To the AHNS Mucosal Malignancy Section members,
The July AHNS meeting marks the term end for the current Mucosal Malignancy Section officers. For the next two-year term beginning 2021, we have the following slate of candidates:
Running for Section Chair – Yelizaveta (Lisa) Shnayder, MD, FACS
Running for Section Vice-Chair – Miriam N. Lango, MD, FACS
Please review the statements from the candidates below and cast your vote at the bottom of this page.
Voting will close on Friday, June 18th at 9:00 pm Eastern. Thank you for your participation!
For Section Chair
Yelizaveta (Lisa) Shnayder, MD, FACS
I am Professor and Vice Chair for Clinical Affairs at the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. I also serve as a Co-Director of the Fellowship in Head and Neck Oncology and Microvascular Reconstruction. I have been an active member of the American Head and Neck Society and have served on the Executive Council of the society. I now serve as a Co-Chair of the Mucosal Section and a Chair of the Patient and Public Education Service of the society.
My clinical interests include head and neck oncologic surgery, microvascular reconstruction, surgical treatment of melanoma, and transoral cancer resections utilizing Da Vinci robotic technology. I have developed a clinical program in Transoral Robotic Surgery at the University of Kansas and founded the Multi-Disciplinary Melanoma Tumor Board at the institution.
I was honored to have served as a Vice-Chair of the Mucosal Section of the AHNS this year. I have helped by working on a few initiatives including several consensus statements on optimal treatment strategies for patients with oral cavity cancers and HPV positive oropharyngeal cancers as well as health care delivery disparities, webinar on the role of TORS, and development of patient education materials on mucosal head and neck cancer topics as well as an RFA for a CORE grant.
If elected as Chair, my goals for the Mucosal section of the AHNS for the upcoming year are as follows:
- Increase visibility of various initiatives within the section and promote member involvement in section projects, with the attention to gender diversity, racial diversity, and improving participation by junior and mid-career faculty.
- Promote development of educational materials and projects aimed at three distinct groups: patients, AHNS members, and trainees
- Encourage research initiatives such as multi-institutional clinical trials and identifying funding opportunities for projects related to the care of patients with mucosal head and neck cancers.
For Section Vice-Chair
Miriam N. Lango, MD, FACS
After many years at Fox Chase Cancer Center, I took a position as Professor in Head and Neck Surgery at MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2019. I will take over as the Safety and Quality lead in the department in July. I am also currently enrolled at the University of Texas School of Biomedical Informatics where I hope to learn to harness the power of big data to improve care. I was previously most active in the Endocrine Section of the AHNS as well as the Endocrine Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, where I lead Thyroid Cancer patient outreach initiatives. Since relocating to Texas, my practice has involved principally mucosal disease, and I now hope to make contributions to the Mucosal Section of the AHNS.
As Vice-Chair, I hope to support initiatives within the section, promote member recruitment and participation, support educational initiatives for members and patients, and support the AHNS to serve as a resource for information on active clinical trials. As Vice-Chair, I will seek out novel opportunities to serve our membership.