Andrew Day, M.D.

Andrew Day, M.D.

  • Eugene P. Frenkel, M.D. Scholar in Clinical Medicine
  • Otolaryngology
  • Head & Neck Cancers
  • Surgical Treatment of Head & Neck Cancers

Biography

Andrew T. Day, M.D., M.P.H., is an Associate Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He is also a member of the Population Science and Cancer Control program at the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr. Day earned his medical degree at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Following his residency in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine, he received advanced training in Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery and Microvascular Reconstruction at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He then earned a Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

His clinical interests primarily include the management of benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck. He has specific expertise in complex ablative surgery, transoral laser microsurgery (TLM), transoral robotic surgery (TORS), reconstructive surgery, skin cancer and melanoma management, sentinel lymph node biopsy, open and minimally-invasive salivary gland surgery, and thyroid and parathyroid surgery.

Dr. Day is a national leader in the fields of head and neck cancer, cancer survivorship, and cancer prevention. He is the Vice Chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Survivorship Panel. He co-led the Cancer Center (Tobacco) Cessation Initiative at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), which was a National Cancer Institute Cancer Moonshot program. He is also serves on committees of the NRG, American Head and Neck Society (AHNS), and Head and Neck Cancer International Group (HNCIG).

Dr. Day also conducts research to screen for head and neck cancer and reduce the burden of head and neck cancer in survivors. He and his colleagues have been awarded grants from the National Cancer Institute, Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas, and the American Cancer Society. In his current projects, he is developing a head and neck cancer care pathway, testing a cancer coaching intervention, and screening middle-aged men for HPV-mediated cancers.

Dr. Day has authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications. He serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for Oral Oncology, Head Neck, and JAMA Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

Meet Dr. Day

Life after a head and neck cancer diagnosis is hard enough. Struggling to navigate head and neck cancer care after a diagnosis can make life even harder. The head and neck cancer team at UT Southwestern wants to help patients avoid this experience.

“We partner with patients in their journey towards long-term head and neck cancer survivorship,” says Andrew T. Day, M.D., M.P.H., a head and neck cancer and reconstructive surgeon at UT Southwestern.

There are often multiple treatment options for patients with head and neck cancer, and each option has a unique side-effect profile with different risks and benefits. “This decision-making process can be confusing and challenging for patients, especially because sometimes there isn’t a ‘right’ answer,” says Dr. Day. “We provide patients with the best available evidence and support them in their decision-making process. We want to empower patients to make the best treatment choice for them.”

At UT Southwestern, patients receive advanced, multidisciplinary head and neck cancer care. The team includes seven fellowship-trained head and neck cancer and reconstructive surgeons, three radiation oncologists, and two medical oncologists, as well as other facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons, pathologists, neuroradiologists, dentists, speech and language pathologists, nurse specialists, nurse navigators, dietitians, clinical trialists, clinical and basic science researchers, and administrative staff.

“We’ve all dedicated our careers to help patients with head and neck cancer. Everyone contributes and we work together. We’re proud of what we have here.” Each patient is discussed at the multidisciplinary tumor board where everyone has an opportunity to provide input. “Then we share the results of the discussion with our patients,” says Dr. Day.

The head and neck cancer team at UT Southwestern is also at the cutting edge of clinical care and research. “In the last fifteen years, head and neck cancer care in the U.S. has evolved significantly,” says Dr. Day.

Different types of head and neck cancer were discovered. Transoral robotic surgery was pioneered and popularized. The concept of treatment “de-intensification” is now widely studied. Additionally, immunotherapy has recently been shown to prolong survival in select head and neck cancer patients.

“Members of our group have been at the frontline of many of these advances," Dr. Day says. "We fail our patients if we don’t provide access to the best available treatments in surgery, radiation, medical oncology, and immunology.”

In addition to traditional cancer resections and other head and neck procedures, Dr. Day performs minimally-invasive transoral laser microsurgery and transoral robotic surgery.  He also performs complex reconstructive surgery for patients with head and neck cancer defects. His research focuses on health outcomes of head and neck cancer patients, early detection of head and neck cancer, and improving quality of life and survival in head and neck cancer survivors.

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Education & Training
  • Medical School - University of Minnesota (2006-2010)
  • Residency - Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine (2010-2015), Otolaryngology
  • Graduate School - Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2016-2017), Public Health
  • Fellowship - Johns Hopkins Hospital (2015-2017), Head & Neck Oncology & Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery
Professional Associations & Affiliations
  • National Cancer Center Network (NCCN) Survivorship Panel, Vice Chair
  • NRG Head and Neck Surgical Subcommittee, Member
  • National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Center [Tobacco] Cessation Initiative (C3I), Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, Project Co-Director
  • Head and Neck Cancer International Group (HNCIG), Young Investigators Subcommittee
Honors & Awards
  • Texas Monthly Super Doctors, Rising Star 2021
  • UT – Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists (UT-FOCUS) Awardee 2021
  • Texas Monthly Super Doctors, Rising Star 2020
  • Texas Monthly Super Doctors, Rising Star 2019
  • Eugene P. Frenkel, M.D. Scholar in Clinical Medicine 2019
Books & Publications
Research
  • Head and Neck Cancer Survivorship
  • Head and Neck Cancer Outcomes
  • Early Detection of HPV-mediated Oropharyngeal Cancer

Clinical Focus

  • Head & Neck Cancers
  • Surgical Treatment of Head & Neck Cancers
  • Surgical Treatment of Benign Head & Neck Conditions
  • Skull Base Surgery
  • Surgery for Skin Cancer
  • Skin Cancer Reconstruction
  • Head & Neck Reconstructive Surgery
  • Sarcoma
  • Parathyroid & Thyroid Cancers
  • Parathyroid & Thyroid Conditions
  • Salivary Gland Cancers
  • Salivary Gland Disorders

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Q&A by Dr. Day