Thomas J. Ow, MD, MS
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Areas of Expertise
Conditions I Treat
- Head and neck cancers
- Skin cancer and conditions
- Squamous cell carcinoma of the throat
My Specialties
- Head and neck surgery
- Thyroid surgery
- Lymph node biopsy
Get to Know Me
I am a surgeon who specializes in treating both cancerous and non-cancerous head and neck tumors. I have been in practice for more than a decade and have performed hundreds of complex surgeries. I have special expertise in treating skin cancers that arise in the head and neck areas, including the face, nose, scalp, ear, lip, and neck. I also have surgical expertise in treating tumors and cancers of the mouth, voice box (larynx), throat, saliva glands, and the thyroid/parathyroid glands.
I see patients at the David H. Koch Center for Cancer Care at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and Memorial Sloan Kettering Commack on Long Island.
I realize that most people who come to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for care are worried. Every patient wants to feel confident they are receiving the best care possible. If you are visiting my office, you can expect that I will take the time to answer all the questions you have. In addition to my expert surgical opinion, you will receive care from a multidisciplinary team of renowned experts.
Throughout my career, I have been very active in clinical trials and translational research. Research is necessary to improve cancer care. All my research has been focused on improving our understanding and treatment of cancers of the head and neck. Several of my projects have studied genomic and molecular biomarkers in head and neck cancers.
My research has been funded by national organizations, including the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), the Triological Society, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). I serve as the Chair of the Cutaneous Cancer Section of the American Head and Neck Society, and I am the President of The New York Head and Neck Society.
I believe in wellness both inside and outside of the hospital and being very well-rounded. I enjoy running and exercise, and I play the trumpet as part of a local rock band. I also enjoy musical theater and watching Broadway shows with my wife and three beautiful daughters. For better or for worse, I am a fan of all Chicago sports teams. I am also passionate about fly fishing.
I'm a head and neck surgeon, which is a doctor with special training in surgery on the head and neck. This includes the larynx, lips, mouth, nose, salivary glands, and throat.
- Associate Attending Surgeon
Conditions I Treat
- Head and neck cancers
- Skin cancer and conditions
- Squamous cell carcinoma of the throat
- Merkel cell carcinoma
- Basal cell carcinomas of the skin
- Mouth (oral) cancer
- Salivary gland tumors
- Throat cancers and conditions
- Thyroid cancer and conditions
- Parotid gland cancer
My Specialties
- Head and neck surgery
- Thyroid surgery
- Lymph node biopsy
Education
- MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
- MS, Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
- MS, Clinical Research Training Program, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Residencies
- Internship, General Surgery, Beth Israel Medical Center
- Residency, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Fellowships
- Head and Neck Surgery, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Board Certifications
- American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Awards and Honors
- Chair, Cutaneous Cancer Section, American Head and Neck Society (2024-2027)
- President, The New York Head and Neck Society (2024-2025)
- Best Basic Science Thesis - Edmund Prince Fowler Award, Triological Society (2023)
- Castle Connolly Regional Top Doctor - New York Metro Area (2018-2024)
- Leo Davidoff Society, Albert Einstein College of Medicine (2021)
- Paul Calabresi Career Development K12 Award for Clinical Oncology (2015)
- NIH-Mentored Scientist K23 Career Development Award (2018)
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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If you have questions about insurance, call us at 646-497-9176.
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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
- Clinical Trials Co-Investigated by Dr. Ow
- A Study Comparing Cemiplimab Plus Usual Care With Usual Care Alone for People with Locally Advanced Squamous Cell Skin Cancer
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
McMullen CP, Ow TJ. The Role of Systemic Therapy in Advanced Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. 2021 Apr;54(2):343-355. doi: 10.1016/j.otc.2020.11.007. Epub 2021 Feb 11. PMID: 33583597.
Ow TJ, Mehta V, Kim S, Vakil M, Friedmann P, In H. Evaluation of Survival and Postoperative Radiation Among Patients with Advanced Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma: An Analysis of the National Cancer Database. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022 Apr;29(4):2582-2591. doi: 10.1245/s10434-021-11158-9. Epub 2022 Jan 23. PMID: 35067791; PMCID: PMC8940671.
Ow TJ, Mehta V, Li D, Thomas C, Shrivastava N, Kawachi N, Gersten AJ, Zhu J, Schiff BA, Smith RV, Rosenblatt G, Augustine S, Prystowsky MB, Yin S, Gavathiotis E, Guha C. Characterization of a Diverse Set of Conditionally Reprogrammed Head and Neck Cancer Cell Cultures. Laryngoscope. 2024 Jun;134(6):2748-2756. doi: 10.1002/lary.31236. Epub 2024 Jan 30. PMID: 38288866.
Schmalbach CE, Ow TJ, Choi KY, O’Leary M, Lin A, Hughley BB, Emerick KS, Moore B, Lee NY, Zandberg DP, Wang SJ. American Head and Neck Society position statement on the use of PD-1 inhibitors for treatment of advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Head Neck. 2023 Jan;45(1):32-41. doi: 10.1002/hed.27202. Epub 2022 Sep 30. PMID: 36181317; PMCID: PMC11188044.
Gadsden NJ, Fulcher CD, Li D, Shrivastava N, Thomas C, Segall JE, Prystowsky MB, Schlecht NF, Gavathiotis E, Ow TJ. Palbociclib Renders Human Papilloma Virus-Negative Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Vulnerable to the Senolytic Agent Navitoclax. Mol Cancer Res. 2021 May;19(5):862-873. doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-20-0915. Epub 2021 Jan 25. PMID: 33495400; PMCID: PMC8314015.
Visit PubMed for a full listing of Dr. Ow’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.
Thomas J. Ow 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.