Dr. Raja M. Flores

Chief, Thoracic Surgery

Mount Sinai Medical Center

One Gustave L. Levy Place
New York, NY 10029
(212) 241-9466

New York University - 1988

Albert Einstein College of Medicine - 1992

Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center

Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston/Dana Farber Cancer Institute

Overview and Educational Background

Considered a leading expert in the study and treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma, Dr. Raja M. Flores, is Chief of Thoracic Surgery at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. A graduate of New York University, where he received a bachelor's degree in biology, and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, Flores completed both a general surgery internship and general surgery residency at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. He also earned a Thoracic Oncology Clinical Research Fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston/Dana Farber Cancer Institute and completed an additional residency in cardiothoracic surgery at Brigham and Women's as well. In addition to his medical degree, Dr. Flores also completed a clinical effectiveness program at Harvard's School of Public Health and received an M.S. in biostatistics from Columbia University.

Professional Highlights

Certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, Flores has served as clinical assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery, Cornell University Medical College, New York, and assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery at the same institution. In addition to speaking English, Dr. Flores is fluent in both Spanish and Arabic, allowing him to more easily serve the diverse population of the New York City metropolitan area.

Clinical Research

Flores indicates that his clinical interests include not only the surgical treatment of mesothelioma but also lung cancer screening, thorascopy, VATS lobectomy, intraoperative chemotherapy, and tracheal, carinal, and esophageal surgery.
As a researcher, Dr. Flores has participated in and led many clinical trials, including several involving the study and treatment of malignant mesothelioma. Recent trials include a large study that involved the use of neoadjuvant gemcitabine and cisplatin followed by extrapleural pneumonectomy and high dose radiation for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma patients, and another which examined the use of neoadjuvant Alimta/cisplatin, extrapleural pneumonectomy, and high dose radiation to treat mesothelioma. Another trial led by Flores, focusing on the largest series of cases comparing extrapleural pneumonectomy to pleurectomy decortication, was recently profiled in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. Flores and his research colleagues have contributed to many other peer-reviewed journals as well.

Affiliations and Awards

Dr. Flores is very active in a number of professional organizations, some of which have honored him with merit awards. These organizations include the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), General Thoracic Surgical Club, Cardiothoracic Surgery Network, European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS), and the International Society for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery. He currently serves on the AATS/STS Joint Workforce on New Technology and the Ad Hoc Committee for Technical Advancement for the ESTS.