University of Miami Hospitals & Clinics

University of Miami Hospital and Clinics University of Miami Hospital and Clinics/Sylvester  Comprehensive  Cancer Center 1475 NW 12 Avenue, #4027 Miami, FL  33136 (204) 787-8040 Francisco Civantos, MD – Fellowship Director Jason Leibowitz, MD – Fellowship Co-Director Jenine Brophy – Coordinator Phone: (305) 243-6466 Program Website

Number of Fellowships: 2 Duration (in years): 1 year Department Chair:  Fred Telischi, MD Faculty: Francisco Civantos, MD – Professor, Program Director Jason Leibowitz, MD – Associate Professor, Associate Program Director David J. Arnold, MD – Associate Professor Elizabeth Franzmann, MD – Professor Erin Kaye, MD – Assistant Professor Elizabeth Nicolli, MD – Assistant Professor Zoukaa Sargi, MD MPH – Professor Larissa Sweeny, MD – Associate Professor Donald T. Weed, MD – Professor Mario A. Landera, SLP.D. – Assistant Professor, Speech Language Pathology Amanda Demane, SLP Speech Language Pathology

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

Overview: The University of Miami (UM) School of Medicine and Health System includes Jackson Memorial Hospital,  the University of Miami Hospital Tower and Clinics, NCI-designated Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Miami VAMC and offers two Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery Fellowships, which blend an educational program with the responsibilities of a junior faculty physician. Our institution has an ardent dedication to patient care, research, and education. Jackson Memorial Hospital is an accredited, non-profit, tertiary care hospital, serving not only the diverse population of Miami Dade County (nearly three million), but also a hub for the Caribbean, South and Central America making it one of the busiest hospitals in the nation. University of Miami Hospital/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center handles more than 1,300 inpatient admissions annually, performs 3,000 surgical procedures, and treats 3,000 new cancer patients. In addition, UM/Sylvester physicians and scientists are engaged in 150 clinical trials and receive more than $30 million annually in research grants.

Objectives: The Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery Fellowship is a one-year program focused on head and neck oncologic surgery, microvascular free flap reconstruction, and transoral robotic surgery. Two positions are available. Fellows will work jointly to develop expertise in head and neck ablative surgery and local, regional and free flap reconstruction as the foundation surgical training of the fellowship program. High volumes of skull base surgery (open and endoscopic), endocrine surgery, advanced cutaneous cancer surgeries, transoral robotic surgery (TORS) are additional strengths of this program, and the program could be tailored to the fellows’ interest.  A second year for laboratory research is an option.  It is expected that, over the course of the fellowship, the fellow will be well-trained to perform microvascular cases independently.  This is a hands-on intense surgical experience with the potential to function independently with a high surgical volume.  Our goal is to train surgeons who will subsequently take positions at referral centers as tertiary head and neck surgeons.

Duties and Responsibilities of Trainees: Our fellowships are designed to be a hands-on learning experience in the multidisciplinary management of patients with Head and Neck Cancer. Fellows should take an academic approach to patient care, discussing cases with the attending, performing literature review on unusual cases, and in the teaching of other residents and fellows. At least one case should be presented weekly at our Multidisciplinary Tumor Board. For two index cases a year, the fellow should be involved in radiation planning and/or chemotherapeutic dosing and become familiarized with the approach of our colleagues in radiation oncology and medical oncology. During the rotations on both these services, a special focus on these disciplines should occur. Fellows are to attend all didactic sessions pertinent to Head and Neck Surgery including Department of Otolaryngology Grand Rounds, American Head & Neck Society Core Curriculum, Thyroid Conference, and pertinent journal clubs. The fellows will be encouraged to write and published manuscripts. A well-designed IRB-approved research study is expected and required, which will conclude with manuscript publication and oral presentation at the Annual Departmental Chandler Research Meeting.

Academic Positions of Some of Our Recent Fellows:
Tareck Ayad- University of Montreal
Deepak Gurushanthaiah- Head & Neck Microvascular Surgeon, Kaiser Permanente San Francisco
Sandeep Samant- Director of Head & Neck Surgery, Northwestern University, Chicago
Lisa Shnayder- Director of Head and Neck Fellowship, University of Kansas
Gina Jefferson- University of Illinois, Chicago
Miriam O’Leary- Tufts University, Boston
Joseph Curry- Jefferson University, Philadelphia
Joshua Rosenberg- Mt. Sinai Medical Center, New York
Jason Leibowitz, Faculty at University of Miami
Zoukaa Sargi- Faculty at University of Miami
Roger William Farmer, University of West Virginia
Joseph Goodman, Bethesda Naval Hospital
Avi Montravadi, University of Indiana
Katie Fedder, University of Virginia
Stefan Mlot , SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Seo Moon, Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco