PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Overview: Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, by Dr. Roswell Park, is the oldest cancer center in the United States and has been a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center since 1974.  The Institute is a teaching hospital and has an academic affiliation with the State University of New York at Buffalo.  The Head and Neck Surgery/Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department is committed to the comprehensive care of the head and neck oncology patient.  The department works closely with the Departments of Radiation Oncology, Medical Oncology, and Dentistry and Maxillofacial Prosthetics to provide this care.  In addition, the department provides comprehensive rehabilitation and speech therapy.  The surgical staff members are fellowship-trained Head and Neck Surgeons with backgrounds in Otolaryngology, General Surgery, and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.  The department offers the complete range of ablative and reconstructive surgery (including major resections, microvascular free flap reconstruction, endoscopic and open skull base surgery, transoral laser and robotic surgery, and photodynamic therapy).  In addition to the head and neck fellows, the department provides training to residents in general surgery and otolaryngology.

Eligibility: The Head and Neck Department offers a one-year clinical and two-year clinical and research fellowship in Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology.  Positions will be filled through the American Head and Neck Society Fellowship Match.  The fellowship is open to qualified applicants who have completed a residency program in Otolaryngology, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, or General Surgery.  The fellowship is approved by the Advanced Training Council on Oncologic Surgery of the American Head and Neck Society.

Fellows’ Duties/Responsibilities: For the head and neck fellow, in-depth experience is gained in all aspects of head and neck surgery (major ablative surgeries, skull base surgery, transoral robotic and laser surgeries) and reconstruction (including free flap surgery).  The fellow is involved in the assessment, preoperative care, postoperative care, rehabilitation, and long-term follow-up with patients.  Weekly Multidisciplinary Tumor Board Conferences are run by the fellow.  The 1-year (clinical) fellow is expected to have one clinical research project for the year.  The structure of the two-year curriculum and its specific content are developed by the program director, attending staff and is a combination of clinical and research activities, with a minimum of 12 months of clinical rotation. Research activities include NIH grant-supported basic science research within the department, as well as, clinical research.