Ayham Al Afif

MD, MSc, FRCSC
Head and Neck Surgery

Cancers Treated:

Head Neck Larynx Mouth Pharynx Skin Throat Thyroid Parathyroid

Specializing In:

Head and neck surgery Transoral Laser Microsurgery (TLM) Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS) Local and microvascular reconstruction of the head and neck (free flap surgery)

Research Interests:

Surgical outcomes after transoral laser and robotic surgery Surgical management of laryngeal cancer Outcomes and management of thyroid cancer

About Ayham Al Afif

Biography:

Head and Neck Oncology is a complex and rapidly evolving discipline, which captured my interest during medical school and throughout residency. I received comprehensive fellowship training in all facets of head and neck oncologic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I treat all forms of head and neck cancer, with a special interest in transoral surgery, and head and neck reconstruction. I feel very privileged to care for the people of Buffalo and New York.

Positions

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

  • Assistant Professor of Surgery and Oncology
  • Co-Director, Head and Neck Oncology and Reconstruction Fellowship
  • Department of Head and Neck, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Background

Education and Training:

  • 2015 - MD - Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
  • 2011 - MSc - Microbiology and Immunology (Viral Immunology), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Residency:

  • 2020 - Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Fellowship:

  • 2021 - Head and Neck Oncology and Reconstructive Surgery - University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL

Board Certification:

  • 2020 - Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada

Professional Memberships:

  • American Head and Neck Society
  • American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
  • Canadian Society for Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
  • Canadian Medical Association

Honors & Awards:

  • Resident Teacher of the Year, Dalhousie University
  • Charles Ferguson Award in Clinical Research
  • James Hammerling Prize in Otolaryngology
  • Frederick Banting and Charles Best Master's Award - Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR)
  • Canadian Allergy and Immune Diseases Advanced Training Award

Research

Research Overview:

Patient and Tumor Factors Contributing to Distant Metastasis in Well-Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Khan U; Al Afif A; Aldaihani A, MacKay C; Matthew H Rigby MH; Rajaraman M; Imran SA; Bullock MJ; Taylor SM; Trites JRB; Hart RD. J of Otolaryngol - Head & Neck Surg. 2020:49(1):78

Transoral microscopic cautery-assisted laser tonsillectomy/tongue base resection (TOMCAT). Ubayasiri K, Al Afif A, Herruer J, Taylor SM. Clin Otolaryngol. 2019;45(2):304-306

The role of repeat fine needle aspiration in improving diagnostic accuracy in thyroid masses. Allen L, Al Afif A, Rigby MH, Bullock MJ, Trites J, Taylor SM, Hart RD. J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2019; 48:16.

Improving aesthetic outcomes after head and neck reconstruction. Al Afif A, Uys HK, Taylor SM. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2018 Aug;26(4):227-233.

Multifocal papillary thyroid cancer increases the risk of central lymph node metastasis. Al Afif A, Williams BA, Rigby MH, Bullock MJ, Taylor SM, Trites J, Hart RD. Thyroid. 2015 Sep;25(9):1008-12.