Thomas J. Ow

Thomas J. Ow, MD, is Associate Professor, Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and Pathology at Montefiore Einstein. He is also Director, Clinical and Translational Research for the ORL-HNS department and Vice Chair, Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee for the Montefiore Einstein Cancer Center. His clinical focus is on the surgical treatment of tumors in the head and neck region, including those that occur in the mouth, throat, larynx, sinuses, salivary glands and thyroid gland. He also specializes in the surgical treatment of skin cancers that occur on the scalp, face and neck.

After obtaining his Bachelor of Arts in biology in 2000 at Lawrence University, Dr. Ow earned his Doctor of Medicine at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine in 2004. He completed a general surgery internship at Beth Israel Medical Center in 2005, and subsequently completed his residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Montefiore Einstein in 2009. He then completed a research and clinical fellowship in head and neck surgical oncology at the University of Texas from 2009 to 2012. During this time he obtained a Master of Science in biomedical sciences at the University of Texas, Health Science Center. As a faculty member at Montefiore Einstein since 2012, Dr. Ow was both a Paul Calabresi K12 scholar in Oncology Research, and a graduate of the National Institute of Health Clinical and Translational Science Award (NIH-CTSA) sponsored Clinical Research Training Program.

Dr. Ow is both an active head and neck surgical oncologist, and translational investigator. His research is focused on the translation of genetic and molecular determinants in head and neck squamous cell cancer into clinically useful biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Specifically, Dr. Ow is studying factors that contribute to radiation and chemotherapy resistance in this disease, as well as genomic alterations acquired during the process of locoregional recurrence, lymph node spread, and distant metastasis. As a translational scientist, Dr. Ow is involved in active projects studying laboratory models of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), research utilizing patient's tumors, as well as clinical research — both retrospective studies and prospective clinical trials. The ultimate goal of this work is to identify novel ways to improve the survival and functional outcomes among patients with HNSCC. His work has been published in a number of journals, books and review articles. It has also been presented internationally. His research has been supported by several institutional awards, national foundation awards, and the NIH.

Dr. Ow is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology and is a member of numerous professional societies, including the American College of Surgeons, the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS), the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, the Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology Committee (AAO-HNS) and the American Association for Cancer Research. Dr. Ow is currently Treasurer of the New York Head and Neck Society and Vice Chair of the Cutaneous Malignancy Section of the AHNS.