Daniel G. Coit, MD ’76, FACS
Emeritus Member, Department of Surgery
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Dr. Coit holds a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University, and Doctor of Medicine from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. After completing his surgical residency at the New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston, he finished his training in the surgical oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), being named chief administrative fellow in his second year. He joined the MSK surgical faculty as a member of the Gastric and Mixed Tumor Service, rising to chief of service, a role he held from 1997 until 2003.
Dr. Coit’s clinical and research interests focused primarily on complex cutaneous malignancies and gastric cancer. The unifying theme of his career has been that a thorough understanding of a given cancer’s biology should inform a rational evidence-based treatment paradigm, often leading to treatment de-escalation without compromising end results.
Throughout his career, Dr. Coit has had a profound interest in fellowship training, serving as Director of MSK Cancer Center Surgical Education (1991-1997). He has been closely involved in the training of more than 250 surgical oncology fellows, many of whom are now global leaders in their respective fields.
Dr. Coit’s commitment to superb clinical care was recognized with the institutional Willet Whitmore Award for Clinical Excellence in 1984. He was honored with the Department of Surgery Teacher of the Year Award on three occasions. Widely published, he has authored or co-authored more than 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts, as well as countless reviews and book chapters.
Dr. Coit’s influence has extended nationally through service as president of the Society of Surgical Oncology (2016–2017), leadership roles within the American College of Surgeons, advisory service to the American Board of Surgery and the National Cancer Institute, and 15 years chairing the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s Melanoma Committee.
After a distinguished 40-year career, Dr. Coit retired from his active role in the Department of Surgery in 2025 and is now an Emeritus Member.