Welcome to the Research and Education Foundation
of the American Head and Neck Society

What is the Research and Education Foundation of the American Head and Neck Society?

The Research and Education Foundation of the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) is working to:

  • Encourage and fund science and clinical research in head and neck oncology
  • Support and fund individuals and institutions in the development of educational programs or materials in head and neck cancer
  • § Support educational endeavors that improve knowledge, techniques, and skills of practitioners devoted to the care of head and neck cancer patients

The Foundation is the only organization dedicated to treating and curing head and neck cancer. As such, it is a significant force in the fight against head and neck cancer. Our efforts are promising and we have made headway because of the support we receive from AHNS members, individuals affected by head and neck cancer either personally or through a loved one, corporations, and foundations. However, so long as head and neck cancer exists, we must continue our efforts in research, education and treatment. There is more work to be done and we need your help. Please consider a donation today.

The Foundation extends special recognition to our Centurion Club members, supporting the Foundation with gifts of $1,000 or more annually.

Elliot Abemayor
Carol Bradford
Chin-Yen Chien
Daniel Deschler
David Eisele
Robert Ferris
Gerry Funk
Douglas  Girad
David Goldenberg
Keith Heller
Henry N. Ho
Jonas Johnson

William Keane
Greg Kempl
Pierre Lavertu
Ellie Maghami
Eugene Myers
Cherie-Ann Nathan
John O'Brien
Bert O'Malley
Lester Peters
Edmund Pribitkin
John Ridge
James Rocco

Jatin Shah
Theodoros Teknos
David Terris
Marilene Wang
Mark Wax
Randal Weber
William Wei
Ernest Weymuller
Gregory Wolf
Bevan Yueh

List current as of 5/31/11

Will you be a Centurion?

The Research and Education Foundation of the American Head and Neck Society is excited to launch a new campaign designed to both recognize and honor our generous donors while building our financial corpus in order to increase funding for education and research of head and neck cancer. 

Formal invitations to join the Centurion Club were mailed to all AHNS members.  If you did not receive yours, please click here to view the invitation and response card.  You may mail response cards to the AHNS executive offices.  The Foundation invites all AHNS members to join by committing to annual donations of $1,000 or more.  For this level of generosity, supporters with gifts of $1,000 or more are automatically enrolled in the Centurion Club. 

The Centurion Club will strive to bring recognition and privileges to our esteemed members.  Such plans as a Centurion Club member only lounge at AHNS Annual Meetings, donor ribbons and fast-tracked meeting registration opportunities are in the works.  In return, the Foundation will use Centurion Club member donations to build our corpus in reaching a financial goal of $3 million.  With such a reserve, the Foundation will be able to fully fund all grant and education efforts of the AHNS, while also hoping to expand these opportunities in the future.

All who join in 2011 will be founding members of the Centurion Club.  Don't miss this opportunity to be a part of the legacy:  Please support the Foundation in a visible way and commit to be a Centurion.

Dr. Eric Moore, Chris O'Brien Traveling Fellow Award Recipient,
Shares His Experience

Dr. MooreChris O’Brien placed his unique touch on the Australian and worldwide head and neck communities in many ways.  He founded and grew the Sydney Head and Neck Cancer Institute, he envisioned and planned the multidisciplinary Lifehouse, which will provide cancer treatment and cancer research at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPA), and he founded and fostered a multidisciplinary Australia/New Zealand Head and Neck Society (ANZHNS).  In his life, both personal and professional, Chris O’Brien was able to affect and touch many people.
 
Chris O’Brien’s close physician friends, together with his family, sought a way to continue to foster the close relationships and collegiality between the ANZHNS members and the AHNS (American Head and Neck Society) members that Chris had initiated.  With great foresight, they established the Chris O’Brien traveling fellowship.  The stated purpose of the fellowship is to “encourage international exchange of information and to foster professional and academic collaborations and friendships.”

In summer 2010 I was the fortunate recipient of the Chris O'Brien traveling fellowship award.  As the first American participant in this endeavor, I relied on some worthwhile guidance of the first Australian recipient of the award: Carsten Palme of Sydney, Australia.  I also contacted Gail O’Brien for some insight into where I might visit.  Dr. Robert Smee and Dr. Swee Tan, the current and former presidents of the ANZHNS, were also very helpful in designing an itinerary and list of hospitals to visit.
Please click here to read an account of my travels.

In Memory of Dr. Chris O’Brien,
The Chris O’Brien International Lecture and Traveling Scholar AwardChris O'Brien

In 2008 the American Head and Neck Society and the Australia/New Zealand Head and Neck Society established the Chris O’Brien Fund in a joint effort in order to honor Dr. Chris O’Brien.  Dr. O’Brien, founder of the Sydney (Australia) Head and Neck Cancer Institute and active member of both societies, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2007.  After a valiant battle against the cancer, Dr. O’Brien passed away in early June 2009. He did, however, live to see the first recipient of the Chris O’Brien International Lecture and Traveling Scholar Award named.

The Chris O’Brien Fund will support a lecture in memory of Dr. O’Brien at the International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer held every four years and additionally will support the Chris O’Brien Traveling Scholar Award which allows for a young head and neck surgeon to visit the United States or Australia/New Zealand in order to further their education.  The first Chris O’Brien International Lecture and Traveling Scholar Award recipient, Dr. Carsten Palme of Australia, received the award at the AHNS 2009 Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. 

To make a contribution to the Chris O’Brien fund in memory of Dr. O’Brien, please click here.