Head & Neck Surgery and Microvascular Reconstruction Fellowship

Fellowship training in this program is under Drs. G. E. Ghali, D. David Kim, Brett Shirley, Andrew Meram, Stavan Patel and Fawaz Alotaibi, all of whom are well-respected and accomplished fellowship-trained head and neck surgeons with expertise in all aspects of head and neck surgery and microvascular reconstruction. Training is conducted at both the Academic Medical Center at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport and the various Willis-Knighton Health System facilities. The Academic Medical Center is a tertiary hospital with approximately 430 beds, and the Willis-Knighton Health System is a tertiary health care system with multiple hospital locations. The patient accruement area includes all of northwest Louisiana, southwest Arkansas and east Texas. Approximately 700 head and neck oncology patient visits are recorded each year. All patients are presented prospectively and retrospectively at the multidisciplinary Head and Neck Oncology Tumor Board to obtain a consensus opinion on treatment.

On completion of their fellowship training, the fellows will have developed a comprehensive understanding of the diagnosis and management of patients with malignant and benign lesions involving the head and neck region. Another focus of the program is in the understanding of the various appropriate methods of reconstruction and rehabilitation used in the management of these patients that include local and regional flaps as well as distant microvascular free tissue transfer. Additionally, the department is the sole provider of soft-tissue coverage for the Orthopedic Surgery department as well as occasional soft-tissue coverage for Trauma Surgery, Vascular Surgery, and Neurosurgery/Spine Surgery. The fellows are expected to participate in all aspects of these multi-disciplinary flap cases. In order to fulfill all of these goals, fellowship training is clinically focused. Fellows are expected to be involved not only in the surgical treatment of these patients but also in their daily and long-term management.
 

This Fellowship is a fully-accredited CODA comprehensive two-year fellowship encompassing a full spectrum of Head & Neck Surgery with interdisciplinary management and microvascular reconstruction.

Clinical focus includes:

  • Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery
  • Endocrine Surgery
  • Local & Regional Flap Reconstruction
  • Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery
  • Trans-Oral Robotic Surgery
  • Management of skin cancers
  • Extremity Soft-Tissue Coverage

Fellowship Requirements

Admission to the Fellowship is contingent upon completion of a CODA-accredited residency in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. 

Application process:
All prospective candidates must submit the following documents to be considered for the fellowship program:

  • A letter of intent
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Two letters of recommendation

A personal interview with the chairman and fellowship director will be extended to all qualified candidates, a requirement for consideration. Fellows are required to obtain a medical and dental license in the state of Louisiana. The fellowship participates in AACMFS-MORS match.
 

Mail all required materials to:

LSU Health Shreveport
Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Attn: Dr. D. David Kim, DMD, MD, FACS
PO Box 33932, Room 530
Shreveport, LA. 71130-3932

Phone: (318) 675-6036
Email: codi.carpenter@lsuhs.edu

Surgical Skills Lab

The surgical skills laboratory serves as a teaching tool for medical students, residents, faculty, and practicing surgeons of all subspecialty fields.  The lab provides a setting in which learners of all levels may practice and hone their surgical skills.  Using cadaveric specimens allow participants a relaxed setting to strengthen their anatomic knowledge without putting actual patients at risk.

 

Why Train in Shreveport, Louisiana?

Head and Neck Fellowship

Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery