University of Michigan

University of Michigan – Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and Microvascular Reconstruction 1500 E Medical Center Drive 1904 Taubman Center, SPC 5312 Ann Arbor, MI  48109-5312 Marisa Buchakjian, MD PhD FACS – Fellowship Director (734) 936-3172 Steven B. Chinn – Fellowship Co-Director Marianne Servoss – Coordinator Program Website

Number of Fellowships: 2 Duration (in years) / Type: 1 year / One year, 80% clinical and 20% research. An elective second year of fellowship is 80% research and 20% clinical. Faculty: Clinical Faculty: Kelly M. Malloy, MD, FACS Mark E. Prince, MD, FRCSC Keith A. Casper, MD Steven B. Chinn, MD, MPH Mohannad Ibrahim, MD Jonathan B. McHugh, MD Erin L. McKean, MD, MBA Scott A. McLean, MD, PhD, Michelle Mierzwa, MD Jeffrey S. Moyer, MD, FACS Molly Heft Neal, MD Jennifer Shah, MD Caitlin Shonewolf, MD Andrew G. Shuman, MD Ashok Srinivasan, MD Chaz L. Stucken, MD Paul L. Swiecicki, MD Francis P. Worden, MD

Research Faculty: J. Chad Brenner, PhD Thomas E. Carey, PhD Gregory T. Wolf, MD, FACS Nursing and SLP Staff: Christina Goldsworthy, RN, BSN Jenny Jarema, RN, BSN Matt Manning, RN, BSN Dee Middleton, RN, BSN Tamara Miller, RN, BSN Nate Steiner, RN, BSN Madison Ericson, MA, CCC-SLP Anna Blakely, MA, CCC-SLP Teresa Lyden, MA, CCC-SLP

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Overview: The University of Michigan’s Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and Microvascular Reconstruction Fellowship is designed to provide intensive training in all facets of oncologic care of the head and neck cancer patient. Our goal is to train future leaders in the field of comprehensive head and neck cancer care and related research, and to provide the platform from which a successful academic career is launched. As the major center for head and neck surgery in Michigan, our multidisciplinary team treats numerous head and neck cancer patients each year, and our fellows are integral participants in caring for these patients. We perform well over 250 free tissue transplants yearly, harvesting from the full breadth of donor sites. Additionally, we have the largest melanoma and Merkel cell carcinoma programs in the United States. In addition to extensive training in head and neck mucosal extirpative surgery, both open and transoral, the fellows are trained in the following specialized areas: microvascular reconstructive surgery, advanced cutaneous malignancy surgery, including sentinel node biopsy, skull base surgery and reconstruction, and salivary and endocrine surgery. Dedicated time is allotted to rotate with our entire multidisciplinary team, including radiation and medical oncology, radiology, pathology, and speech language pathology, as well as any other specialists the fellow may wish to work with. We have a newly purchased robotics simulator to hone skills and developed an osteotomy simulator for complex mandibular reconstructive training. Beyond the clinical experience, we pride ourselves on providing life-long mentorship and sponsorship to our fellow graduates, and our dedicated Fellow Alumni group provides additional networking and mentorship opportunities.

Objectives: It is our intention to develop the next generation of head and neck surgeon-leaders, launching each fellow’s career via in-depth training and preparation, as well as cultivating their long-term career goals through life-long mentorship.

Strengths: A focus on career-long mentorship and sponsorship. Large, varied surgical case volume, including the entire free tissue armamentarium. Diverse training and backgrounds of faculty. Rich research portfolio in a wide array of scholarly disciplines. Accomplished fellowship alumni (see below).

Eligibility: At the present time, we are only able to consider fellowship applicants from U.S. training programs due to institutional restrictions.

Fellows’ Duties/Responsibilities: 

• Work-up and follow surgical patients while admitted to the head and neck service.
• Participate in major surgical cases.
• Participate in microvascular surgical cases.
• Summarize cases at weekly Multidisciplinary Tumor Board.
• Prepare and submit fellowship research project.
• Present research at the Annual Krause Research Day.
• Participate in all Cancer Center activities related to the Head and Neck Oncology Program, including monthly meeting attendance and attend the annual Head and Neck Oncology Program Retreat.
• Participate as faculty in resident and medical student teaching, including annual head and neck anatomy course and annual simulation emergencies boot camp course
• Daily rounds with residents and faculty.
• Participate in “on-call” responsibilities (5-6 weeks/year).
• Care for patients via the independent fellow clinic.
• Attend one national scientific meeting per year.
• Participate in our robotic surgery simulation curriculum.
• Participate in our osteotomy simulation curriculum.
• Prepare annual operative list and list of publications.

Research Opportunities: The Head and Neck Oncology Program of the University of Michigan is one of the most prolific head and neck cancer research groups in the world. We maintain tumor biology research laboratories both at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and at the Department of Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center. Basic science research opportunities are available in the molecular biology of tumors, predictive biomarkers, stem cell research, genomics and proteomics. We are also national leaders in clinical trials development, outcomes and quality of life research and health services research. Finally, we have burgeoning research programs in quality of head and neck surgical care and in simulation education research that may appeal to fellows with interests in quality improvement/patient safety or graduate medical education/surgical education. We are also uniquely positioned to develop the research interests of head and neck fellows for which we many not yet have specific experience in our division. With the University of Michigan’s diversity of scholarship arenas, we recruit outstanding mentors for our fellows in other departments and even other schools, depending on their research interests.

Supervision, Teaching & Call:  Fellows are responsible for 5 to 6 weeks of faculty call each year. They are well supported by highly-available, permanent faculty corps. The fellows see patients with basic neck mass and “general” head and neck complaints in their clinics; when such a patient is diagnosed with cancer, they are co-managed by the fellow and a head and neck faculty member. In this fashion, the fellow has a graduated experience managing their head and neck patient with direct support from the faculty, and the patient is assured a safe and continuity-of-care-focused experience at our institution.

PAST FELLOWS
Douglas B. Chepeha, MD, MScPH, FRCSC, Professor, University of Toronto
Mark E. P. Prince, MD, FRCSC, Professor and Chair, University of Michigan
Larry Myers, MD, Associate Professor, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Brian Nussenbaum, MD, FACS, Executive Director, American Board of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery
Steven Wang, MD, FACS, Professor and Chair, University of Arizona
Kevin Fung, MD, FRCSC, FACS, Professor and Chair, Western University, London, Ontario
Jeffrey S. Moyer, MD, FACS, Professor, University of Michigan
Christopher D. Lansford, MD, Private Practice, Peoria, IL
Lance E. Oxford, MD, Private Practice, Dallas, TX
Amy Anne Lassig, MD, FACS, Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota
Kevin Emerick, MD, Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
Kelly M. Malloy, MD, FACS, Associate Professor, University of Michigan
Samir Khariwala, MD, Professor and Chair, University of Minnesota
Keith Casper, MD, Associate Professor, University of Michigan
Shamir Chandarana, MD, MSc, FRCSC, Associate Professor, University of Calgary
Naweed Raza, MD, FRCSC, Associate Professor, Wayne State University
Vivian Wu, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Henry Ford Health System
Matthew Spector, MD, Assistant Professor, University of Michigan
Chaz Stucken, MD, Assistant Professor, University of Michigan
Jesse Ryan, MD, Assistant Professor, SUNY Upstate
Danielle Gainor, MD, Private Practice, Lansing, MI
Brittny Tillman, MD, Assistant Professor, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Tiffany Glazer, MD, Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin
Jayne Stevens, MD, Assistant Professor, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; Major, U.S. Army Medical Corps, Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu, HI
Andrew Rosko, MD, Assistant Professor, University of Michigan
Marisa Buchakjian, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Iowa
Jumin Sunde, MD, Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas
Rosh Sethi, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Michelle Chen, MD, MHS, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Cedars Sinai, Los Angeles, CA
Hassan Nasser, MD, Private Practice, St. Clair Shores & Sterling Heights, MI
Allen Feng, MD, Clinical Instructor, Harvard Medical School
Lindsey Moses, MD- Clinical Assistant Professor, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Janine Rotsides, MD- Clinical Instructor, Westchester Medical Center, NY
Melina Windon, MD- Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Kentucky
Linda X. Yin, MD- Clinical Assistant Professor, Mayo Clinic Minnesota