Steven J. Wang, MD

Chair, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
Director, Head / Neck Oncology Program
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Professor, Otolaryngology
Team Leader, Disease - Head / Neck Oncology

Steven J. Wang, MD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson. He is a surgeon with clinical expertise in head and neck cancer surgery, oral cavity and oropharynx malignancies, transoral robotic surgery, surgery for melanoma and advanced skin cancers of the head and neck, salivary gland tumors, benign and malignant thyroid lesions, and parathyroid surgery. 

Dr. Wang graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University and received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. He completed his Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery residency at the University of California, Los Angeles, followed by a Head and Neck Oncologic and Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery fellowship at the University of Michigan. 

Prior to coming to the University of Arizona, Dr. Wang was a Professor in Residence in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco.  At UCSF, he established and directed the first transoral robotic surgery program and was program director of the Advanced Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery Fellowship. Dr. Wang is currently Chair of the Robotic Surgery Committee for Banner – University Medical Center Tucson.

Dr. Wang has co-authored 85 peer reviewed articles and 10 book chapters or textbooks. He was recipient of the prestigious Mosher Award for Excellence of Clinical Research Thesis from the Triological Society in 2009.  A frequently invited speaker, Dr. Wang has given more than 110 presentations at medical conferences and academic institutions throughout the United States, Asia, and Europe.

Dr. Wang is a fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American Head and Neck Society, the Triological Society, the American College of Surgeons, and a member of the Society of University Otolaryngologists (SUO).  In 2018, he served as Chair of the Audit Committee for SUO.  In 2021, Dr. Wang was elected Chair of the Skin Cancer and Melanoma Section of the American Head and Neck Society.

Research Interests

Dr. Wang has expertise conducting clinical and translational research studies of head and neck cancers, including HPV-related head and neck cancer, transoral robotic surgery, and quality of life outcomes after head and neck cancer treatment. He was PI of a multi-year VA-funded grant to study the role of CD44 receptors in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma progression and chemotherapy resistance.  At UCSF, Dr. Wang was the principal investigator of an NIH-funded prospective study of the role of HPV in head and neck cancer. He is currently the Disease Team Co-Leader of the Head and Neck Oncology Program at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, which oversees multiple clinical research trials for head and neck cancer patients.

Education and Training

Degrees:
MD: Harvard Medical School, Boston, 1995
Internship:
University of California, Los Angeles, General Surgery, 1996 - 1997
Residency:
University of California, Los Angeles, Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, 1997 - 2001
Fellowship:
University of Michigan, Head & Neck Oncologic & Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery, 2001 - 2003
Board Certification(s):
American Board of Otolaryngology, 2002
Honors and Awards:
  • Distinguished Service Award, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 2015
  • Honor Award, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, 2009
  • Mosher Award for Excellence of Clinical Research Thesis, Triological Society, 2009
  • Roger Boles, MD, Award for Excellence in Clinical Faculty Teaching, 2008
  • Top Doctors, San Francisco Magazine and Marin Magazine, 2010 - 2016
  • Top Doctors, Tucson Lifestyle Magazine, 2017 - 2021
  • Top Cancer Doctor, Castle Connolly Medical Ltd.

Publications

2023

2022

2021

O'Leary, M. A., and S. J. Wang, "Epidemiology and Prevention of Cutaneous Cancer.", Otolaryngol Clin North Am, vol. 54, issue 2, pp. 247-257, 2021 Apr. PMID: 33743885

2020

2019

2018

2017

Bearelly, S., S. J. Wang, and S. W. Cheung, "Oral sensory dysfunction following radiotherapy.", Laryngoscope, vol. 127, issue 10, pp. 2282-2286, 2017 Oct. PMID: 28397276
Naunheim, M., X. Wu, W. R. Ryan, S. J. Wang, and C. M. Heaton, "Volumetric Growth Rate of Recurrent Pleomorphic Adenoma.", Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol, vol. 126, issue 7, pp. 544-547, 2017 Jul. PMID: 28604082