Dr. Ashok R. Shaha

Dr. Ashok R. Shaha, MD, FACS, is a renowned surgical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), where he holds the Jatin P. Shah Chair in Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology and serves as Attending Surgeon on the Head and Neck Service. He completed his medical training in India and held early surgical appointments before joining MSKCC in 1975. Dr. Shaha further trained in surgical oncology and head and neck surgery and also served as Chief of Head and Neck Surgery at Downstate Medical Center. He is board-certified in Surgery and is also a Professor of Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College. With nearly five decades at MSKCC, Dr. Shaha provides advanced surgical care for head and neck and thyroid cancers, offering individualized treatment plans through both in-person and telehealth appointments.

He is internationally recognized for his expertise in thyroid and parathyroid surgery, employing selective treatment algorithms to personalize care—minimizing unnecessary intervention while maintaining optimal oncologic outcomes. Dr. Shaha has authored more than 275 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters, including leading work on neck dissection classifications and differentiated thyroid cancer. He has contributed significantly to surgical education, developing preceptorship programs and training fellowships, and has chaired the American Head and Neck Society’s Advanced Training Council. His contributions extend to surgical technique and reconstruction, such as experimental work in tracheal repair and the management of advanced thyroid cancers.

As a prominent figure in the head and neck surgery community, Dr. Shaha has served in leadership roles including President of the American Head and Neck Society, President of the New York Head and Neck Society, and President of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons. He chairs editorial boards for key journals in surgical oncology and endocrine surgery and has been honored with teaching awards from MSKCC and SUNY Downstate as well as the Distinguished Service Award from the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Through his sustained clinical excellence, prolific scholarship, and dedication to mentorship and surgical innovation, he is regarded as one of the foremost experts in head and neck and thyroid oncology.