Raja M. Flores MD

Dr. Raja M. Flores is the Chairman of the Department of Thoracic Surgery, and Steven and Ann Ames are professors in Thoracic Surgery at The Mount Sinai Medical Center.

Dr. Flores’ is a recognized leader in the field of Thoracic Surgery for his pioneering efforts in the treatment of mesothelioma. He has established VATS lobectomy, a minimally invasive approach using three small incisions, as the gold standard in the surgical treatment of lung cancer. He published two sentinel studies validating its oncological effectiveness by demonstrating equivalent survival and recurrence rates with fewer complications and shorter hospital stays when compared to standard thoracotomy. Dr. Flores implemented the current program for this procedure at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. He was a lead investigator in a multicenter trial of neoadjuvant Alimta/cisplatin, extrapleural pneumonectomy, and high-dose radiation which is designed to improve outcomes.

Dr. Flores currently has one of the largest VATS lobectomy experiences in the world. He has published this data and has presented it at numerous national and international meetings.

Dr. Flores’ additional research interests are based on numerous past projects relating to the multimodality management of malignant pleural mesothelioma, as well as innovative surgical techniques in minimally invasive thoracic surgery for lung cancer. He has led a number of major studies, including clinical trials of neoadjuvant gemcitabine and cisplatin followed by extrapleural pneumonectomy and high-dose radiation. Dr. Flores is the Principle Investigator of the Libby Epidemiology Research Program, a $4.8 million RO1 grant funded by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). The major goals of the research are to address questions regarding the health consequences of asbestos exposure (Libby Amphibole).