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YOUNG INVESTIGATOR COMMITTEE
The Young Investigator Committee seeks to increase participation of young physicians and trainees interested in head and neck cancer in the HNCIG. Additionally, we are responsible for this website, the HNCIG newsletter, and social media presence. We seek to enhance the visibility of the HNCIG and to improve communication within its member organizations. We strive to enhance collaboration with other young investigators groups with a larger goal of establishing a young investigators and trainee research collaborative.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
LACHLAN MCDOWELL
Co-Chair
Dr Lachlan McDowell is a Consultant Radiation Oncologist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. He is the current co-chair of the HNCIG Young Investigators subcommittee and the deputy of the Guidelines and Protocols committee. He also serves as the deputy chair of the Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG) Head and Neck and Skin Cancer working party. He has been an associate section editor of the head and neck section of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics since 2021.
Dr McDowell’s main research interests include clinical outcomes, health-related quality of life and patient-reported outcome measures in head and neck cancers. He is currently enrolled in a Doctor of Philosophy focussed on patient-reported outcome measures, quality of life and sexual health in human papillomavirus-associated (HPV) oropharyngeal cancer. He has successfully published in a number of internationally recognized oncology journals including Cancer, International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics. Radiotherapy and Oncology, Oral Oncology and Head & Neck. He has twice been the recipient of the Victorian and Tasmanian excellence in teaching award (2018, 2020) with honourable mentions in 2016 and 2017.
CHRISTINA HENSON
Co-Chair
Dr. Christina Henson is an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Stephenson Cancer Center (SCC) at the University of Oklahoma, where she serves as the residency program director and chairs the head and neck clinical research disease site group. She is the overall site PI for RTOG Foundation Trials, and SCC has been one of the highest accruing site to NRG/NCTN clinical trials for years running.
Dr. Henson's main research interests include clinical outcomes, mental health and coping, and disparities in head and neck cancer. She currently serves as NRG champion for EA3161, a phase II/III randomized study of maintenance nivolumab versus observation in patients with locally advanced, intermediate risk HPV positive oropharyngeal cancer. She has an actively enrolling investigator-initiated trial evaluating the combination of "QUAD SHOT" radiotherapy and pembrolizumab in patients with recurrent head and neck cancer. She is co-PI or co-investigator on several other trials spanning tissue analysis, gynecologic cancer, mHealth, supportive care, and medical applications of virtual reality platforms.
SUJITH BALIGA
Member
Dr. Sujith Baliga is an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center/ James Cancer Hospital Solove Research Institute, where he currently treats Head & Neck and Pediatric malignancies. He is current co-chair of the Database Committee and a member of the young investigator subcommittee.
Dr. Baliga’s main research interests include clinical outcomes and mental health outcomes in Head and Neck cancer patients, as well as investigating the benefit of proton therapy on long term toxicity in Head & Neck and Pediatric cancer patients. He has published in a number of internationally recognized oncology journals including Neuro-Oncology, International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, JAMA Network Open, Cancers (Basel), and Head & Neck. He is the recipient of the Dan Von Hoff Award for the Most Innovative Protocol at the ASCO-VAIL 2019 Workshop and Winner of 2019 Educator of the Year at The Ohio State University Radiation Oncology program.
NEUS BASTE
Member
Medical Oncology Department
Head and Neck and Thyroid Cancer Unit
Hospital Clinic Barcelona
JAMES BATES
Member
Dr. James Bates is an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. He also works at the Emory Proton Therapy Center and treats a large volume of head and neck cancer patients with proton therapy.
His primary clinical research interests are the de-intensification of treatment for patients with HPV-associated malignancies as well as the long-term side effects of cancer treatment. He has successfully published first author manuscripts in a number of internationally recognized oncology journals including Journal of Clinical Oncology, International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics, Radiotherapy and Oncology, Head & Neck, and Practical Radiation Oncology.
ESTEBAN BRENET
Member
Dr Esteban Brenet is an ENT and head and neck surgeon at the University Hospital of Reims and university clinical assistant at the university of medicine of champagne Ardennes in Reims, France. He is attached to the anatomy laboratory of the Faculty of Medicine of Reims (URCA) and a researcher at the INSERM 1121 laboratory (Health Institute) in Strasbourg, France, where he is completing a doctorate in the physical sciences of biomaterials.
His surgical activity revolves around head and neck cancer surgery, micro-anastomosis free flap reconstruction and robot-assisted minimal-invasive trans-oral surgery.
His in vivo and in vitro research activities are focused on laryngeal rehabilitation via a fully biological artificial larynx by aortic allograft. His work was presented to the National Academy of Medicine in Paris and resulted in the establishment of a clinical trial (GRAAL) of which he is an associate investigator with the Strasbourg team.
His other research activities include mandibular bone reconstruction and regeneration, CT and MRI texture analysis of head and neck tumors.
He is a member of several learned societies in head and neck oncology including the French Network of Expertise in Rare ENT Cancers (REFCOR), the French Society of Cervico-Facial Cancer (SFCCF) and the GETTEC / GORTEC intergroup.
SARAH HAMILTON
Member
Dr. Sarah Hamilton is a Radiation Oncologist at BC Cancer in Vancouver, BC, Canada and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia. She is the Radiation Oncology Residency training program Research Director and is actively involved in the teaching and mentoring of medical students and residents.
Her primary clinical research interests are population based outcomes, treatment related toxicity, and survivorship in head and neck cancer. She is the tumour site lead of the H&N Prospective Outcomes Support Initiative which has collected acute and late patient reported outcomes for over 400 head and neck cancer patients who have undergone radiotherapy at BC Cancer. She is the principal investigator on a BC Cancer Foundation funded patient recall study evaluating the late effects and screening recommendations in adolescent and young adult survivors of H&N cancer.
MIGUEL MAYO
Member
Dr. Miguel Mayo is a Consultant Otorhinolaryngologist – Head and Neck Surgeon at Complexo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña and Head of Department at Hospital San Rafael in Spain. He is a member of the Head and Neck Reconstructive Surgery Working Group and Skull Base Commission of the Sociedad Española de Otorrinolaringología - Cirugía de Cabeza y Cuello (SEORL-CCC) and the current Chair of Endocrine Surgery Research Group of the Young Otorhinolaryngologist - International Federation of Otorhino Laryngological Societies (YO-IFOS). He is a Professor in PREMIR Group and Speech Therapy Degree at Universidade da Coruña (UDC).
Miguel Mayo is specialized in Oncologic Head & Neck Surgery, Endocrine Surgery, Rhinitis and Biostatistics. His PhD studies are based on the rehabilitation of laryngectomized patients, with the focus on improving their quality of life. He is currently creating new minimally invasive and scarless surgical techniques in the head and neck area. He has successfully published in a number of internationally recognized otorhinolaryngological and oncology journals including Oral Oncology, Head & Neck, Laryngoscope, European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology or Clinical Otolaryngology, among others.
PAUL NANKIVELL
Member
Paul Nankivell is a Senior Clinical lecturer in the Institute of cancer and genomic sciences, at the University of Birmingham and a consultant of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery in the department of Otolaryngology, at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. He completed his Doctorate on oral premalignancy before being awarded an NIHR academic clinical lectureship for the completion of his academic clinical training. His clinical practice involves all aspects of head and neck and thyroid surgical oncology, while his academic interests include head and neck premalignancy, as well as translational research into circulating DNA and clinical trials into novel biomarkers in head and neck cancer.
Dr Nankivell has been awarded grant funding from Cancer Research UK and is currently co-chief investigator of an NIHR Programme Grant award to examine a new paradigm in cancer follow-up for patients with head and neck cancer. He is the early cancer theme lead for the Birmingham Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, and a member of the National Cancer Research Institute head and neck group and surgery and localised therapy subgroup. He is the translational study lead for the CRUK funded CompARE trial and an associate editor for Journal of Laryngology and Otology. Dr Nankivell is part of the team at the Institute of Head and Neck Studies and Education and assists in the supervision of doctoral and academic surgical training. He remains committed to trainee-led research having previously chaired and been part of establishing INTEGRATE – the national ENT trainee research network and sits as the academic lead for the West Midlands otolaryngology training programme.
ESMA SAADA-BOUZID
Member
Medical Oncologist, Early Phase trials, Centre Antoine-Lacassagne
MONALI SWAIN
Member
Dr. Monali Swain is working as Associate Professor Head and Neck Radiation Oncology at Tata Memorial Hospital, Tata Memorial Center, India. She had done clinical research fellowship from Princess Margaret Hospital, University of Toronto and successfully completed “MSC1502: Emerging tools in Precision Medicine in Oncology” from University of Toronto.
Dr. Swain’s main research interests include clinical outcomes, quality of life and addressing the unmet needs in adolescent and young adult head and neck cancer patients, stereotactic body radiotherapy in primary non-metastatic and oligo-metastatic head and neck cancer, ocular malignancy and rare tumors of head and neck.
PETR SZTURZ
Member
Petr Szturz is a medical oncologist at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) in Switzerland. After receiving his medical training at the Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia and Medical University of Vienna, Austria he participated in several fellowships organized by ESMO. These included a one-year translational fellowship at the Bichat-Beaujon University Hospital in Paris, France and a Clinical Unit Visit at the Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium, where he met his future mentor, Professor Jan B. Vermorken.
Dr. Szturz collaborated on 120 scientific publications of which on over 60 he was the first author with articles also in the Journal of Clinical Oncology and Lancet. His main research interests concern head and neck cancer, gastrointestinal cancers, and very rare diseases. He has been involved in clinical and translational studies, also participating in editorial work for several journals such as Frontiers in Oncology, Current Oncology, and Cancers. Dr. Szturz was granted the award for the Best fellowship project from ESMO and the Young Investigators' Award from the German, Austrian and Swiss Societies for Hematology and Oncology (DGHO).
ANDREW DAY
Member
Dr. Andrew Day is an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW) and a Eugene P. Frenkel, M.D. Scholar in Clinical Medicine. He is also an Associate Member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center’s (HCSCCC’s) Population Science and Cancer Control Program. He is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Survivorship Panel and the NRG Head and Neck Surgical Subcommittee. He is also co-director of the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Center (Tobacco) Cessation Initiative (C3I) at the HCSCCC.
Dr. Day’s primary research emphases are in head and neck cancer prevention and control. Specifically, he is evaluating gaps in head and neck cancer survivorship care and the secondary prevention of human papillomavirus (HPV)-mediated oropharyngeal cancer (OPC). He has led two prospective, intramural observational cohort pilot studies in these domains. He is currently co-principal investigator for a multicenter, investigator-initiated study evaluating a screening program for HPV-associated cancers in middle-aged men. His secondary research interests include head and neck cancer outcomes, with emphases in HPV+ OPC and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
TAKUMA ONOE
Member
Department of Medical Oncology, Hyogo Cancer Center, Akashi, Japan
VIJAY PATIL
Member
Dr Vijay Patil is a Professor of Medical Oncology at the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai, India. His major field of work includes head and neck, neuro and thoracic oncology. His major areas of interest include neoadjuvant chemotherapy and triple metronomic chemotherapy in head and neck cancers. He is involved in various randomized trials as Principal Investigator and co-investigator. He has contributed to various studies majorly "low-cost oral metronomic chemotherapy versus intravenous cisplatin in patients with recurrent, metastatic, inoperable head and neck carcinoma: an open-label, parallel-group, non-inferiority, randomised, phase 3 trial" and "Phase I/II study of palliative triple metronomic chemotherapy in platinum-refractory/ early-failure oral cancer".
VIJAY PATIL
Member
Dr Vijay Patil is a Professor of Medical Oncology at the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), Mumbai, India. His major field of work includes head and neck, neuro and thoracic oncology. His major areas of interest include neoadjuvant chemotherapy and triple metronomic chemotherapy in head and neck cancers. He is involved in various randomized trials as Principal Investigator and co-investigator. He has contributed to various studies majorly "low-cost oral metronomic chemotherapy versus intravenous cisplatin in patients with recurrent, metastatic, inoperable head and neck carcinoma: an open-label, parallel-group, non-inferiority, randomised, phase 3 trial" and "Phase I/II study of palliative triple metronomic chemotherapy in platinum-refractory/ early-failure oral cancer".
ADITYA SHREENIVAS
Member
Dr. Shreenivas is an assistant professor of medicine, in the division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at the Medical college of Wisconsin(MCW), Milwaukee. He specializes in Head & Neck and Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology.
He did his residency in internal medicine at Bronx Lebanon Medical center, New York and fellowship in Hematology& Oncology at Mt. Sinai Medical Center, Icahn school of Medicine, New York. Dr. Shreenivas also has a master in clinical research from the Icahn school of Medicine, New York. While undergoing his masters and fellowship training in Hematology/Oncology at the Mount Sinai Hospital, he was recognized with the best master’s thesis award in the year 2018.
In addition to providing multidisciplinary care in the fields of Head & Neck and Gastrointestinal cancers, he is actively involved in clinical and translational research. He is currently working on projects that are aimed at improving survivorship care of head and neck cancer patients suffering from chemotherapy and radiation related side effects. One of his projects on management of radiation-induced mucositis pain received funding from the NRG cancer prevention committee. He is also the principal investigator of multiple industry sponsored clinical trials at MCW Cancer Center. Dr. Shreenivas remains committed to a career focused on symptom management, experimental therapeutics and precision medicine.
NATASCHA PUTRI
Member
Dr Natascha Putri is a consultant head & neck surgeon with the Division of Surgery and Surgical Oncology at National Cancer Centre Singapore. She obtained her FRCS qualification in General Surgery and completed her fellowship training with the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Deeply passionate about medical education, she is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Duke-NUS Medical School, and Associate Program Director in SingHealth Residency. Her research interests include Telehealth in Oncology, recurrent nasopharyngeal cancer and locoregionally advanced head & neck cancer, minimally invasive surgery and neural monitoring for thyroid cancer.
PIERLUIGI BONOMO
Member
Dr Pierluigi Bonomo is a radiation oncologist at the Azienda OspedalieroUniversitaria Careggi, University of Florence, Florence – Italy, where he is Head and Neck Cancer Tumor Board coordinator and GI consultant. His main areas of interest are clinical research in head and neck and gastrointestinal cancers focusing on combined personalised chemo-radiation strategies, hypofractionated, high precision radiotherapy and supportive care. He has authored or co-authored over 120 original articles, with a predominant emphasis on head and neck cancer.
SHARON POH
Member
Dr Sharon Poh is a radiation oncologist at the National Cancer Centre, Singapore. She sub-specialises in the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal, hepato-pancreato-billary and head and neck cancers.
In the sphere of head and neck research, her interests include nasopharyngeal carcinoma, HPV positive oropharyngeal carcinoma, as well as health services research; with a number of publications in international peer-reviewed journals.
ANNA LEE
Member
Dr. Anna Lee is an Assistant Professor in the Head and Neck Section of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her research interests include NTCP modeling in the re-irradiation setting, comparative effectiveness research with large databases and issues regarding gender equity in academic medicine. Dr. Lee has co-authored over 80 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. She hopes to better understand how to improve the therapeutic ratio utilizing proton therapy and enjoys developing meaningful relationships with patients while upholding the highest standard of care.
PEDRO DE MARCHI
Member
Dr. Pedro De Marchi is a Medical Oncologist at Oncoclinicas in Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. He is the National Head and Neck Leader at Oncoclinicas, Medical Coordinator of Instituto Oncoclinicas and Director Member of GBCP (Grupo Brasileiro de Câncer de Cabeça e Pescoço). Dr De Marchi's main research interest include clinical outcomes, predictive biomarker of response and toxicity, and public awareness of head and neck cancer. He is involved in various randomized trials as Princial Investigator and co-investigator.
TRISHA WISE-DRAPER
Member
Trisha Wise-Draper, MD, PhD, is a medical oncologist specializing in experimental therapeutics and head and neck cancer. She received her undergraduate degree from Miami University and her medical and graduate degree from the University of Cincinnati. She completed her internal medicine residency and hematology/oncology fellowship also at the University of Cincinnati and is now faculty as associate professor of medicine and medical director of the University of Cincinnati Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office. Dr. Wise-Draper is nationally recognized for her research in the development of innovative cancer therapies by performing translational research in her laboratory on therapy resistance mechanisms and biomarker identification specifically in head and neck cancer and other solid tumors. Her specific interests include novel immunotherapy combinations for head and neck cancer. She is also the recipient of grants from the Department of Defense, American Cancer Society, and NIH. She has developed several investigator-initiated trials in Head and Neck Cancer including a recent window of opportunity study of pembrolizumab neoadjuvantly in resectable disease presented at ASCO 2021. She also serves as PI on several industry studies at her institution. She was named Clinical Trialist of the Year at the University of Cincinnati in 2019 after receiving the Rising Star Award the prior year and has been selected as a Cincinnati Top Doctor every year since 2016. She serves as the Caris Life Sciences Head and Neck Precision Oncology Alliance Chair and is an active member of ASCO, AACR, ESMO, SITC and NRG.
RAHUL LADWA
Member
Dr Rahul Ladwa, is an early career, full-time staff specialist in medical oncology at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane. His undergraduate training was undertaken at the University of Leicester, England where his contribution to the study in oncogenes of the CCN family led to a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in 2007. He trained in medical oncology in Brisbane before undertaking a fellowship at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, where he completed a higher research degree (MPhil) in the field of cancer imaging and theranostics with the University of Queensland. Here he has a conjoint role as a senior lecturer. Dr Ladwa is also a visiting clinical associate professor at the Queensland University of Technology. His interests include head & neck, lung and cutaneous malignancies. He is involved in clinical trials at the Princess Alexandra Hospital across these tumour streams. As a clinician in a tertiary medical oncology unit, he has conducted various phase clinical trials as a principal investigator and attracted significant research funding over $3,000,000 for an investigator sponsored research including the neoadjuvant use of immunotherapy in cutaneous malignancies. As an early career researcher, he has been involved in multi-collaborative research projects gaining funding as a principal investigator leading to multiple first author peer reviewed publications, oral presentations and conference abstracts. Recent collaborations include the study of HPV vaccine in oropharyngeal head and neck cancer, study the tumour microenvironment in cutaneous malignancies as well as cancer fatigue and frailty. He is on the supervisory team of students undergoing higher research degrees at UQ. He has attended national conferences as an invited speaker and chair.
ALEXANDER RÜHLE
Member
Dr Alexander Rühle is a radiation oncology resident at the University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany, and a clinician scientist within the German Research Society-funded IMM-PACT program. After his graduation from medical school at Heidelberg University including stays abroad in Zurich, Basel and Cairns, he received his MD at the German Cancer Research Center in 2019.
His translational research areas concern the radiobiology of mesenchymal stromal cells including their interactions with tumor cells during irradiation, the development and validation of novel biomarkers for head and neck cancer, and the role of tumor hypoxia in head and neck cancer treatment. Dr Rühle’s main clinical research interests include the peculiar characteristics of elderly head and neck cancer patients, in particular regarding the benefit of concomitant chemotherapy in these patients.
He is author of more than 50 peer-reviewed publications and has published first-author manuscripts in several internationally recognized journals including the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics, Radiotherapy and Oncology and Theranostics. He had a scholarship of the German Academic Scholarship Foundation during his medical school and received several prices for his experimental MD thesis, e.g., from the German Society of Radiation Oncology (DEGRO).
Since 2022, he is Chair of the Young DEGRO Trialist Group and coordinates the research activities of this group.
GARY LEWIS
Member
Dr. Gary D. Lewis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) specializing in the treatment of head and neck cancers. He is interested in improving the quality of life of patients undergoing radiation for head and neck cancers and leads several clinical trials at UAMS on this topic. Dr. Lewis has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and also serves as peer reviewer for several internationally recognized oncology journals.
VINODH KUMAR
Member
Dr. Vinodh Kumar Selvaraj, is a former Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology, who is currently pursuing his super-specialty training in Medical Oncology at Madras Medical College, India. He also has a fellowship in palliative care (IPM).
Dr. Vinodh’s research interests include adaptive radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and treatment related toxicities in head & neck cancer patients. He has first author publications in national and international journals. He has served in subcommittees of international cancer organizations and is a recipient of numerous awards such as CIA best outgoing student, ESMO merit award, EACR-WCR bursary award, ICF registration scholarships etc. He has developed a research protocol on adaptive radiotherapy in head & neck cancer in the MOGA-ACORD protocol development workshop 2021.
TIM MALOUFF
Member
Dr. Tim Malouff is an Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma. His clinical focus is on the treatment of head and neck and thoracic malignancies. Dr. Malouff is passionate about exploring ways to better the lives of patients. As such, his research interests include incorporating novel radiotherapeutic techniques in the clinic, such as proton therapy and spatially fractionated radiation therapy, and mitigating treatment-related toxicities. He has co-authored numerous manuscripts and is extensively involved as a peer-reviewer and editor, including editing a textbook on particle therapy.
RUSHA PATEL
Member
Dr. Rusha Patel is an Associate Professor of Head and Neck Microvascular Surgery at the University of Oklahoma - Stephenson Cancer Center. She serves as the medical director of the Head and Neck Cancer Clinic, as well as the Fellowship Director for the Head and Neck Oncologic/Reconstructive Fellowship.
Dr. Patel’s clinical practice involves the full breadth of oncologic surgery and microvascular reconstruction. Dr. Patel is active nationally. She chairs the American Association of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Microvascular Committee, and is a member of the NRG Head and Neck Cancer Committee. Dr. Patel is active in studying patient factors contributing to oncologic outcomes, as well as in promoting education and diversity in head and neck surgery. Her other research interests include outcomes after microvascular reconstruction and targeted therapy for head and neck cancer.
CATHERINE BARNETT
Member
Dr Catherine Barnett is a Head and Neck, Skull Base Surgeon practicing at the Head and Neck and Skull Base Units at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Dr Barnett completed her medical degree at the University of Queensland in 2011. She subsequently completed her specialty training in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery in Melbourne and Brisbane in 2020, followed by a fellowship in Head and Neck/Skull Base Surgery at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, QLD, Australia. Dr Barnett has completed two research higher degrees and her current research interests include T-cell receptor profiling in head and neck cancer, outcomes of advanced sinonasal and skull base tumours and is involved in several clinical trials.
MARCO FERRARI
Member
Dr. Marco Ferrari is an Assistant Professor of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Padua and a Consultant at the Section of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery of the University Hospital of Padua (“Azienda Ospedale Università di Padova”, Padua, Italy). He is also affiliated to the University Health Network (Toronto, Canada) as International Scholar of the Guided Therapeutics Laboratory.
Dr. Ferrari’s main research interests focus on treatment outcomes and prognosis of sinonasal, skull base, salivary, and mucosal head and neck cancers. He has completed a research fellowship in head and neck oncology (University Health Network, Toronto, Canada) and a PhD training program on the use of technologies to improve the margin status in head and neck oncologic ablations (University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy). He has published in a number of internationally acknowledged oncology journals including the European Journal of Cancer, Oral Oncology and Head & Neck. He is member of several societies pertaining head and neck oncology.
RAHIM DHANANI
Member
Dr. Rahim Dhanani is an Assistant Professor in Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery. He has completed his post-graduation training in Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, and received his sub-specialty training in Head & Neck Surgical Oncology from Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Lahore. He is the founding program director of the FCPS ENT residency training at Dr. Ziauddin University Hospital, Karachi. He is also the founding member and general secretary of the Pakistan Head & Neck Society.
He has a special interest in head & neck oncology, reconstructive surgery, and thyroid and parotid gland tumors with multiple publications. His research interests include clinical and quality of life outcomes of head and neck cancers. He has received multiple grants and scholarships from Harvard Medical School, ENT UK, Tarabichi and Stamberger Ear and Sinus Centre, APOST and, the German Society of Otolaryngology & HNS. He aims to create public awareness regarding head & neck cancers and believes that early diagnosis and treatment of these cancers can lead to better treatment outcomes.
GIACOMO FIACCHINI
Member
Dr. Giacomo Fiacchini is a Senior Researcher and Consultant in Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at the "Santa Chiara" University Hospital in Pisa, Italy. He is currently the Head and Neck tumor board coordinator of his institution, and he is in charge of the ENT Residency teaching program.
Dr. Fiacchini's main research interests focus on skull base tumor surgery, head and neck oncology surgery with particular interest in minimally invasive techniques like trans-oral robotic surgery, trans-oral laser microsurgery, and multiportal (trans-oral, trans-nasal, and trans-orbital) combined endoscope-assisted approaches for selected head and neck tumors.
He has successfully published in a number of internationally recognized journals including JAMA Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Oral Oncology, Journal of Neurosurgery, British Journal of Surgery, The Lancet, and Current Opinion in Otolaryngology & Head and Neck Surgery, among others.
GABRIEL ADRIAN
Member
Dr Gabriel Adrian a specialist in oncology based at Skåne University Comprehensive Cancer Center and Lund University in Lund, Sweden. His research interests concern clinical studies of outcome after radiotherapy, with a special interest in fractionation studies, as well as pre-clinical research in FLASH, a novel type of ultra-high dose rate irradiation with promising results for sparing normal tissue.
Dr Adrian is participant in the Swedish head & neck cancer trial group ARTSCAN. He has published in internationally recognized journals, including the International Journal of Oncology*Biology*Physics, Radiotherapy and Oncology, and others.
PRANAV MOHAN
Member
Dr Pranav Mohan Singhal is a third year Mch resident in the Department of Surgical Oncology at the prestigious Sawai Man Singh medical college and attached group of hospitals, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. He did his MBBS from the University College of Medical Sciences and GTB hospital, Delhi University following which he did his Post Graduation in General Surgery from Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi University.
During his residency he has been exposed to a wide variety of Head and neck malignancy cases, especially oral cavity malignancies. He takes a keen interest in learning about various reconstructive options after radical resections performed for oral cavity malignancies and has published papers on FAMM flap and PMMC flap reconstructions for the same.
He was the recipient of the Dr. RN Gupta memorial award for the Best Post Graduate Resident in General Surgery 2019, Maulana Azad Medical College, Delhi University and was awarded the Major General SN Srivastava travelling fellowship by the Rajasthan cancer society to attend the IFHNOS world congress 2023 in Rome, Italy.
MISCHA DE RIDDER
Member
Dr. Mischa de Ridder is an assistant professor of Radiation Oncology at the University Medical Center Utrecht. He received his PhD at the University of Amsterdam in 2017 and finished his residency in 2019 at the Academic Medical Center Amsterdam.
His main research focus is on adaptive radiotherapy for head and neck cancer, MR-guided radiotherapy, use of artificial intelligence in radiation oncology for auto segmentation of tumors, response evaluation and prediction. He is PI of several single and multicenter studies, received several research grants and supervises multiple PhD students. He is an active member of ESTRO, member of the research committee of the Dutch head and neck society and involved in multiple Dutch guideline committees.
REBECCA VENCHIARUTTI
Member
Dr Rebecca Venchiarutti is a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Head and Neck Cancer at the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Sydney, Australia. She is an Honorary Lecturer in Clinical Epidemiology at the Sydney School of Public Health at the University of Sydney where she is actively involved in teaching and supervision of postgraduate students.
Dr Venchiarutti’s main research interests are in access to health care, unwarranted clinical variation, cancer survivorship, and rural health outcomes. She completed a PhD in cancer epidemiology in 2021 focusing on pathways to treatment of people with head and neck cancer in New South Wales, Australia. Dr Venchiarutti has published in several internationally recognised journals including Oral Oncology, Head & Neck, BMC Medicine, and the British Journal of Surgery, and has received over $3,000,000 in research funding from competitive schemes and industry partnerships.
ARJUN SINGH
Member
Dr. Arjun Singh is an Assistant Professor and Surgeon in the Head and Neck Oncology Department at the Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, India. Dr. Singh's main research interests include prevention and screening, clinical outcomes, rehabilitation, and health economics. He is the Principal Investigator in several trials that are both nationally and internationally funded. He is also part of several other trials spanning mobile health, tissue analysis, medical application of artificial intelligence, and developing imaging technology for diagnosis and screening. Dr. Singh is a public health enthusiast actively working in tobacco and areca nut control. He is part of public and private groups that work towards strengthening existing health delivery systems in low- and middle-income countries.
MYRTO MOUTAFI
Member
Dr. Myrto Moutafi is a Medical Oncology fellow in the Oncology Department at the Attikon General Hospital - Medical School, University of Athens, Greece and part of ESMO Young Oncologists Committee (YOC). Her current research focuses on identifying and developing biomarkers of resistance/ response to immune and targeted therapy in in HNSCC in the Molecular Oncology laboratory of Dr Amanda Psyrri. Dr. Moutafi has done her postdoctoral fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. David Rimm in Yale School of Medicine’s Pathology department where she used critical aspects of translational scientific methods and statistics. She also was Communications Committee Coordinator of the Yale Postdoctoral Association (YPA). She has authored several peer-reviewed manuscripts and served as a Review Editor on the Editorial Board of Head and Neck Cancer (specialty section of Frontiers in Oncology).
LAURELIE WISHART
Member
Dr Laurelie Wishart is a conjoint Associate Professor – Health Services Research (Allied Health) between Metro North Hospital & Health Service and the School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia. A speech pathologist by background, Laurelie’s main research interests include understanding acute and chronic survivorship issues for people with cancer (and their families), with a particular focus on head and neck cancers, patient-reported outcomes and teleoncology, and the intersection with allied health and multidisciplinary models of care. She completed her Doctor of Philosophy in 2017, and has since gone on to publish in internationally leading journals including Oral Oncology, Head and Neck and Dysphagia, and is a CI on over $3.5 million in competitively funded projects.
ZSUZSANNA IYIZOBA-EBOZUE
Member
Dr Zsuzsanna Iyizoba-Ebozue is a senior clinical oncology specialty registrar at the Leeds Cancer Center, United Kingdom and fellow of the UK Royal College of Radiologist. She is also working with the Royal College of Radiologist to promote diversity, equality and inclusion in clinical oncology education and research.
Dr Iyizoba-Ebozue’ s main research interests include radiotherapy trials, patient reported outcomes and quality of life in head and neck cancers. She is currently undertaking a Doctor of Philosophy focusing on cognitive outcomes, fatigue, and quality of life following radiotherapy for oropharyngeal cancers. Her work on establishing a UK consensus approach for radiotherapy for sinonasal malignancies informed the UK phase III proton trial PROTIS (PROton versus IMRT for treatment of Sinonasal cancers) and her work on retropharyngeal nodes has been integrated into national radiotherapy recommendations. She has successfully published in several internationally recognized oncology journals.
JOHANNES RIJKEN
Member
Dr. Johannes Rijken is an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at the University Medical Center Utrecht. He completed his Head and Neck surgery fellowship in 2018 at the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam and obtained his Doctor of Philosophy degree in 2020, focusing on SDHB-linked paragangliomas. In 2018, he successfully graduated from the IFHNOS-GOLF exam.
His primary research interests lie in mucosal head and neck cancers, reconstruction techniques, sinonasal cancer, immune system function in head and neck cancer, and head and neck paragangliomas. He is actively involved in several studies as a principal investigator and provides supervision to multiple PhD students. He actively participates in the Dutch head and neck society and contributes his expertise to various Dutch guideline committees.
ANNA LAWLESS
Member
Dr Anna Lawless is a Radiation Oncology Fellow at the Northern Sydney Cancer Centre, Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia, and Clinical Lecturer at the University of Sydney. She is a member of the Trans-Tasman Radiation Oncology Group (TROG) Head and Neck and Skin Cancer working party and the Australia and New Zealand Head & Neck Cancer Society (ANZHNCS).
Dr Lawless is currently enrolled in a PhD through the University of Sydney investigating de-escalation strategies in HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancers and is the principal investigator of a prospective trial utilising FMISO PET to select patients for radiation dose de-escalation. She has successfully published in a number of internationally recognised peer-reviewed oncology journals.
SREERAM M.P.
Member
Dr. Sreeram MP is an Oral and maxillofacial surgeon renowned for his specialization in oral/head and neck oncology. With over a decade of experience, Dr. Sreeram has showcased exceptional proficiency in managing a diverse array of head and neck cancers, including oral cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, and salivary gland cancer. His expertise encompasses advanced surgical techniques such as laser surgery and ablative surgery for locally advanced oral cancer, reflecting his unwavering commitment to delivering evidence-based treatment modalities aimed at enhancing patient outcomes.
Currently serving as a Consultant in the Department of Head and Neck Oncology at Sri Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Bangalore. Dr. Sreeram's dedication to community oncology programs and his active participation in various clinical trials underscore his commitment to advancing medical knowledge and extending quality care to underserved populations.
Beyond his clinical endeavors, Dr. Sreeram is a proactive researcher and clinician, engaging in prospective clinical work focused on pivotal topics such as adjuvant radiotherapy in early-stage oral cancer and the clinical application of fluorescence-guided surgery in head and neck cancer. His research findings, disseminated through national and international platforms, along with numerous peer-reviewed publications, attest to his standing as a thought leader in the field of head and neck oncology. Dr. Sreeram's unwavering dedication to advancing research, coupled with his clinical expertise and commitment to patient-centric care, firmly establishes him as a distinguished contributor to the field.