Riddhishkumar Shah, MD, PhD
Hematologist, Medical Oncologist
My Locations
About Me
I've been working in healthcare for over two decades, and what I like most about it is getting to know my patients well. When someone is told they have cancer, it's incredibly scary. But the good news is that there are better treatments now that can provide hope. My team and I make an effort to understand our patients, learn what's important to them, and support them through the challenging times. We use my knowledge and experience to lead a team of different experts who collaborate to try to cure cancer when possible and create treatment plans that align with the patient's preferences. I'm also well-versed in new and upcoming treatments due to my work in cancer research. I can explain them in simple terms so that everyone can understand, which helps patients feel more confident and engaged. I specialize in treating skin cancers like melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, and cancers that arise in the gastrointestinal tract, including colon and rectum. Outside of work, I'm a family man with a loving wife and two kids. We thoroughly enjoy living in North Carolina, with its beautiful scenery and outdoor activities such as hiking and sports. I've had the privilege of helping many patients, and I look forward to being there for you too.
- Medical Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Medicine, Medical Oncology 2025
Call for an Appointment
Areas of Expertise
- Colorectal Cancer
- Anal Cancer
- Melanoma
- Neuroendocrine Tumors
- Liver Cancer
- Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Esophageal Cancer
- Skin Cancers
Ratings and Reviews
The ratings and reviews are based on patient responses to the overall provider rating question from the survey. The question reads: “Using any number from 0 to 10, where 0 is the worst provider possible and 10 is the best provider possible, what number would you use to rate this provider?” Responses are converted to a 5-point rating system and applied consistently to all providers. Learn more about our survey process. Patients who see some types of providers receive a different version of the patient satisfaction survey. Those results are not available on DukeHealth.org.
Training and Education
Clinical Focus and Research
My research interests are in GI cancer, immunology, and melanoma.
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NRG-GI008 Colon CancerIRB# PRO00112650 , NCT# NCT05174169
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EA6192: Advanced Melanoma (PET-Stop)IRB# PRO00113243 , NCT# NCT04462406
- Rhodin, Kristen E., Elizabeth M. Gaughan, Vignesh Raman, April K. Salama, Brent A. Hanks, Riddhishkumar Shah, Douglas S. Tyler, Craig L. Slingluff, and Georgia M. Beasley. “Multicenter Experience with Neoadjuvant Therapy in Melanoma Highlights Heterogeneity in Contemporary Practice.” Ann Surg 277, no. 6 (June 1, 2023): e1306–12. https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0000000000005459.
- Alistar, Angela, Bonny B. Morris, Rodwige Desnoyer, Heidi D. Klepin, Keyanoosh Hosseinzadeh, Clancy Clark, Amy Cameron, et al. “Safety and tolerability of the first-in-class agent CPI-613 in combination with modified FOLFIRINOX in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer: a single-centre, open-label, dose-escalation, phase 1 trial.” Lancet Oncol 18, no. 6 (June 2017): 770–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(17)30314-5.
- Shah, R., S. T. Selby, B. Yokley, R. S. Slack, C. K. Hurley, and P. E. Posch. “TNF, LTA and TGFB1 genotype distributions among acute graft-vs-host disease subsets after HLA-matched unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a pilot study.” Tissue Antigens 74, no. 1 (July 2009): 50–56. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1399-0039.2009.01257.x.
- Weber, J. S., W. Haque, S. N. Markovic, A. K. S. Salama, I. Mehmi, R. J. Sullivan, Y. G. Najjar, et al. “1091P Relapse-free survival with adjuvant dabrafenib/trametinib therapy after relapse on a prior adjuvant checkpoint inhibitor and subsequent surgical resection in patients with BRAF V600-mutated stage III/IV melanoma.” In Annals of Oncology, 34:S657–58. Elsevier BV, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annonc.2023.09.2225.
- Rhodin, Kristen E., Elizabeth M. Gaughan, Vignesh Raman, April K. Salama, Brent A. Hanks, Riddhishkumar Shah, Douglas S. Tyler, Craig L Jr Slingluff, and Georgia M. Beasley. “Complete Pathologic Response Predicts Disease-Free Survival for Melanoma Patients Undergoing Neoadjuvant Therapy.” In JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF SURGEONS, 233:S246–S246, 2021.
Insurance Accepted
Duke Health contracts with most major health insurance carriers and transplant networks, including the ones listed below.
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Aetna
- Aetna Choice POS, Aetna Choice POS II
- Aetna Elect Choice HMO, Aetna Open Access Elect Choice
- Aetna Health Network Only, Aetna Health Network Option
- Aetna HMO
- Aetna Limited Benefit Insurance PPO
- Aetna Managed Choice POS
- Aetna Medicare Assure Plan (HMO D-SNP)
- Aetna Medicare Eagle Plan (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Essential Plan (PPO)
- Aetna Medicare Value Plan (HMO)
- Aetna Open Access HMO, Open Access Aetna Select, Aetna Open Access Managed Choice
- Aetna Open Choice PPO
- Aetna PCP Coordinated POS Plan
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (QPOS)
- Aetna Select HMO
- Aetna Traditional Choice
- Aetna Voluntary Indemnity Group Plan
- Aetna Whole Health – Duke WakeMed WKCC
- Aetna/CVS Health
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Ambetter
- Ambetter of North Carolina
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Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC
- Blue Advantage
- Blue Medicare (HMO, PPO)*
- Blue Options (123, PPO, HSA)
- Blue Select
- NC State Employees Health Plan
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*Duke HomeCare and Hospice does not participate in the plan.
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Cigna
- Cigna Behavioral Health (*Limited eligibility)
- Cigna Choice Plus
- Cigna Connect Individual Family Plan
- Cigna Open Access
- Cigna Open Access Plus
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*Please call Cigna Behavioral Heath to see if the provider is participating in your plan.
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Duke Group Plans
- Duke Basic
- Duke Select
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Experience Health
- Experience Health Medicare Advantage (HMO) Plan
- Gateway Health Alliance
- Healthgram
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Humana
- Humana Choice (PPO)
- Humana Choice - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
- Humana ChoiceCare - Medicare Advantage (PPO)
- Humana Gold Choice - Medicare Advantage (PFFS)
- Humana Gold Plus - Medicare Advantage (HMO)
- Humana Medicare Advantage Group Plan - NC State Retirees
- MedCost
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Medicare
- First Medicare Direct
- Medicare Part A
- Medicare Part B
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NC Medicaid
- AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina
- Carolina Complete Health
- Healthy Blue
- NC Medicaid Direct
- WellCare of North Carolina
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TRICARE
- TRICARE Prime
- TRICARE Prime Remote
- TRICARE Select
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United Healthcare
- AARP Medicare Advantage Plan 2 (HMO-POS)
- AARP Medicare Complete (HMO, PPO)*
- AARP Medicare Complete Essential (HMO)*
- All Savers Alternate Funding
- All Savers Fully Insured
- United Healthcare (HMO, PPO, POS)**
- United Healthcare Charter/Charter Balance/Charter Plus
- United Healthcare Choice/Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Core/Core Essential
- United Healthcare Navigate/Navigate Plus/Navigate Balanced
- United Healthcare Option PPO
- United Healthcare Passport Connect Choice/Choice Plus
- United Healthcare Passport Connect Options PPO
- United Healthcare Select/Select Plus
- United Healthcare Shared Services - Harvard Pilgrim/UHC Options PPO Network
- United Medical Resources (UMR)
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*Duke HomeCare and Hospice and mental health providers do not participate with the plan.
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**Duke Health does not participate in UHC plans on the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Before scheduling your appointment, we strongly recommend you contact your insurance company to verify that the Duke Health location or provider you plan to visit is included in your network. Your insurance company will also be able to inform you of any co-payments, co–insurances, or deductibles that will be your responsibility. If you proceed in scheduling an appointment and your health insurance benefits do not participate with Duke, your out of pocket liability may be higher. We will contact you regarding your coverage and patient liability. If you are uninsured, learn more about our financial assistance policy.