Steven H Itzkowitz, MD
- PROFESSOR | Medicine, Gastroenterology
- PROFESSOR | Medical Education
- PROFESSOR | Oncological Sciences
Specialty:
GastroenterologyResearch Topics:
Aerodigestive Tract, Cancer, Epithelial Cells, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)Steven H. Itzkowitz, M.D. is Professor of Medicine and Oncological Sciences, and Director of the GI Fellowship Program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is past Chair of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Section of the American Gastroenterological Association, past President of the New York Gastroenterological Association, and immediate past Co-Chair of the New York Citywide Colon Cancer Control Coalition (C5). He is a recipient of a distinguished Jacobi Medallion from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a Gold Humanism Award.
Dr. Itzkowitz has served as a Study Section member for the National Cancer Institute, Veteran's Affairs Merit Review Board, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, and US-Israel Binational Science Foundation, and as an editor of the International Journal of Colorectal Disease, and Gut and Liver, and associate editor of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and Gastric Cancer. He spearheaded efforts to secure NCI funding for the East Harlem Partnership for Cancer Awareness: a program based at Mount Sinai, designed to raise awareness in the East Harlem community regarding the risks and treatment for several common cancers including colon cancer.
Dr. Itzkowitz's research interests are in the field of gastrointestinal cancer. His laboratory conducts research into the microbiome of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Clinical studies have focused on detecting and preventing colon cancer in inflammatory bowel disease, reducing disparities in colon cancer screening, and developing new non-invasive stool DNA tests for colon cancer.
In the News: Dr. Steven Itzkowitz was recently featured in INSIDE MOUNT SINAI for his work in increasing screening colonoscopy rates in NYC with the C5 Coalition.
Videos
Certifications
Gastroenterology
American Board of Internal Medicine
Clinical Focus
- Blood in Stool
- Colon Polyps
- Colorectal Cancer
- Constipation
- Crohn's Disease
- Diarrhea
- Familial Adenomatous Polyposis
- Gastroenterology
- Hemorrhoids
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Iron-Deficiency Anemia
- Lynch Syndrome
- Nausea and Vomiting
- Peutz Jeghers Syndrome
- Polyposis Syndromes
- Rectal Cancer
- Stomach Pain
- Ulcerative Colitis
Multi-Disciplinary Training Area
Cancer Biology [CAB]Education
MD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Residency, Internal Medicine, Bellevue/NYU Hospital Center
Residency, Internal Medicine, Bellevue/NYU Hospital Center
Fellowship, Gastroenterology, University of Cal. San Francisco
-
2013
Excellence in Teaching Award -
2013
Patient Advocacy Award -
2012
Faculty Award -
2011
Academic Achievement Award (Senior Faculty) -
2008
Faculty Award -
2004
Best Doctors
Progression of Neoplasia in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Studies at Mount Sinai are examining clinical and pathological risk factors to help better understand the factors that promote progression from inflammation to precancerous and cancerous lesions in the colon in patients with IBD. Dr. Itzkowitz is the PI on a new registry that will follow patients with IBD and a past history of cancer who are treated with immune modulating medicines for their IBD, in order to determine whether these medications are associated with the development of recurrent or new cancers.
Reducing disparities in screening colonoscopy
Dr. Itzkowitz helped spearhead community outreach efforts to enhance awareness of colon cancer in East Harlem. He and his colleagues have demonstrated the effectiveness of new strategies to improve the completion rates of screening colonoscopy among minority individuals by employing patient navigators within an open access referral system. This model has now been accepted by most medical centers and ambulatory clinics.
Mechanisms of inflammation-associated carcinogenesis
Laboratory investigation is exploring the profile of intestinal microbiota in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who have primary sclerosing cholangitis - conditions that predispose to colon cancer.
Cancer Risk in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Many patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) take medicines that affect their immune system. Most of these drugs were initially tested in patients with IBD who did not have a past history of cancer for fear that these agents might promote a recurrence or development of a new cancer. But a recent study by Dr. Itzkowitz and coworkers indicates that even in those patients with IBD who have a history of cancer, taking immune modulating medicines did not predispose them to a recurrence of their cancer or the development of a new cancer. Dr. Itzkowitz is now heading a multicenter registry to follow patients with IBD who have a history of cancer to track their rates of new or recurrent cancer in a prospective fashion.
Developing non-invasive colon cancer screening tests
Dr. Itzkowitz's team was part of a national study that demonstrated the utility of stool DNA testing for detecting colon cancer and precancerous polyps in the general population. He is now leading a national study that is testing a modified version of the stool DNA test in patients with IBD who are at increased risk for developing colorectal cancer.
Physicians and scientists on the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai often interact with pharmaceutical, device and biotechnology companies to improve patient care, develop new therapies and achieve scientific breakthroughs. In order to promote an ethical and transparent environment for conducting research, providing clinical care and teaching, Mount Sinai requires that salaried faculty inform the School of their relationships with such companies.
Below are financial relationships with industry reported by Dr. Itzkowitz during 2022 and/or 2023. Please note that this information may differ from information posted on corporate sites due to timing or classification differences.
Consulting:
- EXACT Sciences Corporation; Geneoscopy
Industry-Sponsored Lectures: MSSM faculty occasionally give lectures at events sponsored by industry, but only if the events are free of any marketing purpose.
- New York College of Podiatric Medicine (NYCPM)
Royalty Payments:
- Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.; BioRad
Mount Sinai's faculty policies relating to faculty collaboration with industry are posted on our website. Patients may wish to ask their physician about the activities they perform for companies.
Physicians who provide services at hospitals and facilities in the Mount Sinai Health System might not participate in the same health plans as those Mount Sinai hospitals and facilities (even if the physicians are employed or contracted by those hospitals or facilities).
Information regarding insurance participation and billing by this physician may be found on this page, and can also be obtained by contacting this provider directly. Because physicians insurance participation can change, the insurance information on this page may not always be up-to-date. Please contact this physician directly to obtain the most up-to-date insurance information.
Insurance and health plan networks that the various Mount Sinai Health System hospitals and facilities participate in can be found on the Mount Sinai Health System website.