Dr. Daniela Molena

Dr. Daniela Molena, MD, is an experienced thoracic surgeon specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of cancers of the chest, including cancers of the lungs, esophagus, mediastinum, and pleura. She serves as Director of the Esophageal Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), where she leads a dedicated team focused on esophageal cancer care. Dr. Molena also brings deep expertise in benign esophageal diseases, including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Barrett's esophagus, hiatal hernia, and dysmotility disorders such as achalasia, diverticula, and ineffective motility. Performing approximately 500 operations and caring for roughly 1,500 patients each year, she employs minimally invasive techniques whenever possible, including video-assisted thoracic surgery and laparoscopic and robotic procedures, to reduce pain and speed recovery.

Dr. Molena developed MSK's Barrett's program in collaboration with her gastroenterology colleagues, an initiative designed to identify individuals at risk for esophageal cancer and prevent disease progression. Her clinical approach incorporates the latest surgical technologies and methods, from endoscopic removal of early-stage cancers to robotic and minimally invasive esophageal reconstruction for more complex cases. For patients with advanced disease, she offers personalized treatment strategies grounded in genomic analysis. Her research focuses on integrating immunotherapy and targeted therapy into surgical care, and she co-leads several clinical trials investigating these approaches before and after surgery in esophageal cancer patients. She also serves as principal investigator of a trial aimed at identifying sentinel lymph nodes in esophageal cancer patients to limit the extent of future surgery. Dr. Molena holds leadership roles in thoracic organizations across the United States and abroad, serves as President of Women in Thoracic Surgery, and contributes as editor and associate editor of national and international thoracic journals.

Dr. Molena is known for her deeply patient-centered philosophy, working closely with patients and caregivers from diagnosis through recovery and follow-up, and collaborating with multidisciplinary experts to craft individualized treatment plans. She views the trust patients place in her during a cancer diagnosis as a profound honor and strives to ensure each person feels encouraged, understood, and supported throughout their care. Outside of medicine, she enjoys traveling, sailing on the Long Island Sound, and hiking in the Dolomite Mountains of Italy, where her family is from. She has a passion for rescuing and reviving orchids, keeps a home full of plants, and shares her life with her husband, two children, and Spritz, a 90-pound chocolate mutt adopted from a shelter with seven breeds in his DNA.