Scott Atay

Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery

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Overview

Dr. Atay specializes in thoracic surgery, with an emphasis on malignant diseases of the chest, including esophageal cancer. He completed his surgical training at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, followed by thoracic fellowship training at MD Anderson Cancer Center. This training included a focus on advanced surgical techniques, both standard minimally invasive (VATS) as well as robotic surgery. He obtained further training at the National Instituties of Health (NIH), NCI Surgery Branch, completing a clinical research fellowship in surgical oncology. At the National Cancer Institute his research focused on genetic alterations in malignant pleural mesothelioma. His current clinical and research efforts focus on multimodality (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiation) treatment in addition to surgery for patients with both early and advanced stage disease. When treating patients with cancer, optimal outcomes can only be achieved when multiple specialties come together to provide a comprehensive mulitdisciplinary treatment plan. As part of the USC/Norris Cancer Center patients have access to skilled clinicians, cutting-edge research and clinical trials, as well as a wide array of additional support services. Dr. Atay is committed to delivering compassionate, high quality care, driven by the most up-to-date evidence.

Publications

  • Determinants of Failure to Rescue After Pulmonary Resection for Lung Cancer: Insights From a National Inpatient Sample. J Surg Oncol. 2026 Aug 18.. View in PubMed
  • A propensity-matched analysis of the impact of early and late percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tube placement among patients with significant comorbidities. Surgery. 2026 Sep; 197:110337.. View in PubMed
  • Association of cannabis use and lung cancer: a retrospective cohort study. Lung Cancer. 2026 Jun; 216:109421.. View in PubMed
  • Lung transplant outcomes in recipients waitlisted for both single and double lung transplantation. JHLT Open. 2026 Aug; 13:100552.. View in PubMed
  • Reconciling Survival Differences in Lobar and Sublobar Resection for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. J Surg Res. 2026 May; 321:291-302.. View in PubMed
  • Association of Foregut Testing and Intervention on Lung Transplant Outcomes. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2026 Mar 18.. View in PubMed
  • Narrative review of the ethics of artificial intelligence: are we ready for artificial intelligence in surgery? J Thorac Dis. 2026 Feb 28; 18(2):173. Yu E, Rosenberg GM , Udelsman BV , Harano T , Atay . View in PubMed
  • Lung retransplantation after initial single lung transplantation. JHLT Open. 2026 May; 12:100508.. View in PubMed
  • A Lost Opportunity: Underutilization of Systemic Therapy in T3N0M0 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. J Surg Res. 2026 01; 317:99-109.. View in PubMed
  • Association of hospital volume with perioperative and long-term outcomes of minimally invasive thymectomy. JTCVS Open. 2026 Feb; 29:101531.. View in PubMed