PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Overview: The Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine offers Fellowship training in Advanced Oncologic Head and Neck, as well as Cranial Base Surgery.

Objectives: At the completion of the fellowship experience, the fellow should demonstrate proficiency in the diagnosis, management and appropriate surveillance for patients requiring care for head and neck cancer including a toolbox of skills that will serve them well throughout their career.

Strengths: As one of the leading nonprofit health systems in the United States of America, UPMC is positioned to provide fellows with a large surgical volume.These including transoral robotic surgery (TORS), endoscopic laryngeal surgery, endocrine, microvascular reconstruction and skull base surgery.  UPMC’s Department of Otolaryngology excels at multidisciplinary, state-of-the-art management of head and neck cancer and actively includes fellows in that care team.  In this environment, fellows have the opportunity to gain career-enhancing patient care experience in a graduated-responsibility clinical setting. Unique clinical and translational research opportunities are available to fellows. These are funded by NIH research and training grants, including an NCI-funded SPORE.

Eligibility: Applicants must be Board Certified or eligible for certification in Otolaryngology, Plastic Surgery, or General Surgery.  All applicants must be eligible for licensure to practice medicine in the State of Pennsylvania.  The fellowship is a minimum of one year in duration.  Applicants with a potential for a career in academic surgery are preferred.

Fellows’ Duties/Responsibilities: The successful applicant will be appointed as an Instructor in Otolaryngology.  Active participation in weekly tumor board and patient planning conference, as well as all aspects of patient care, is anticipated. Training in advanced oncologic head and neck surgery includes teaching head and neck surgery; participating in advanced oncologic head and neck procedures, including surgery of the cranial base and microvascular reconstruction; and didactic training in the disciplines of radiation oncology and medical oncology.  Currently, the fellow actively participates in a wide variety of surgeries, including cranial base surgery.  Many procedures are undertaken in a multidisciplinary environment, including neurosurgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, and thoracic surgery. The successful applicant must be able to function effectively in a high-volume surgical program with an emphasis on resident training and research. Fellows will have graduated clinical responsibilities and will become proficient in all aspects of head and neck cancer surgery from a new patient visit through survivorship care. A multitude of opportunities for personal growth are available.

Research Opportunities:  Identification of a research project is an essential component of the training program.  All fellows are required to design a prospective clinical trial concept during the fellowship year(s). Laboratory investigation may be pursued in a variety of laboratories affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute or in the Department of Otolaryngology.  Under most circumstances, this would require a commitment to a second year of training.

Supervision, Teaching & Call: The fellow will participate in the teaching of residents throughout their time here. All fellows are expected to take call approximately 6 weeks a year as a member of the faculty in the department.

PAST FELLOWS
Johannes Fagan, MD -Chairman, Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
Bert O’Malley Jr., MD -Professor and Chairman, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Ehab Hanna, MD – Professor and Vice Chairman, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Guy Petruzzelli, MD, PhD – Professor, Mercer University
Jeffrey Bumpous, MD – Professor and Chairman, University of Louisville
Lisa Galati, MD -Associate Professor, Albany Medical College
Kristin Gendron, MD Private practice in St. Paul, MN
Christine Gourin, MD- Professor, Johns Hopkins
Daniel Nuss, MD – Professor and Chairman, LSU Medical School
Karen Pitman, MD -Professor, MD -Medical Director, Milton J Dance Jr. Head and Neck Center, Professor, Johns Hopkins
Alfred Simental, MD -Professor and Chief, Loma Linda University
John Song, MD -Associate Professor, University of Colorado, Denver
Rohan Walvekar, MD – Professor and Mervin L. Trail Endowed Chair in Head and Neck Oncology, LSU Medical School
Stephen Lai, MD, PhD -Professor, MD Anderson Cancer Center
Lee Zimmer, MD -Professor, University of Cincinnati
David Cognetti, MD -Associate Professor & Co-Director -Jefferson Medical College
Brian J. Park, MD -Instructor in Otology and Laryngology, Harvard Medical School
Emiro Caicedo –Granados, MD -Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota
Apostolos Christopoulos, MD -Associate Professor and Chair in Head and Neck Oncology, University of Montreal
Steve C, Lee, MD, PhD -Associate Professor and Vice Chair, Loma Linda University
Alec Vaezi, MD, PhD – Assistant Professor, UMass Medical School
Andrew Tassler, MD, -Assistant Professor, Cornell University
Irene Zhang, MD – McMaster University, Head and Neck Service
Chwee Ming Lim, MD – Assistant Professor, Consultant, National Univ. Health System, Singapore
Vikas Mehta, MD, Assistant Professor, Montefiore Health System
Yekaterina Koshkareva, MD -Assistant Professor, Rowan University
Daniel Clayburgh, MD, PhD – Assistant Professor, Oregon Health & Science University
Nicole Schmitt, MD – Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University
Jessica Maxwell, MD – Assistant Professor, Georgetown
Arun Sharma, MD – Assistant Professor, SIU Medicine
Matthew Geltzeiler, MD – Assistant Professor, Oregon Health & Science University
Meghan Turner, MD – Assistant Professor, West Virginia University