Biography


Dr. Neal holds a medical degree and a doctoral degree in Tumor Cell Biology from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. Subsequently, he completed a fellowship in oncology, rotating through the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Division of Oncology at the Stanford Cancer Institute at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. Dr Neal’s primary clinical interest is in thoracic oncology. In addition to maintaining an active practice, he focuses on the design and conduct of clinical trials involving targeted therapies and immunotherapy for lung cancer and mesothelioma. He has published dozens of articles in the field of thoracic oncology, including in Lancet Oncology, Nature Medicine, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology. He is a member of the International Association of the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), is a study chair and thoracic core committee member within the ECOG-ACRIN cooperative group, and has presented at a number of American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meetings.

Professional Summary


Education & Certifications
  • Residency: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Internal Medicine Residency (2007) MA
  • Medical Education: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (2004) IL
  • Fellowship: Dana Farber Cancer Institute Hematology Oncology Fellowship (2010) MA
  • Board Certification: American Board of Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology (2010)

Publications

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may have access to the latest, advanced clinical trials.

Open trials refer to studies currently accepting participants. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but may open in the future.


Practice Locations


Thoracic Cancer Program in Palo Alto Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto, CA

875 Blake Wilbur Drive

Palo Alto , CA 94304

(650) 498-6000

Make An Appointment More Clinic Information » Getting Here »

Cancer Immunotherapy Program Palo Alto, CA
Palo Alto, CA

875 Blake Wilbur Drive

Palo Alto , CA 94304

(650) 498-6000

Make An Appointment More Clinic Information » Getting Here »

Patient Ratings

(77 Ratings)

Overall Rating
4.9/5

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5.0/5
Friendliness
Friendliness/courtesy of the care provider
4.9/5
Explanations
Explanations the care provider gave you about your problem or condition
4.9/5
Listens
Concern the care provider showed for your questions or worries
4.9/5
Care provider's efforts to include you in decisions about your care
Care provider's efforts to include you in decisions about your treatment
5.0/5
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How Our Ratings Work

The Patients Ratings and comments are gathered from our Patient Satisfaction Survey and displayed in their entirety.

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Patient Reviews

(196 reviews)

Dr. Joel Neal is a very caring and professional doctor He is taking care of me for the past 4 years and I am extremely happy with his care for my disease. I will recommend him to all . Thank you Dr. Neal
Dr. Neal is a extremely competent physician with an excellent manner and I would recommend him to anyone and everyone.
Even though I had not seen Dr Neal since 2016, the conversation was like I had just been in. He had my history at his disposal and is very personable.
Dr. Neal saved my life. By which I mean, he orchestrated the amazing resources of Stanford Health to diagnose, plan and treat my Stage 4 non small-cell lung cancer definitively. I was lucky that the biopsy revealed that I had EGFR Exon 19 deletion, but Dr. Neal made it happen for me to get Tagrisso immediately for first line treatment. I felt that I was in the care of someone who would marshall the best available treatments to get me through that dark time. Later, when the tumor had retreated 75% and I had been stable for several years, he collaborated with Dr. Loo, who attacked the remaining tumor with SABR. Now, with "no evidence of disease," but knowing that NSCLC or some other cancer could appear in the future, I am confident that I am in the best possible hands with Dr. Neal and his colleagues at Stanford Health.
Good Provider with Love & Care
Dr. Neal has been my favorite doctor for sometime now!
Dr Neal once again exceeded all of my expectations by clearly answering my many questions and especially by providing advice relevant to my care and referring me to various specific spécialiséd resources to help me get involved proactively in the management of my care treatment and all aspects of my wellbeing. I am very grateful to Dr Neal for his attention and compassion. Dr Neal’s team is excellent. The team was very helpful to inquire about my questions to expediently prepare Dr Neal to meet with me.
Is able to consolidate medical information so it can be understood and assist with a treatment plan
Wonderful caring doctor. Excellent skills
Dr. Neal is awesome!
Excellent visit with Dr Neal. He brief me on my upcoming treatment and the choices I have to make . Everything was clear and uderstanderable.
Excellent Doctor
Dr Neal is kind, considerate, knowledgeable, precise and informative, logical and compassionate. I trust his opinion and treatment plans implicitly. I can rely on him completely to suggest and provide the best possible care for my health issues. His professionalism and kind personality are extraordinary.
Dr. Neal is the best doctor I ever met.
Excellent presentation - Dr. Neal made me feel better about my circumstances overall.
Dr. Neal and his team is the BEST! He is not only an excellent clinician, but a lovely person who really cares about his patients.
wonderful doctor
Stanford is the best when it comes to health care.
Very good!
So knowledgeable. Willing to explain and even continue looking at my case.
Dr Neal listens and answers all my questions .
The best
concerned, courteous, informative , feel fortunate to have him on my team!
Dr. Joel Neal is a fantastic doctor! I feel so very lucky to have him managing my cancer treatment. He is completely honest, empathetic, and kind, as well as being humorous, and he is excellent at explaining CT scans and treatment options. Having Dr. Neal gives me great peace of mind! I could not be more thankful and grateful to have him as my doctor!
Excellent pre-session with a fellow on his last day and had good meeting with doctor Neal. Always very positive approach to treatment which must be hard seeing so many people with an incurable cancer.
Dr. Neal was very friendly, courteous and informative. I got answers to my questions and have decided on a path forward. I did not feel rushed or that any of my concerns were dismissed.
Dr. Neal n his staffs are thorough throughout the process. A staff member reviewed and updated my clinical progress/changes, received our questions/concerns, and presented/discussed with Dr. Neal before he came on live. Dr Neal delivered great cares in addressing our concerns, answering our questions, and recommending his plan of care for the future.
As always, he was entirely understanding and helpful.
Dr Neal answered my questions and was very pleasant. Would definitely recommend his practice to friends and family.
Dr. Neal was great. Thank you for your time.
An excellent doctor who cares deeply about his patients. I am so grateful he's on my care team.
Dr Neal is very kind and knowledgeable. I especially value His wisdom and empathy as I navigate life post treatment. He is an extraordinary medical professional and I appreciate his strong positive character and integrity as a fellow human in the journey of life
I have no comment. I appreciated having the conversation and learned a few things that will be helpful.
Fine physican, excellent rapport, knowledgeable, great personality, encouraging, great!
Dr. Neal is a very knowledgeable and compassionate oncologist. I am extremely grateful to him!
Dr Neal and his team are great and I rave to anyone who will listen.
He is very professional and easy to talk with.
I visited him for a second opinion and he helped to lay out the options very clearly and explained the pros and cons better than anyone has so far. It was very helpful.
The call went well and all my questions were answered.
Compassionate, knowledgeable, personable, able to provide excellent medical care for complex medical issues! No matter what the outcome we always feel stronger after our appointments! A true gentleman and a humble physician.
A very professional and personal physician. He is very interested in the benefits of his patients.
Dr Neal is amazing! Experienced, knowledgeable, kind, and extremely helpful. I feel that he has my best interests at heart.
Always a pleasant encounter
Dr. Neal was very kind, considerate, warm and engaging. I like his expertise and also his positive attitude. He said he would do the worrying for me, and I really appreciated that comment. It is such a scary thing to have cancer, and having someone this good on my team makes me feel hopeful. Thank you.
Dr. Neal is the BEST! Caring, very thorough in explaining conditions and treatments. Was not at all made to feel rushed. Overall, I’d give Dr Neal a 5 star recommendation.
Very professional and friendly
My visit with Dr. Joel Neal was affirming and very informative. He was very kind and I am grateful for the advice and support. I feel uplifted and energized to deal with my future and my health status. He's the BEST!
He saved my life, for which I am of courseI eternally grateful. He has been an immense pleasure to work with as well as full of reality-based insight, counsel and recommendations. We have worked together for nearly 4 years and I am now on a really good path.
Dr Neal made me feel I had his full attention in n, was generous with information on possible treatments. He was
excellent support
The whole team has been most helpful, courteous and caring.
Thank you Dr. Neal!
Compassion
had a great visit
I am satisfied with the time he gave me as well as his expert opinion on my situation
Personable, informative, caring engaging!
Being with Dr. Neal for 5 years I have the most respect and love for his tender care of me andI know everyone else he treats.
I had a very good experience with this second opinion visit with Dr. Neal
We are grateful for Dr Neal's guidance regarding treatment/immunotherapy going forward and his discussion of PET scan results. We believe God has blessed us with Dr Neal.
Dr, Neal is the epitome of kindness and care. He is more than a doctor, he is a healer.
He was very informative and helpful.
Really clear, empathic, informed, and hoping he can help me on this (unwanted) journey. Also very human.
Caring, professional and kind!
Dr. Neal is just wonderful! He is extremely knowledgeable and specific and truly seems to care. I deeply appreciate his expertise in my lung cancer.
The doctor is very nice! He untied some of my heart and made me more confident. I sincerely thank him.
Dr. Neal is very caring and does understand the patient’s condition and point of view.
I am very impressed with the whole entire team.
Best care ever - The medical team and I have a great relationship. I feel very fortunate
Joel seems like a very nice person. He was personable. He talked to me so I understood what he was talking about. I would recommend him.
Knowledgeable, professional, interacts well with patient and assistant. Would strongly recommend him to those whom are in need of his abilities!
Dr. Neal and his team were exceptional at building rapport via video and addressing my concerns, Although I had several questions, the team and Dr. Neal took the time to answer all my questions and explain treatment options. At no point did I feel rushed or that my questions were trivial. Dr. Neal was also great at addressing the emotional aspect of living with cancer.
He was great.
Dr. Neal is the best. I don’t wish cancer on anyone but if you are unfortunately diagnosed with lung cancer Dr. Neal is the person to see.
Great staff
He explained purpose of visit clearly, and made me feel very much at ease.
Excellent ! Very caring and extremely professional and he is a treasure!
Dr.Neal is the best, he took time asking questions & explained clearly all my concerns. He provided the future plans of treatment really carefully for my health. Thank you so much Dr. Neal 🙠🠼 😀
Excellent rapport with the patient, shows genuine concern and empathy. Knowledgeable and able to impart this to the patient, in this case myself. Thorough in regards to present findings as well as actions to be taken in the future. In short he rocks!!!!!!!
I appreciated the thoroughness and detail of the consultation. His recommendations were a good option that had not be considered before.
He’s terrific!!
Just great! And the NP (Judy) working with Dr. Neal was excellent as well.
Dr. Neal communicates very effectively.
Very helpful, listened and gave clear opinions. Easy to understand.
Dr. Neal took the time to review my file and prior surgeries/scans/reports, before continuing the video session. Three things stood out: 1) He took the time to study my case and formulated a clear and concise opinion. 2) Based on the given facts, he explained his assessments, as well as recommend another 2nd opinion with Stanford radiology, before proceeding with cyberknife procedure. 3) Because Dr. Neal had plenty of time to study my case, I felt reassured that his assessment was formulated after careful consideration and joint consultation with Dr. Thomas Sun.
Very comfortable to converse with. Very thorough. Very clear.
excellent Doctor
Excellent doctor providing second opinion on lung tumor advise to my Honolulu doctor. Working as a team. His opinion is priceless.
We continue to appreciate your professional comments to help treat my cancer.
Excellent give excellent guidance and advice
He did a great job and explained the problems and possible solutions.
He is very nice , friendly and knowledgeable. He helped coordinate with the Tumor Board to provide good treatment advices.
Great doctor
Very knowledgeable and very kind.
Very engaging and attentive. Gave very good explanations to all of my questions.
Both Dr. Neal and Dr. Wu were professional, knowledgeable, caring and helpful. Very pleased with the visit.
accommodating care provider and listen to your needs
Doctor Joel Neal provided answers to questions and hope for continual treatment outside of whole brain treatment. His character provided a caring person who has knowledge and experience with the type of cancer. We appreciated his time! Sincerely The Lindsey's
I am extremely grateful to have a doctor like Joel Neal in charge of my care. I fully trust Dr. Neal's judgement and appreciate the time he takes to discuss and answer my questions.
Very warm and personable individual. Explains everything quite easily. I would recommend him to any lung ca patient looking for care at Stanford.
I am extremely fortunate to have Dr. Neal as my oncologist. His clinical judgment has been unerring and his professional and caring demeanor are an ideal combination. He is as responsive to my wife's questions as to mine, which is wonderful as she and I are a team in this.
Friendly engaged professional; I’m glad he’s my doc!
Dr. Neal explained and answered all of my question about my illness. He was very thorough and positive.
He is my hero and my friend. I’m so fortunate to have found him.
Dr. Joel Neal he is a good Doctor and he is a good complete explanation whatever I’ll asking about my health or my results... He is a good smile to me even he knows its so pain inside my mind, but he gave you a positive thoughts:) Thanks
He was extremely knowledgeable, caring, nice and respectful. He explained everything with great details, answered all our questions patiently and in a way that was easy to understand even the complicated medical situations. We really appreciate his caring and heartfelt approach.
Smart and compassionate doctor who was well prepared for my second opinion appointment. I appreciated his input about whether I would benefit a particular treatment. He was articulate, u hurried and gave great explanations. I felt he was very personable especially when he stated that if I could he would like to hear from me once a year about how I’m doing...a little check in via email. This was amazing.
Very confident in Dr. Neal
Extremely happy with call. He explained everything perfectly and answered questions I had. Very professional as well as personal
Dr. Neal is a provider that will think of patients health and condition not only physical but boost our emtions by making me smile. I truly admired Dr. Neal for his cocerned.
Excellent service!
Dr. Neal was highly recommended, and I was very happy with him!
I feel secure in his opinion it seems more realistic than his residents.
Excellent Thoracic Oncologist.
Dr Neal is great. He explains things well, answers all questions, and shows caring and compassion.
Thanks so much for a really informative call. I am very impressed with you as being a very well trained physician with a terrific “bedside†manner. I’ll look forward to a f/u call after my next set of scans.
He has been Awesome - the best!
Dr Neal is a caring, respectful person, take time to make sure I understand all procedures. He's flexible to the my need. Thanks a lot Dr. Neal!⚘ðŸ˜
Met & exceeded ALL expectations.
Dr. Joel Neal is the best!
Dr. Joel Neal is the best!
Dr. Neal is the best!
It has been a blessing to have Dr. Neal & his team guiding us through a very difficult time. Every visit, every call & every e-mail gave us confidence that we were in the BEST hands possible. I will forever be grateful to Dr. Neal, & to all of the Stanford Cancer Center - an amazing & inspiring place of HOPE. Thank you to ALL.
Dr. Katin was very thorough and caring. He did a great work up then heard Dr. Neal went over everything in detail. They explained everything in great detail.
Judy and Dr. Neal are excellent in the care administered. They are very attentive and concerned of my well being.
Dr. Neal was very thorough, thoughtful my appointment, I understood my situation clearly.
Dr. Joel Neal is a special person. He has been blessed with special talents. No matter how my situation turns out, I know I have received the best, up to date, care possible. God bless all of you!
Dr. Neal works hard for his patients & is always good natured about answering any questions. He's tops in my book.
Dr. Neal is the best!
Always courteous & engaging.
Dr. Neal and his team are all excellent! It's wonderful knowing you're getting the best medical care & from someone who really cares.
Dr. Neal is wonderful.
Dr. Neal & NP Connie spent so much time with us & showed such care & compassion. Dr. Neal drew a diagram of treatment plan options so we could understand. We were so impressed.
Dr. Neal & PA Rodriguez are excellent. They listen, give clinical perspective and clear instructions/advice, and are compassionate and encouraging.
Dr. Neal, Joel is an exceptional physician and an amazing human being who took the time to be present during every encounter w/my husband & us!!
amazing professionals - worth the wait & other bureaucratic issues...
Dr. Neal is a wonderful doctor in all respects - he is knowledgeable & very caring.
We have seen a full team of care providers now & they are nothing but amazing. Despite the complexity of my condition, I have comfort I am getting the best care possible.
Dr. Joel Neal exceeds our expectations. He's very knowledgeable, very caring, understanding. He's always make you comfortable. Thank you Dr. Neal and also to your team of doctors & NP you bring in. Excellent!
We were not rushed. Everything explained. Gave time for us to understand and react some of the decisions. Gave us visual present situation. Very caring.
Excellent experience!!
Courteous, showed compassion & took time to answer all our concerns.
Extreme clarity, lots of openness during visit, really wonderful physician.
I love Dr. Neal.
Dr. Neal is intelligent compassionate & friendly.
I am very happy with the care I am receiving.
Dr. Neal is the best!!
May our Almighty God continue to bless Dr. Neal so he can continue helping people that are sick like me. Thank you Dr. Neal. We love you!! You're the best!!
Dr. Neal was outstanding; caring, easy to understand, detailed explanations; took time to explain everything - never felt rushed, and even gave a departing hug to me and my family. I have a high degree of confidence in him.
Dr. Neal is excellent!
Dr. Neal & Judy are the greatest! Always friendly, personable, & explain any information in understandable language.
Welcoming - Clear speaking, positive feedback, good listener, positive thinker, friendly natured, thorough reviews -
I would recommend my care providers and Stanford to everyone. Everyone I talked to told me I'm right where I need to be at Stanford for my medical issues.
Dr. Neal is the best!!!
Dr. Neal and staff is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.
I have sent many to Stanford, you the best. Out of the ball park.
Excellent.
Dr. Neal is very busy and often runs late. He is, however, excellent.
The doctor is very kind, he made me feel much confidence.
Dr. Neal is outstanding & I understand how busy he is.
Dr. Neal & his future staff are extremely knowledgeable; professional; pleasant and courteous. Although I have a serious lung caner, my question's were all answered & future direction now much cleaner.
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful, I can't say enough good things about Dr. Neal, and he and staff are a 10 in my book.
Compared to Kaiser, Dr. Neal was much more informed., Had much better communication skills. Gave better advice and had much more empathy. Gave me hope.
Dr. Neal together w/the doctors or NP he brings with him are very professional & knowledgeable.
Excellent professional visit!
He addressed my personal concerns, locations & explicit questions completely clearly.
The most professional & sincere doctor I have ever met. Dr. Neal focus on customer satisfaction is world class.
My mom (patient) loves Dr. Neal and Dr. Judy, NP. She trusts them fully as they are always on top of everything, but most importantly, they are genuinely compassionate.
Dr Neal is an extremely personable and caring physician. He answered my questions, gave me answers to questions I hadn't even thought to ask. When I left 'Dr. Neal's' office I felt better than I had in a very long time.
My opinion is Dr. Neal is at the top of his field.
Professional, yet friendly and concerned.
Very detailed and comprehensive explanations.
Have been seeing Dr. Neal for 5 yrs. and have been blessed to be able to so. Excellent!
Dr. Neal and the PA were so very easy to understand and attentive. Felt so good with both of them! Thank you.
Dr Neal thank you.
This time I felt the doctor was rushed and could have been more supportive.
Dr. Neal is the best! This man saved my life! He has a good manner about him, ease of understanding and makes a person feel completely at ease.
We really appreciate Dr. Neal's help and have confidence in his expertise and treatment. Dr. Neal is awesome! Highly recommend!
Dr. Neal, Allison and Judy are all wonderful.
Need translator since patient only speaks Chinese. But, overall experience is excellent.
Provider gave words of comfort during lengthy problem.
I think they are all awesome!!
Dr. Neal is an amazing doctor. He put my worries to ease about my illness.
Very good +'s.
Dr. Neal's assistant is wonderful. She is clear & thorough and VERY easy to talk to.
Dr. Joel Neal, Dr. Jody Chuang, and NP Judy Pagtama are wonderful!
All of them are very friendly, kind and professional. I love them.
Good.
Dr. Pack and Dr. Neal spent a lot of time with me (and my husband) - they gave me hope and both have excellent "people skills." I ope I can participate in the medication trial!
Dr. Neal took his time to explain what needs to be done and possible treatments in the future. Highly professional doctor, intelligent and I see why my cousin strongly recommended to me.
He was great!!
Have total confidence in Dr. Neal.
A very impressive MD, PhD.
Dr. Neal was straightforward and to the point. I appreciated all the information he provided. I highly recommend him to anyone needing this type of specialist.
Doctor Neal, Joel is great and he took care of me very well.
Excellent - uplifting.
Spent a great deal of time with me and my wife.

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