surgery - Washington University Medical Center
  • Urologic Surgery - Washington University Medical Center

Fellowships

  • Urologic Oncology - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Board Certifications

  • Urology

Awards and Honors

  • Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2025)
  • Castle Connolly: America’s Top Doctor (2024)
  • Top Doctors New York Metro Area, Castle Connolly (2023)
  • Castle Connolly: America's Top Doctors (2023)
  • Castle Connolly: New York Magazine Top Doctors (2002, 2009, 2011-2012, 2015-2020)
  • Kidney Cancer Association: Andrew Novick Award for Excellence in Kidney Surgery (2015)
  • Nominee, MSK Junior Faculty Award for Excellence in Mentoring (2015)
  • US News & World Report: New York City Best Doctors (2004–2018)

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.

Make an Appointment

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New Patients
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Current Patients
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Contact and Location

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY
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.

See all Urology 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

Publications on PubMed

Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Russo’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

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.

Paul Russo discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

No disclosures meeting criteria for time period


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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