Why I Chose Oncology – Dr. Farzad Masroor

When we look in the mirror, it’s all right there—how we communicate and how we process that communication is all centered in the head and neck. Intersections among vital organs are laced throughout this region, making head and neck cancers uniquely challenging.

The critical importance of this work is one thing that drew Farzad Masroor, MD, to become a head and neck surgeon and oncologist at GBMC’s Milton J. Dance Jr., Head and Neck Center.

“I felt I could accompany patients as they go through this journey,” he said. “I can look over them.”

In addition to an Internal Medicine residency, Dr. Masroor received residency training in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center. He then completed a fellowship in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and Microvascular Reconstruction at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

He enjoys the intellectual rigor he has prepared for, as well as the personal challenges.

“Head and neck surgery is very technically demanding,” Dr. Masroor said. “There is a lot of important anatomy.”

Dr. Masroor recognizes the special sensitivity of head and neck patients, whose cancers can have such a personal impact.

“It is the way you interface with the world,” he said. “The center of your existence.”