PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Overview: The University of Miami (UM) School of Medicine at Jackson Memorial Hospital,  the University of Miami Hospitals and Clinics, Sylvester Cancer Center, and Miami VA,  offers two Head and Neck Fellowships, which blend an educational program with the responsibilities of a junior faculty physician. Our institutions are dedicated to patient care, research, and education. Jackson Memorial Hospital is an accredited, non-profit, tertiary care hospital, serving not only the population of Miami Dade County (nearly three million), but also a hub for South and Central America making it one of the busiest hospitals in the nation. University of Miami Hospital/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center handles more than 1,300 inpatient admissions annually, performs 3,000 surgical procedures, and treats 3,000 new cancer patients. In addition, UM/Sylvester physicians and scientists are engaged in 150 clinical trials and receive more than $30 million annually in research grants.

Objectives: The Head and Neck Fellowship is a one-year program focused on head and neck oncologic surgery. Two positions are available. Fellows will develop expertise in head and neck ablative surgery and reconstruction. High volumes of skull base surgery and microvascular reconstructive surgery are available, and fellows will be well trained in both of these areas. There is also opportunity for subspecialty focus on either of these areas. A second year for increased subspecialization or laboratory research is an option.  It is expected that, over the course of the fellowship, the fellow will develop the ability to perform microvascular cases independently. Our goal is to train surgeons who will subsequently take positions at referral centers as tertiary head and neck surgeons. This is a hands-on surgical experience with opportunity to function independently and a high surgical volume.

Duties and Responsibilities of Trainees: Our fellowships are designed to be a hands-on learning experience in the multidisciplinary management of patients with Head and Neck Cancer. Fellows should take an academic approach to patient care, discussing cases with the attending, performing literature review on unusual cases, and in the teaching of other residents and fellows. At least one case should be presented weekly at our Tumor Board. For two index cases a year, the fellow should be involved in radiation planning and/or chemotherapeutic dosing and become familiarized with the approach of our colleagues in radiation oncology and medical oncology. During the rotations on both these services, a special focus on these disciplines should occur. Fellows are to attend all didactic sessions pertinent to Head and Neck Surgery including Grand Rounds, Core Curriculum, Tumor Conference, Thyroid Conference, and Journal Club. A research project is designed and an annual presentation is required.

Academic Positions of Some of Our Recent Fellows:
Tareck Ayad- University of Montreal
Deepak Gurushanthaiah- Head & Neck Microvascular Surgeon, Kaiser Permanente San Francisco
Sandeep Samant- Director of Head & Neck Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago
Lisa Shnayder- Director of Head and Neck Fellowship, University of Kansas
Gina Jefferson- University of Illinois, Chicago
Miriam O’Leary- Tufts University, Boston
Joseph Curry- Jefferson University, Philadelphia
Joshua Rosenberg- Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York
Jason Leibowitz, Faculty at University of Miami
Zoukaa Sargi- Faculty at University of Miami
Roger William Farmer, University of West Virginia
Joseph Goodman, Bethesda Naval Hospital
Avi Montravadi, University of Indiana
Katie Fedder, University of Virginia
Stefan Mlot , SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Seo Moon, Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco