RESEARCH | Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery

The Department of Otolaryngology / Head & Neck Surgery has a strong and lasting commitment to improving patient's lives by discovering new ways to treat and prevent diseases affecting our patients. Research within the Department ranges from outcomes-oriented research, to translational "bench to bedside" projects, to basic science discoveries.

The Head and Neck Oncology research program, under the leadership of Cherie-Ann Nathan, MD, FACS at LSUHSC’s Feist-Weiller Cancer Center, is committed to discovering novel treatments for head/neck and skin cancers. Research interests include an NIH funded project studying the role of Fibroblast-Growth Factor Receptor-2 (FGFR2) in the prevention and treatment of squamous cell skin carcinoma, which affects ~200,000 people annually in the United States. This exciting project has led to studies of novel targeted drugs applied as a topical skin cream to treat and prevent skin cancers.

   

The National Cancer Institute has funded translational research in our lab since 2000.

Our work on molecular analysis of surgical margins is recognized nationally and internationally, having pioneered multi-institutional clinical trials using mTOR inhibitors in HNSCC patients with both Wyeth and Novartis. 

   

Nationally recognized as a leader in the field of mTOR inhibitors in Head & Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC), Dr. Nathan has contributed significant data in the form of book chapters, peer-reviewed publications, lectureships, academic presentations, collaborative/multi-institutional studies and clinical trials. For over 25 years, she has mentored numerous medical students and residents, and led a productive research laboratory resulting in many awards and continuous NIH funding.

Other current primary research includes translational studies of mTOR targeted therapies for HNSCC. Dr. Nathan’s lab has exciting results from its own investigator initiated multi-institutional randomized Phase II clinical trial with everolimus (an mTOR inhibitor) as adjuvant therapy for minimal residual disease. The study demonstrated a significant increased two-year progression free survival in a subset of patients with HPV-negative/p53 mutant HNSCC who took oral everolimus. Researchers aim to decipher the underlying mechanisms for AKT/mTOR-mediated inhibition for mutant p53 in Head and Neck cancers.

   

The Research Division of the Department of Otolaryngology / Head & Neck Surgery includes Physician-Scientists, Nurse Practitioners, Basic Scientists, Laboratory Managers, and Support Personnel – all working together to discover new treatments and cures for our patients with these devastating diseases.

   

Badge for Avant-Garde Health ENT All-Stars 2025 with photos of two women and two men in top 5%

 

ALL STAR STATUS!

Named to the elite list of Healthcare Research All-Stars for 2025 by Avant-Garde Health in recognition of the quality and quantity of the research authored and published in 2021-2022. We are among the top 5% publishing leading-edge healthcare research in our field.

   

HEAD & NECK ONCOLOGY RESEARCH GROUP

Dr. Cherie-Ann Nathan photo (woman wearing a doctor's white coat)

Cherie-Ann Nathan MD, FACS
Professor and Chair of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery

Clinical Research

Tara Moore- Medlin, BS
Laboratory Manager & Research Specialist

Srivatsa Surya Vasudevan, MD
Clinical Research Associate

Ellen Lewis, FNP-BC

Basic Science Research

Alok Khandelwal, PhD
Assistant Professor of Research

Priyatosh Nath, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow

Chun (Mia) Li, MD
Research Technician