Expanded Roswell Park Head/Neck Center Unites Surgical, Plastic & Reconstructive, Dental Care for Cancer Patients

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Because they affect key organs involved in eating, expression, social interactions and appearance, cancers of the head and neck are especially challenging for patients. Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has one of the largest programs in the Northeast dedicated to providing care for patients with these cancers — and today formally opened an expanded clinical center designed around the treatments, services and supportive care that are helping Roswell Park’s integrated teams to provide optimal care and quality of life for these patients.

Roswell Park today formally reopened its Head & Neck Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Speech Pathology & Dental Center, a 12,600-square-foot outpatient care center now located on the third floor of the cancer center’s main hospital serving patients with all cancers of the head and neck (the thyroid, oral cavity, throat, larynx, nose, sinus cavities and pituitary gland) — as well as a full-body plastic surgery and reconstructive program.

The renovation was funded by generous donations from Ann and Bob Brady, who supported the expanded space for head/neck oncology, maxillofacial prosthetics and plastic and reconstructive surgery, and Bernard Weisbond, who supported dedicated space for oral oncology and dentistry services — all united in a single outpatient center.

“We simply would not have been able to create the center we envisioned without the incredible generosity of Ann and Bob Brady and of Bernie Weisbond,” says Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center President, CEO and M&T Bank Presidential Chair in Leadership Candace S. Johnson, PhD. “They were inspired to support us in creating a welcoming, state-of-the-art clinical center that will support outstanding, integrated care for patients not just with head or neck cancers but for all those who can benefit from plastic and reconstructive surgery or dental care. So many of our patients will benefit from this beautiful new space.”

And thanks to a new collaboration between Roswell Park and the University of Pennsylvania Plastic Surgery Program, trainees from Penn will complete rotations at Roswell Park in this uniquely comprehensive clinical program.

Uniquely comprehensive and integrated services

“Roswell Park was the first center to combine head-and-neck and general plastic surgery specialties into a seamless service,” says Wesley Hicks Jr., MD, FACS, Chair of Head & Neck/Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. “With our state-of-the-art clinical center now completed and our program fully integrated to provide coordinated oncology, surgery, plastic and reconstructive, maxillofacial, dental and speech pathology services, we have a program that is uniquely equipped to support exceptional care and quality of life for cancer patients.”

“Cancer patients have complex oral health needs that are best met through extensive interaction across the full clinical care team,” says Mukund Seshadri, DDS, PhD, Roswell Park Chair of Oral Oncology. “This beautiful new center gives our dental providers the ability to work closely with medical, surgical and radiation oncologists and speech and language pathologists to ensure that our patients get the best care possible. It’s rewarding for all of us, because we see how this collaborative model helps our patients to quickly regain their quality of life following cancer treatment.”

The updated center features a bright, airy design enhanced by significant natural light. The space was carefully redesigned using ergonomic layouts that included a mix of open operatories for efficient utilization of available space and dedicated rooms to provide state-of-the-art oral and maxillofacial prosthetic services under one roof.

“The opportunity to help Roswell Park update their dental center gave me a way to honor my wife of 53 years and give back to the industry that provided me and my family with a living and help one of Western New York’s great institutions, Roswell Park,” says Bernard Weisbond, who spent three decades as a dental-products salesman with accounts across upstate New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio. 

“Roswell Park has done a wonderful job for us, and we believe that it’s an extraordinary asset for the Western New York community,” say Ann and Bob Brady.

New training program

The new collaboration between Roswell Park and the University of Pennsylvania will bring expanded opportunities for plastic surgeons in training. Resident physicians in Penn’s plastic surgery program will have the opportunity to incorporate an elective one-month clinical rotation at Roswell Park into their training.

“I am extremely grateful to Drs. Joseph Serletti, Robert Grant, Risal Djohan and Christine Hsu Rohde, who have been instrumental in shaping and supporting this program, and to our collaborators from the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Program at the University at Buffalo and University at Buffalo Neurosurgery,” notes Dr. Hicks, who has served as Chair for 12 years. “We look forward to many years of productive academic and clinical affiliation.” 

For Media: Click through for b-roll of the newly expanded clinic plus an additional patient interview.  
 

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Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a community united by the drive to eliminate cancer’s grip on humanity by unlocking its secrets through personalized approaches and unleashing the healing power of hope. Founded by Dr. Roswell Park in 1898, it is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. Learn more at www.roswellpark.org, or contact us at 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or ASKRoswell@RoswellPark.org.