S. Machele Donat, MD, FACS
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Areas of Expertise
Conditions I Treat
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney (renal cell) cancer and conditions
- Urethral and penile cancers and conditions
My Specialties
- Urinary diversion
- Urinary reconstruction
- Nerve-sparing surgery
Get to Know Me
I am a board-certified urologic surgeon with expertise in treating patients with cancers of the urinary tract, including bladder, urethral, kidney, testis, prostate cancer, and rare cancers such as urethral cancer or genitourinary sarcomas.
When treating patients with superficial bladder cancer, I use conservative therapies and preventive approaches whenever possible. For patients with invasive bladder cancer, I have extensive experience in bladder-sparing surgery, and often use nerve-sparing techniques, which can help preserve sexual and urinary function.
Some patients require an operation to remove the bladder (cystectomy), and I have expertise in urinary reconstructive techniques such as continent urethral diversion (neobladder), in which a new bladder is constructed from a segment of the intestine and connected to the urethra; continent stomal diversion, in which a segment of intestine is used to form a catheterizable pouch; and ileal conduits, in which a segment of the small intestine is used to create a channel through which urine is drained to the skin and into a collection bag.
For patients with kidney cancer, it is often important to preserve kidney function because many have a pre-existing kidney disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes. Whenever possible, I also perform kidney-sparing surgery in patients with renal cell cancers to preserve their renal function, and I am involved in research studies at Memorial Sloan Kettering evaluating ablative therapies, which use heat or cold to destroy tumor cells.
In addition, I am involved in a number of research studies, some of which are examining the role that heredity plays in tumor recurrence and progression in certain forms of bladder cancer. I am also helping to establish a registry of familial and atypical bladder and upper urinary tract cancers at Memorial Sloan Kettering. I am evaluating the effectiveness of several new imaging approaches for diagnosing genitourinary cancers as well as a blood test for detecting metastatic bladder cancer, and I am helping design the protocols that will guide the Center’s acquisition and preservation of tissue, blood, and urine samples; these may be used in future studies on the prevention and treatment of genitourinary cancers. I am also a leader in research studies looking at our ability to minimize postoperative complications, shorten hospital stays for all our major surgical operations, and improve patients’ quality of life following treatment for their genitourinary cancer.
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 Surgeon
Conditions I Treat
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney (renal cell) cancer and conditions
- Urethral and penile cancers and conditions
- Testicular cancer
- Prostate cancer and conditions
- Genitourinary cancers and conditions
My Specialties
- Urinary diversion
- Urinary reconstruction
- Nerve-sparing surgery
Education
- MD, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center
Residencies
- University of Oklahoma Health Science Center
Fellowships
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Board Certifications
- Urology
Insurance Information
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In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS, Transplant
In Network Coverage Type
PPO
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO
In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO
In Network Coverage Type
HMO
In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO
In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS
In Network Coverage Type
Supplemental
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO
In Network Coverage Type
POS, EPO, HMO
In Network Coverage Type
State Government
In Network Coverage Type
State Government
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO
Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Emblem to learn more.
In Network Coverage Type
HMO
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO
In Network Coverage Type
HMO
In Network Coverage Type
PPO
In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO
Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Fidelis to learn more.
In Network Coverage Type
HMO
In Network Coverage Type
PPO
In Network Coverage Type
State Government
In Network Coverage Type
EPO, HMO, PPO, POS
Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Healthfirst to learn more.
In Network Coverage Type
HMO
In Network Coverage Type
PPO EPO
In Network Coverage Type
HMO
In Network Coverage Type
PPO
In Network Coverage Type
EPO
In Network Coverage Type
EPO
In Network Coverage Type
TBD
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO
In Network Coverage Type
Federal Government
In Network Coverage Type
HMO
City Employee Health Plans (Gold and Gold Care)
In Network Coverage Type
Supplemental
In Network Coverage Type
PPO/OAP
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO
In Network Coverage Type
HMO/EPO
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, EPO
In Network Coverage Type
State Government
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS
In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO
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Contact and Location
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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
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 trialsResearch and Publications
Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Donat’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 PubMedPatient Reviews
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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.
S. Machele Donat 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.