The Ohio State University James Cancer Hospital 460 W. 10th Avenue, 5th Floor Columbus, OH  43210 (614) 688-5834 Stephen Y. Kang, MD, FACS – Fellowship Director (614) 685-6778 Elaine Ortiz – Coordinator (614) 685-6778   Program Website

Number of Fellowships: 2 Duration (in years): 1 years Department Chair: James W Rocco, MD, PhD Faculty:  Amit Agrawal, MD Carol Bradford, MD Dukagjin Blakaj, MD, PhD Marcelo Bonomi, MD Ricardo Carrau, MD, MBA Catherine Haring, MD Stephen Kang, MD Matthew Old, MD Enver Ozer, MD Daniel Prevedello, MD Apoorva Ramaswamy, MD James Rocco, MD, PhD Nolan Seim, MD Kyle VanKoevering, MD

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Overview:

The head and neck fellowship at The Ohio State University is a comprehensive, high-volume head and neck microvascular fellowship that aims to train the future leaders of our field. Fellows are trained in microvascular reconstructive surgery, transoral robotic surgery, and the entire array of ablative head and neck oncologic surgery. Our team performs over 250 free flap surgeries per year and the fellows are integral members of the ablative and reconstructive teams. The fellows are trained within a very collaborative surgical environment that embraces two-team surgery. The fellows also lead the multidisciplinary tumor board conference along with an attending head and neck radiologist. The fellows benefit from the experience of training in a free-standing NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, where their entire clinical year resides within a hospital that is solely dedicated to treating cancer. The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute is a 21-story building that was recently opened in 2015, providing state-of-the-art facilities for research and patient care.

Objectives:

To train highly skilled surgeons and future academic surgical leaders in the field of head and neck oncology.

Strengths:

• High surgical volume (ablative and reconstructive)
• Entire breadth of microvascular reconstruction; including significant exposure to perforator based flaps, lateral arm, rectus, and scapula donor sites
• Unique open and endoscopic skull base experience
• Multidisciplinary oncology program supports primary surgical management of oropharyngeal and laryngeal cancer when appropriate
• Extensive TORS experience (Single Port)
• Prioritization of camaraderie between faculty, fellows, and residents

Eligibility:

All candidates who have completed: ACGME accredited Otolaryngology, General Surgery or Plastic Surgery residency programs, and those who are currently board eligible in those specialties.

Fellows’ Duties/Responsibilities:

The fellow’s primary relationship is with Drs. Amit Agrawal, Carol Bradford, Ricardo Carrau, Catherine Haring, Stephen Kang, Matthew Old, Enver Ozer, Apoorva Ramaswamy, James Rocco, Nolan Seim and Kyle VanKoevering. The overall majority of operative and clinical patient interactions with head and neck oncology patients (clinic and operating room) are done in conjunction with Drs. Agrawal, Carrau, Haring, Kang, Old, Ozer, Ramaswamy, Rocco, Seim, VanKoevering, and other teaching faculty. The AHNS fellows participate in all aspects of head and neck ablative surgical cases (open, transoral laser/robotic, open skull base) as well as the full spectrum of surgical reconstruction; including locoregional flaps and microvascular free tissue transfer.

Graduating fellows are trained to harvest radial fasciocutaneous/osseocutaneous forearm, scapula, rectus, fibula, lateral arm, ulnar, medial sural perforator, gracilis, and anterolateral thigh free flaps. Microvascular reconstructive surgery is performed by four faculty within the Department of Otolaryngology‐Head and Neck Surgery (Agrawal, Haring, Kang, Old, Ozer and Seim. The fellow is also trained to harvest supraclavicular and submental regional flaps. During procedures where free flaps are utilized, the AHNS fellow often works with both the ablative and the reconstructive team, serving as operating surgeon with faculty supervision. During these cases, a “two team” surgical approach for the large majority of surgical cases requiring free tissue transfer are used. Because many free flaps are not harvested until the resection is complete, the fellowship includes a large experience of ablative oncologic cases. The fellow serves as primary surgeon for all advanced ablative cases, such as conservational laryngeal surgery. For the large majority of cases, the fellow acts as operating surgeon with direct teaching faculty supervision. They also have a supervisory faculty role during procedures in which residents involved commensurate with experience, as well as assist the other teaching faculty.

As credentialed clinical faculty, the AHNS fellows may operate and see patients in the Head and Neck Oncology Clinic or other ambulatory clinics independent of teaching faculty. However, the fellows are not assigned or responsible for an independent clinic and do not have independent OR block time assigned. The overwhelming majority of clinical activity carried out by the fellows occurs in concert with teaching faculty supervision both in the outpatient as well as OR setting. The Head and Neck Oncology Fellows do not participate in general otolaryngology clinics, trauma clinics, and are not involved with on‐call faculty responsibilities. It is, however, expected that the fellows are to be involved in all emergencies involving the head and neck cancer patient population.

Research Opportunities:

Fellows are given the opportunity to select particular area(s) of research within the Head and Neck Oncology program that holds the greatest interest for them. The head and neck fellows are provided with an opportunity to become involved with ongoing clinical research and exposure to clinical trials. The fellows meet with clinical and basic investigators whose primary focus of research relates to head and neck oncology at the outset of fellowship; not only to explore and identify avenues for research endeavors, but also to establish mentorship. They will also participate in the writing of clinical protocols and the registration of patients to local/national protocols and their subsequent continues follow-up.

Our fellows are provided with the opportunity to travel to national cooperative group meetings as a means of becoming more familiar with workings of a large national cancer cooperative group. The fellowship time for research can be expanded depending on their needs. Although it is anticipated that the head and neck fellows will spend a significant proportion of their time engaged in clinical activity, the schedule can be further modified and adapted accordingly depending upon the individual needs of each of the head and neck fellows to meet their research needs.

Supervision, Teaching & Call:

The fellows assist faculty with resident and medical student surgical teaching and with patient care in clinic, rounds, and in the operating room. In the operating room, the fellows act as a supervising surgeon for residents for standard head and neck oncologic procedures (i.e. endoscopy, airway management, tumor resection/neck dissection, regional flap reconstruction, etc). As clinical attending faculty, the head and neck fellows also may serve as primary staff for the surgical care and/or coordination or multidisciplinary care of patients referred to The Ohio State University from the Ohio Correctional System requiring head and neck oncologic care as well as for cases which derive and are staffed by the fellow arising from inpatient consultation at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and James Cancer Hospital. In addition to these teaching responsibilities, the fellows are asked to give lectures throughout the medical center to other faculty or staff as well as participates as a lecturer during the annual Head and Neck Oncology Course for residents and medical students.

PAST FELLOWS

Catherine Haring, M.D., Assistant Professor, The Ohio State University
Brian Swendseid, M.D., Assistant Professor, Cooper University Health Care
Anuraag Parikh, M.D., Assistant Professor, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Akina Tamaki, M.D., Assistant Professor, UH Cleveland Medical Center
Sidharth Puram, M.D., PhD, Assistant Professor, Washington University Physicians
Krupal Patel, M.D., Assistant Professor, Moffitt Cancer Center
Antoine Eskander, M.D., Assistant Professor, University of Toronto
James Bekeny, M.D., Florida Hospital Cancer Institute, Orlando, FL
Stephen Kang, M.D., FACS, Associate Professor, The Ohio State University
Jon Chan, M.D., Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University
Peter Dziegelewski, M.D., Professor, University of Florida
Kiran Kakarala, M.D., Associate Professor, University of Kansas
Hassan Arshaud, M.D., Assistant Professor, University of Buffalo
Matthew Miller, M.D., Associate Professor, University of Rochester
Keith M. Wilson, M.D., Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati
Norbert Viallet, M.D., Faculty, University of Manitoba, Canada
Pramod K. Sharma, M.D., Private practice
Enver Ozer, M.D., Professor, The Ohio State University
Roy E. Nicholson, M.B., Ch.B., Royal Melbourne Hospital Australia
Rodney E. Mountain, M.B., Ch.B, Consultant ENT Surgeon, University of Dundee Scotland
Ernest C. Manders, M.D., Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati
James P. Malone, M.D., Assistant Professor, University of Southern Illinois-Springfield
Jeffrey R. Haller, M.D., Private practice
Carol M. Bier-Laning, M.D., Assistant Professor, Loyola University
Amit Agrawal, M.D., Associate Professor, The Ohio State University