American Head & Neck Society

Advancing Education, Research, and Quality of Care for the Head and Neck oncology patient.

Published on by AHNS Office

Congratulations to the 2020 AHNS Fellows

The AHNS Advanced Training Council recently completed the Match process for the 2020 Fellowship year. A total of 48 AHNS-accredited programs and 55 applicants participated in the match, and we are pleased to announce the match results – congratulations to the applicants who will begin their fellowships in July of 2020:

Fellowship Programs 2020 Fellows
Beth Israel Medical Center Neil Mundi
Case Western /University Hospitals Cleveland Med Center S. Ahmed Ali
Cleveland Clinic Foundation Scott Roof
Duke University Anthony Ferrara
Emory University School of Medicine Christopher Nickle
Fox Chase Cancer Center Senthuran Tharmalingam
Henry Ford Health System Uthman Alamoudi
Icahn Mt Sinai School of Medicine Erica Jackson-Mayland
Indiana University School of Medicine Diane Chen
Johns Hopkins University Richard Harbison
Johns Hopkins University Brian Hondorp
Johns Hopkins University-Endocrine Pia Pace-Asciak
Massachusetts Eye & Ear Andrew Larson
Massachusetts Eye & Ear – Endocrine Ian Behr
MD Anderson Cancer Center Minhui “Laura” Kim
MD Anderson Cancer Center Evan Walgama
Medical University of South Carolina Joel Davies
Medical University of South Carolina Vilija Vaitaitis
Memorial Sloan Kettering Mohammed Hararah
Moffitt Cancer Center Andrew Agnew
Nebraska Methodist Hospital Tyson Nielsen
Northwestern University Camil Correia
Oregon Health & Science University Suparna Shah
Penn State Hershey Medical Center Jeffery Wells
Stanford University Medical Center Paul Zolkind
Stanford University Medical Center-Endocrine Cassandra Puccinelli
The Ohio State University Anuraag Parikh
Thomas Jefferson University Yamil Selman
University of Alabama-Birmingham Ayham Al Afif
University of Alberta Paul Tabet
University of California – Davis Joshua Kain
University of California – San Francisco Patrick Carpenter
University of Cincinnati Medical Center Arvind Badhey
University of Florida Dustin Conrad
University of Iowa Amy Bansal
University of Kansas School of Medicine Andrea Ziegler
University of Miami Patrick Morgan
University of Miami Matthew Ochsner
University of Michigan Allen Feng
University of Michigan Hassan Nasser
University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Andrew Coniglio
University of Oklahoma Lindsey Stull
University of Pennsylvania Health System Leila Mady
University of Pennsylvania Health System Justin Shinn
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Marco Mascarella
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Varun Vendra
University of Toronto-Mt Sinai Mirko Manojlovic Kolarski
University of Toronto-Mt Sinai Susannah Orzell
University of Washington John Pang
University of Wisconsin Zachary Pflum
Vanderbilt University Medical Center Catherine Colaianni
Vanderbilt University Medical Center Kevin Kovatch
Washington University at St. Louis Carey Wood

Published on by AHNS Office

Call for Abstracts – 2020 Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium

Submit your abstract for the  Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancers Symposium: Expanding Treatment Horizons, taking place February 27-29, 2020, at the Westin Kierland Resort and Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona.

This meeting focuses on the multidisciplinary management of all head and neck cancers, with the goal of bringing together radiation therapy, clinical oncology and surgical oncology to examine the latest clinical trial research and new treatment approaches.

The meeting is co-sponsored by the American Head and Neck Society, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, ASTRO and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

The abstract submission deadline is September 4, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time.   Click here to view the Abstract categories and guidelines.

Published on by Cherie-Ann Nathan

Message from the President

Dear Colleagues,

Last month I had the honor of accepting the appointment to AHNS President during our annual meeting in Austin and I am thrilled to lead a society that has been a passion of mine for many years. The AHNS is thriving as an active and engaged organization, poised to help further our mission in advancing education, research and quality of care for the Head and Neck Oncology patient.

I am grateful for the support and guidance of Past President Dr. Ehab Hanna, who helped position the AHNS 2.0 and I know we will continue to work on many of the initiatives he has launched. Thank you, also, to Dr. Brian Burkey, who served as AHNS Secretary for six years and has now been elected to Vice President, and welcome to Dr. Susan McCammon, who is the new AHNS Secretary. The AHNS has a strong and committed leadership team focused on promoting the welfare of our patients, empowering our membership and serving the community-at-large.

We will continue that mission and hope to grow and extend our reach outwards. This year, I will focus on patient advocacy, as well as action items that involve a true multidisciplinary approach. In the coming months, you will hear more from our patient care division on integrative oncology and survivorship. We will be investigating building more partnerships with patient focused organizations, as well as strengthening our relationships with our international colleagues. Capping off my presidential year will be what I know will be a memorable and educational international conference in Chicago, July 18-22, 2020, where we will have a special APP track tailored for our applied practitioners. This truly intertwined methodology will only strengthen our approach to patient care and I welcome your involvement and engagement in these initiatives.

I am excited to see that our blog, Heads Up!, is up and running on the AHNS web site (https://www.ahns.info/category/blog/). We are always looking for posts and please submit them to the AHNS office ([email protected]) if you would like to contribute. Posts could be on any topic and should be about 800 words or less.

If you have any suggestions or comments for our society, please do not hesitate to reach out to me through our AHNS headquarters office ([email protected]). It is a great privilege to serve as your president and I look forward to a productive and exciting year.

Thank you for your membership,

Cherie-Ann Nathan, MD
President, AHNS

Cherie-Ann Nathan

Cherie-Ann Nathan

Dr. Cherie-Ann Nathan is a leading head and neck cancer surgeon. She is Prof. & Chair of the Dept. of Oto/HNS &the Director of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and Cancer Research, Feist-Weiller Cancer Center Louisiana State University Health - Shreveport (LSU Health Shreveport). The National Cancer Institute has funded her translational research since 2000 and her focus is on targeted therapy for head and neck patients. Dr. Nathan is recognized nationally and internationally for her seminal work on molecular analysis of surgical margins. She has pioneered multi-institutional clinical trials using mTOR inhibitors in HNSCC patients. She has also received NIH funding for chemoprevention of cancer with curcumin and has a patent for a curcumin chewing gum. More recently she also received an NCI grant on cutaneous Squamous cell cancer.  She serves on the NCI head and neck steering committee and the American Cancer Society HPV steering committee. Dr. Nathan has published extensively, has over 180 publications in peer-reviewed journals, and has authored multiple textbooks and encyclopedia chapters. She is married to Dr. Raghu Nathan, a pulmonary and critical eye care specialist with whom she has two boys.
Cherie-Ann Nathan

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Published on by AHNS Webmaster

2019 AHNS Annual Meeting at COSM – Austin, Texas

Thank you for all who attended the 2019 AHNS Annual Meeting this past May in Austin, Texas.  This year we had over 680 head and neck surgeons, oncologists, physicians and scientists attend the meeting at the JW Marriott.  The 2019 Program Chairs, Neil D. Gross, MD, FACS, & Carole Fakhry, MD, MPH, along with Ehab Y. Hanna, MD, FACS, AHNS 2018-2019 President, put together an outstanding scientific program.

The meeting started off with 3 pre-meeting courses – an ACS exported Thyroid, Parathyroid, and Neck Ultrasound Course, the AHNS Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery Course for Residents and Fellows, and the AHNS Transoral Robotic Training Didactic Course for Fellows.  During the two day Annual Meeting, keynotes included the John Conley Lecture: “Value Based Health Care: The Agenda for Head and Neck” by Michael Porter, PhD and the Hayes Martin Lecture: “Life Lessons from my Thirty-Seven Years as a Navy SEAL” by Admiral William McRaven.

This year the program used a more interactive format with multiple debates and case-based panel sessions with the addition of live audience response questions in many of the sessions. The Jatin P. Shah Symposium on “Remote Access versus Standard Thyroidectomy: Where is the Value and Who Defines It?” was presented by a panel of experts who highlighted the pros and cons of two remote access approaches versus a traditional “open” transcervical approach for thyroidectomy.  Finally, this year the AHNS had again a record breaking number of abstract submissions.  The top submissions were selected for the scientific program including 94 oral abstract presentations, 295 posters, and 10 quickshot presentations.

To view the final program and abstracts visit: https://www.ahns.info/meetings/past_meetings/.

Published on by AHNS Webmaster

Congratulations to AHNS Award Winners

Congratulations to the AHNS Award winners who were honored last month during our Annual Meeting

AHNS Myers’ Family Diversity Summer Travel Fellowship Award
2019 Awardee Ms. Ezinne Agwaramgbo, MS2
Institution: University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine

AHNS Myers’ Family Diversity Summer Travel Fellowship Award
2018 Awardee Mr. Frantzlee LaCrete, MS3
Institution: University of Nebraska

African Head and Neck Society on behalf of American Head and Neck Society Scholar Award
Anna Konney MD, FWACS, FGCS
Institution: Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Kumasi, Ghana, West Africa

Margaret F. Butler Outstanding Mentor of Women in Head and Neck Surgery Award #BeLikeButler
2019 Awardee: Marion E. Couch, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS

Best Prevention and Early Detection Paper Award
Alia Mowery, MS3
Entitled work: “Elevated Risk of Head and Neck Cancer in Patients with History of Hematologic Malignancy”
Institution: Oregon Health and Science University

Best Prevention and Early Detection Paper Award
Nicole Craker MD, MPH
Entitled work: “Chronic Opioid Use After Laryngeal Cancer Treatment”
Institution: University of Kentucky Medical Center

Best Resident Basic Science Paper Award
Cory Fulcher, MD
Entitled work: “The CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib demonstrates efficacy alone and in combination with radiation in HPV-negative head and neck squamous cell”
Institution: Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Randall Weber, MD Quality, Safety and Value Award 
Shaum Sridharan, MD (donated half of monetary prize amount to AHNS)
Entitled work: “Early Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma with Histologically Benign Lymph Nodes: A Model Predicting Local Control and Vetting of the 8th edition of AJCC pT Stage”
Institution: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC)

Robert Maxwell Byers Award
Marco A. Mascarella, MD
Entitled work: “Preoperative Risk Index for Patients Undergoing Head and Neck Cancer Surgery”
Institution: McGill University

Best Resident Clinical Paper Award
Andrew Larson, MD
Entitled work: “Beyond Depth of Invasion: Adverse Pathologic Tumor Features in Early Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma”
Institution: University of California San Francisco