Jefferson Head and Neck Cancer Surgery

Recent research by Drs. Curry, Krein, Heffelfinger, and Luginbuhl showing orbit-sparing surgery with periorbital free flap reconstruction is feasible in a subset of patients with good functional outcomes. Philips R, Topf MC, Graf A, Krein H, Heffelfinger R, Luginbuhl A, Curry J. Orbital outcomes after orbit-sparing surgery and free flap reconstruction. Oral Oncol. 2019;98:78-84.

Congratulations to Dr. Luginbuhl for having his thesis being accepted by the Triological Society Council! His thesis was also awarded the Edmund Prince Fowler Award, recognizing Excellence in Basic Research. He will be inducted as a Fellow into the Society on April 9.

New Research: Discordant Responses Between Primary Head and Neck Tumors and Nodal Metastases Treated With Neoadjuvant Nivolumab: Correlation of Radiographic and Pathologic Treatment Effect This study demonstrated discordant responses between primary tumor and regional metastatic lymph nodes after brief neoadjuvant preoperative nivolumab therapy in HNSCC. We suggest that this may correlate with variations in local immune response. Moreover, our study demonstrated that neoadjuvant immunotherapy can induce rapid, quantifiable changes in tumor volumes assessed by CT scan.

Congratulations to Dr. Adam Luginbuhl for his appointment to Assistant Program Leader for the Translational Cellular Oncology Program of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center! The program will certainly benefit from Dr. Luginbuhl's expertise and passion for clinical trials!

Spotlight on Dr. Elizabeth Cottrill: Dr. Cottrill completed her residency in Otolaryngology at the University of Pennsylvania. She completed a fellowship in Head and Neck Endocrine and Oncologic Surgery at Penn State Medical Center. Dr. Cottrill’s clinical expertise is in treatment of head and neck cancer, as well as diseases of the thyroid and parathyroid glands. She is an expert in trans-oral robotic surgery and minimally invasive parathyroid surgery. Dr. Cottrill activ...ely participates in the Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association. She also heads the Otolaryngology department’s Wellness Committee. Dr. Cottrill enjoys being active. While in medical school at Vanderbilt, she taught kickboxing 4-5 days a week. These days, she prefers taking hikes with her husband and their two young boys, ages 2 years and 17 weeks.

Dr. Joseph Curry showcased Jefferson’s collective efforts at reconstructing some of the most difficult head and neck defects on the national stage of the North American Skull Base Society conference.

Spotlight on Dr. Joseph Curry. Dr. Curry completed his residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He completed his fellowship training in Head and Neck Cancer and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Miami. Dr Curry is currently the Head and Neck Surgery Division Chief. He specializes in head and neck cancer surgery and reconstruction and offers the full range of techniques in cancer surgery and microvascular free flap re...construction surgery. In addition to his busy clinical practice, Dr. Curry is the Director of Research for our Department. The primary focus of his research is tumor metabolism in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and improving the understanding of metabolic interactions in the microenvironment as a mechanism of tumorigenesis and progression. He currently has over 90 publications. In his free time, Dr. Curry enjoys running local races like the Broad Street Run and the Rocky Run with his wife. He is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and has competed in numerous competitions at the regional and national levels.

On November 13, 2020 we hosted the Inaugural Joint Head and Neck Surgery Conference in conjunction with the University of Miami and the University of Haiti. We enjoyed hearing presentations from guest speakers Dr. Patrick Gilles and Dr. Donald Weed, as well as our very own Drs. Cognetti, Curry, Luginbuhl, Rabinowitz, Goldman, and Selman on various topics including oral cavity and laryngeal cancer, endoscopic sinus surgery, and free flaps. We expect this will be the first of many successful conferences with our three universities.

Last week, Dr. Cottrill spearheaded a virtual Women in Oto mentorship event where she was joined by over 30 of the regions leading otolaryngologists, as they discussed a wide variety of topics! It was an incredible night filled with riveting discussions and we thank all of our guest speakers! Looking forward to the next event in the Spring!

David Caldarella, a patient and friend of our department, has made a generous $50,000 commitment by his cancer foundation to establish the David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation Patient Support Fund. The fund will support head and neck cancer patients at Jefferson who are facing overwhelming financial burdens. SKCC social worker, Lora Rhodes, will help administer requests and distribute funds. Swipe through to see more details. Above is a photo from the check presentation with members of David’s Dream & Believe Cancer Foundation! (L to R): Dr. Cognetti, Michelle Phillip, David Caldarella, Dr. Luginbuhl, Lora Rhodes, Danielle Corso. We thank and celebrate David as he reaches his 10 year anniversary of being cancer-free this week!

Fresh off the press Congratulations to 2019-2020 research fellow Matthew Stewart for publishing in The Laryngoscope under Principal Investigator Dr. Joseph Curry Full Text: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/lary.29094

Dr. William Keane was Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for three decades. His exceptional leadership and service allowed our beloved Department to grow, thrive, and become one of the top programs nationally and internationally. Dr. Keane also expanded our Department’s research through influential publications and clinical trials. We are honored to be a part of the legacy built by Dr. Keane. Dr. Keane retired on June 30, 2020.

Congratulations to last years research fellow, Uche Nwagu, for earning the Ulrich Rodeck MD, PhD Excellence in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Research Award from the 2020 TJU Research Symposium!

Follow our Research Fellowship Instagram and Facebook @jeffotoresearchfellows to learn more about the research we’re doing here at Jefferson Otolaryngology!

The 2020 Annual AAO-HNSF Meeting will be held through a virtual platform this year and Jefferson is pleased to announce great representation. Please see the comments section below for the full schedule of events featuring Jefferson Otolaryngology! We look forward to your attendance! A link to the main AAO meeting page can be found here: https://www.entannualmeeting.org

Check out our research fellowship page!

We saw some of you have been checking in lately and excited to have you here. We are revamping and will be keeping you updated on events! Thanks for being a part of our community and letting us participate in your care!