About Joshua R. Sonett

Dr. Joshua R. Sonett is a highly accomplished and respected surgical oncologist who specializes in the treatment of lung and esophageal malignancies. He currently holds the position of Edward C. and Anne K. Weiskopf Professor of Surgical Oncology (in Surgery) at CUMC, Chief of General Thoracic Surgery, and Director of The Price Family Center for Comprehensive Chest Care, Lung and Esophageal Center.

His work has been instrumental in making the Thoracic Surgery section at Columbia University Medical Center one of the best in the country, and he is one of the youngest professors of surgery at a major academic institution in the United States.

Dr. Sonett is known for his expertise in minimally invasive treatment of lung and esophageal cancer, and has led the development and teaching of techniques such as Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) and Minimally Invasive Esophageal (MIE) surgery. He also specializes in multi-modality therapies for lung and esophageal cancers and is a pioneer in endo-bronchial palliation of benign and malignant airway stenosis.

Dr. Sonett's team is one of the few programs in the country that employ a combination of maximal chemo and radiation and surgical therapies in the treatment of locally advanced lung malignancies. He is also a leader in the field of lung transplantation, known for developing an extended-donor lung transplant criteria protocol, which addresses the shortage of donors by evaluating lungs that may be rejected from other centers.

Dr. Sonett received his MD from Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University Medical School, completed his surgical residency at the University of Massachusetts, and Thoracic Fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He is a member of several professional organizations including the New York Thoracic Society, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, and Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.

He has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including annual awards to America's Top Doctors, Castle Connolly America's Top Doctors for Cancer, New York Magazine's Best Doctors, the Barbara Neibauer Celebration of Life Award, Foundation for Thymic Cancer and the Humanitarian Award, Chesed of New Square. He has also been an invited speaker and principal and co-investigator of numerous clinical trials and author of numerous publications in renown journals such as the Journal of The American College of Cardiology, Annals of Thoracic Surgery, and the Journal of Heart and Lung Transplant among many others.