PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Objectives:  The program is designed to provide advanced clinical training in extirpative surgery, complicated salivary/endocrine surgery, microvascular reconstruction, skull base surgery, and transoral robotic/transoral laser endoscopic approaches.  The program also offers intensive research mentoring with the intent to support the development of clinician researchers who are planning an academic career.

Overview:  The head and neck fellowship is divided into major areas, including surgical oncology and microvascular reconstruction, TORS, skull base surgery, radiation oncology, and medical oncology.  The fellow will be exposed to surgical pathology, maxillofacial prosthetics, and speech rehabilitation.

Duties and Responsibilities of Trainees:  During clinical rotations, the fellow will work directly with faculty members in the care of each patient.  The fellow will be responsible for overseeing the initial evaluation and work-up of tumor patients, coordination of multidisciplinary care, and inpatient and outpatient follow-up.  The fellow will function as either operating surgeon or first assistant under the supervision of the appropriate attending physician.  One of the goals of the fellowship is to foster the growth of surgical teaching skills by having the fellow guide the residents in head and neck procedures.  The fellow plays a major teaching role in taking residents through many of the standard procedures (parotidectomy, thyroidectomy, neck dissections and the like) as well as intense surgical experience in advanced cases.  Participation in microvascular reconstruction is a major component of the clinical experience.

The fellow has attending and admitting privileges. He/she will have one half-day independent clinic per week focusing on basic head and neck surgery.  Surgical cases derived from this clinic will be performed independently by the fellow.  The fellow will also oversee the head and neck service, participate in the weekly head and neck multidisciplinary tumor board, and take part in the attending on call rotation.

Research Opportunities:  This training program is intended to foster the fellow’s evolution as a clinician investigator.  As such, clinical research for this year is a major focus.  There is an extensive array of potential research mentors in both basic science and health services research.  The fellow may seek a mentor in any appropriate department at the University.  After identifying a mentor, the fellow is expected to present a formal research plan to the Head and Neck faculty and Department Research Committee.  The Research Committee will continue to critique and monitor the progress of the fellow’s research project. We are in the midst of an R-01 grant focusing on molecular profiles and clinical outcomes of oral cavity cancer as well as varied head and neck clinical research activities.  For more intensive research training, there is an option for a 2-year fellowship with a T32 supported year of research combined with the clinical training year.

Strengths: 

The combined hospitals at the University of Washington comprise approximately 1,200 beds and 500 head and neck cancer admissions per year.  The fellowship is based at UW Medical Center where the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery performs 400+  major head and neck resections per year, including over 120 microvascular reconstructions, skull base surgery (both endoscopic and open), and transoral robotic/laser extirpations.  The fellow is an integral part of the Head & Neck surgical team.

In addition, the Department of Radiation Oncology treats 575 new cancer patients per year and provides exposure to advanced techniques in radiotherapy: IMRT photon, proton, electron, gamma knife, and neutron therapy.  UWMC is home to the only neutron therapy capability in the United States.  This generates a substantial number of referrals for advanced salivary gland cancers.  Coupled with faculty interest in sialoendoscopy, extracapsular dissection, and other advance salivary techniques, the fellowship will include a robust salivary surgery experience.

In conjunction with Medical Oncology, the fellow will be exposed to a variety of chemo-radiation protocols and accruing clinical trials.  With the formation of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (University of Washington Medical Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center), the UW Head & Neck Oncology program is continuing to grow at both a regional and at a national level.

Careers of Former Fellows:

Azeem Kaka, M.D., Faculty, Emory School of Medicine; Otolaryngologist, Emory Healthcare
Richard B. Cannon, M.D., Surgeon, Huntsman Cancer Hospital; Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Utah
Scott Bevans, M.D., Chief of Facial Trauma Surgery, Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, TX
Shannon Poti, M.D., Head & neck surgeon, Kaiser Permanente, Sacramento, CA
Nicole Fowler, M.D., Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Case Western Reserve
Chan (Richard) Park, M.D., Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, UMDNJ/Rutgers
Eric D. LaMarre, M.D., Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Cleveland Clinic
Thomas J. Gernon, M.D., Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Surgery, specializing in head and neck surgery, City of Hope, Los Angeles, CA
Daniel O’Connell, M.D., ssociate Professor, Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, University of Alberta; Fellowship Director – Advanced Head & Neck Oncologic and Microvascular Surgery, University of Alberta
Davud Sirjani, M.D., Associate Professor of Surgery, Head and Neck Surgical Oncologist, Stanford University; Director of the Salivary Program, Stanford Health Care; Chief of Otolaryngology, Palo Alto VA
Michael G. Moore, M.D., Arilla Spence DeVault Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and Director of Head and Neck Surgery, Indiana University School of Medicine
Mark El-Deiry, M.D., Associate Professor, Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, and Director, Head and Neck Oncology Surgery Center, Emory University
Eduardo Méndez, M.D., Professor, Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Washington
Marita S. Teng, M.D., Associate Professor, Otolaryngology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Mark Izzard, M.D., Director, Skin Institute & Auckland Head & Neck Specialists, cancer and reconstructive surgeon, facial plastic surgeon
Thomas J. Gal, M.D., Professor, Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Kentucky
Trad Wadsworth, M.D., Senior Member and Vice Chair, Department of Head and Neck – Endocrine Oncology; Professor, Department of Oncologic Sciences, University of South Florida Morsani College
Douglas B. Villaret, M.D., Otolaryngologist, Head and Neck Surgeon, Charlotte ENT Associates, SC.
Brendan Stack, M.D., Otolaryngologist, Winthrop R. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, University of Arkansas
Shawn D. Newlands, M.D., Ph.D., Professor and Chair, Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, and Professor, Department of Neuroscience (joint), University of Rochester
Marc Coltrera, M.D., Professor, Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Washington