PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Overview:

• Fellow will have a 1 year clinical experience with advanced head and neck surgery.
• Training will include: operative experience with faculty, clinic experience with faculty, half day fellow clinic, independent surgery.
• The fellow will rotate with all surgical faculty throughout the year and get in depth exposure to each of the following:
• Traditional Ablative Surgery: Composite Resection, Laryngectomy, etc. (It is expected the fellow will be at an independent level with these surgeries)
• Transoral Surgery: Fellow will train in TORS (> 60 cases/year) and TLM
• Reconstructive Surgery: Fellow will have an in depth reconstructive experience (60 flaps during training)
• Microvascular (RFFF, lateral arm, ALT, scapula tip, latissimus, Fibula, Rectus);
• Rotational (Submental Island, Pectoralis, Latissimus, Temporalis, Supraclavicular, Nasoseptal)
• Skull base Surgery: Open and Endoscopic Skull base surgery with Dr. Zanation and Thorp
• Endocrine Surgery: Thyroid surgery (traditional, MIVAT, robotic), Parathyroidectomy
• Salivary Gland Surgery: Parotidectomy, Sialendoscopy (clinic and OR)
• Fellow will be assigned research projects and have mentorship throughout the year by Hackman with the expectation of 2 high index publications.
• The fellow will also spend time with medical oncology and radiation oncology to learn about treatment planning, radiation simulation, chemotherapy consultation and recommendations, clinical trial development
• The fellow will attend tumor board weekly and run a half day fellow clinic.

Objectives: Enhance head and neck training with:

• Exposure to patients in clinic
• Exposure to high volume ablative and reconstructive surgery
• Foster teaching/mentor role – fellow will be placed in the role of instructor during training to help transition to becoming an attending
• Enhance knowledge of clinical trials and research.
• Fellow expected to produce at least 2 high index publications
• Develop a better understanding of the nuances of radiation therapy planning and treatment
• Develop a better understanding of chemotherapy/immunotherapy options for patients and how choices for a therapy are made

Strengths:

• High volume Cancer center – 780 new cases/year
• High Volume Transoral Surgery
• High Volume Reconstructive Surgery with an excellent variety of flaps utilized
• High Volume Endocrine and Sialendoscopy Practices
• High Volume open and endoscopic skull base surgery practice
• Balance of mentorship and independence

Eligibility: Applicant must be eligible for certification by the Canadian or the American Board Otolaryngology, the American Board of Surgery, or the American Board of Plastic Surgery (or equivalent). If you are trained outside of the U.S. or Canada, please contact the appropriate American Board to determine your eligibility status.

Fellows’ Duties/Responsibilities:

• 1/2 day Fellow clinic
• Fellow will act as an advisor to the head and neck team and will be present during morning signout to attendings
• Attendance at tumor board and weekly lab meeting
• Minimum of 2 research projects
• 1 Weekend call per month (call will be backed up by attending)

Research Opportunities:

• Mentorship by Dr. Hackman
• Basic Science research in collaboration with medical oncology
• Outcomes Research with Drs. Hackman & Patel
• Collaboration with the school of public health available
• Collaboration with pathology, biomedical engineering and physical medicine & rehabilitation  – oral health, micro biomes, kinesthetic evaluation of flap donor site function
• Examples of areas of research interest: HPV+ oropharynx cancer, genomic mapping, outcomes, reconstructive techniques, cost evaluation

Supervision, Teaching & Call:

• 1 Weekend Call per month (backed up by attending)
• 1 Holiday Call ( backed up by attending)
• 1/2 day fellow clinic – fellow may schedule cases out of their clinic
• Both team and one on one mentorship training model for clinic and OR with attending
• Educational conferences twice weekly

PAST FELLOWS
Travis Newberry (2012-2013) – Currently Program Direction at San Antonio
David Ludlow (2013-2014) – Currently at Metrohealth (Affliate Case Western Reserve)
Jeremiah Tracy (2014-2015) – Currently at the University of Massachusetts
Brittany Howard (2015-2017) – Faculty at Mayo Scottsdale, AZ
Eugenie Du – UNC MPH program
Travis Schrank – Current Fellow