Emily Atkinson, MD

Dr. Emily Atkinson joined Mount Sinai in 2024 as a Hematology/Oncology physician. After completing her undergraduate studies at the College of the Holy Cross, Dr. Atkinson earned her medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine. She then completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at NYU Langone Health. Dr. Atkinson finished her training at NYU Long Island with a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology, where she served as Chief Fellow in her final year. Dr. Atkinson is triple board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Oncology. She treats all cancers and hematologic disorders, with a special interest in gastrointestinal and breast malignancies. Additionally, Dr. Atkinson is bilingual and can communicate with her patients in English and Spanish.

In her professional community, Dr. Atkinson is a member of the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. She is also heavily involved in academia, as she serves as an Assistant Professor at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine. Dr. Atkinson will create a community oncology curriculum for hematology/oncology fellows and will work with them as they rotate through the Mount Sinai Queens clinic. During her tenure as Chief Fellow, Dr. Atkinson reorganized the didactic curriculum and taught her peers through frequent journal clubs, board review sessions, and hematology and oncology tumor boards. She also lectured internal medicine residents in various core hematology/oncology subjects such as anemia. Additionally, for ten years she has mentored premedical and other pre-graduate students, guiding them through the application process, boosting their self-confidence and assisting them in crafting their sense of identity.

Dr. Atkinson also plays an active role in hematology/oncology research projects. She presented at GI ASCO and published Phase I/II clinical trials data on the addition of immunotherapy to standard-of-care in both esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and pancreatic cancer. During her fellowship, she also initiated a prospective cross-sectional study on “scanxiety,” the anxiety patients feel when awaiting their imaging results. Her research team has enrolled 300 patients, and are currently undergoing data analysis prior to publication. She is also completing a case series on the use of ctDNA surveillance in patients with GI neuroendocrine tumors.

When discussing her pathway into medicine and the hematology/oncology field, Dr. Atkinson explains, "When an immediate family member was diagnosed with cancer as I was in medical school, I was able to feel firsthand the tremendous impact of the diagnosis on patients and families. It was a time of much uncertainty and confusion, but the skilled, caring oncology team made all the difference in the world to us. As my family member recovered from surgery and treatment, I made up my mind to become a hematologist/oncologist that could support patients through their life-changing diagnoses as well. I do not take it lightly how much I become part of patients’ lives during the treatment process, and very much value the longitudinal relationships I am able to form with patients."