Advanced Oncologic Head & Neck Surgery & Microvascular Reconstruction Fellowship

Elizabeth Cottrill, MD is an Associate professor of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery who specializes in head and neck endocrine and oncologic surgery. She joined the faculty at Thomas Jefferson in 2017 and sees patients at the main campus in Center City Philadelphia and also at the Jefferson Northeast campus where she serves as the Division Chief of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and as a member of the Medical Executive Committee.

Dr. Cottrill also serves as the Associate Residency Program Director and has a focus on developing both educational and wellness resources for the residents. Her clinical and research focus are on benign and malignant neoplasms of the thyroid and parathyroid and she is the Co-Director of the Jefferson Thyroid & Parathyroid Center. She has numerous peer reviewed publications and book chapters and is a nationally recognized speaker and leader in the field of thyroid surgery and thyroid cancer diagnosis. 

Joseph Curry, MD, FACS is Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Vice Chair for Research. He completed his residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and  fellowship training in head and neck cancer and reconstructive surgery at the University of Miami and is a member of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.  He specializes in head and neck cancer surgery and reconstruction and offers the full range of techniques in cancer surgery and microvascular free flap reconstruction surgery.

In addition to his busy clinical practice, Dr. Curry is the Director of Research in our Department The primary focus of his research is tumor metabolism in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). He has worked extensively on tumor-stroma interactions for the past 8 years and has identified key mediators of metabolic coupling in HNSCC. His research has focused on improving the understanding of metabolic interactions in the microenvironment as a mechanism of tumorigenesis and progression. He recently published an investigator initiated clinical trial using metformin to alter mitochondrial metabolism in HNSCC patients.   He holds many leadership roles at the local, regional and national levels.   He currently has over 90 publications.

Christopher Fundakowski, MD completed his residency in Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Miami, and his fellowship in Head & Neck Surgical Oncology and Microvascular Reconstruction from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Dr. Fundakowski teaches ultrasound both regionally and nationally and is a member of the National Ultrasound Faculty (NUF) with the ACS.  He is also a member of the education committee for the Commission on Cancer (CoC).  He is involved in NIH-funded microbiome research, has edited a textbook on the psychological impact of head and neck cancer, and been awarded teacher of the year.  Dr. Fundakowski is also the lead author of the AHNS consensus guidelines for nerve management in thyroidectomy and a co-author for the international neuromonitoring guidelines for invasive thyroid cancer.  Dr Fundakowski and Dr Cottrill performed the first transoral thyroidectomy in the state of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Fundakowski regularly travels to the Dominican Republic to both lecture and provide head and neck surgery training.  Dr. Fundakowski’s practice and clinical interests include skin cancer and reconstruction, thyroid/parathyroid disorders, and robotic surgery.  Research interests include ultrasound education, telehealth surveillance, and individualized treatment planning using sentinel node and circulating tumor DNA.

Richard Goldman, MD is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and completed internship and residency at Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital/Medical College of Virginia. He then completed fellowship training in Advanced Oncologic Head and Neck Surgery and Microvascular Reconstruction at Thomas Jefferson University as the first fellow in the program. He went on to join the faculty of the University of Kentucky before returning to Jefferson to join the head and neck team in a novel role focusing on inpatient care.

Dr. Goldman is the Inpatient Medical Director for Otolaryngology and has an interest in high acuity and high risk surgery. He is heavily involved in initiatives aimed at improving quality of care, particularly in the inpatient setting. Dr. Goldman is also very involved in educational activities within the department. He serves as the Director of Undergraduate Medical Education for Otolaryngology and leads a variety of simulation and educational programs within the residency and fellowship programs, as well as beyond the department.

Adam Luginbuhl, MD is a Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA. He is the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center Director of the Squamous cell carcinoma Tumor Ecology and Microenvironment working group.

He obtained his undergraduate degree from University of Pennsylvania.  Following this he graduated from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and completed his residency in Otolaryngology at Thomas Jefferson.  He completed his fellowship training in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, Skull Base Surgery and Microvascular Reconstruction at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. 

Dr. Luginbuhl was recently awarded the 2021 Edmund Prince Fowler Thesis Award for Basic Science by the Triologic Society for his animal work mitigating tissue damage during radiation.  His two areas of research involve fibrosis-hypoxia axis and immunooncology.  He has led four multi-institutional investigator-initiated trials, published over 100 peer reviewed articles and has multiple grants supporting these efforts. His surgical practice is focused on surgical oncology, microvascular reconstruction and open skull base surgery.

Arielle Thal, MD joins the Thomas Jefferson University Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery faculty as Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery once she completes her head and neck fellowship at Jefferson this summer.   Dr. Thal earned her medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine in 2017 and subsequently completed her otolaryngology residency training at Montefiore Medicine Center in 2022.  During her residency, Dr. Thal served on the Otolaryngology Quality Assurance Committee at Montefiore.  Dr. Thal has numerous publications to her credit and travels to Guatemala to perform community service.