This annual lectureship honors J. Gershon Spector, MD, who served the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery from 1971 to 2015.
2025 Spector Lectureship
The 2025 Spector Lecture in the Biology of Cancer will be given by Patrick Ha, MD, professor and chief of Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) at the University of California, San Francisco. He is also holds the Irwin Mark Jacobs and Joan Klein Jacobs Distinguished Professorship in Head and Neck Surgery.
Ha’s clinical expertise covers the full breadth of head and neck surgery, including a focus on thyroid and parathyroid surgery, as well as endoscopic laser and transoral robotic approaches for throat cancers. His current area of research is focused on the molecular changes occurring in salivary gland adenoid cystic carcinoma, and he has held multiple NIH and foundation grants towards this aim. In addition, he serves on the editorial board of several journals including Head and Neck and Oral Oncology. He has over 100 published journal articles. While at Johns Hopkins, he held the role of associate residency program director and won several teaching awards for his work with medical students and residents.
Date: April 2, 2025, 7:00am CST
Location: Connor Auditorium, 1st Floor, Farrell learning and Teaching Center
Title: “Unraveling the con‘fusion’ around adenoid cystic carcinoma”
A virtual option will be available. To receive the Zoom link, please contact Brian Faddis.
2025 Spector Research Symposium
Enjoy a variety of presentations that highlight the spectrum of head and neck cancer research conducted here at Washington University School of Medicine.
Date: April 2, 9:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Ogura Lecture Hall, 8th Floor Mid Campus Center
A virtual option will be available. To receive the Zoom link, please contact Brian Faddis.
2025 Washington University Head and Neck Cancer Survivorship Symposium
Cancer patients and their families and caregivers are invited to join us for this special presentation by Dr. Ha, followed by a reception and refreshments.
Date: April 2, 1:00 – 3:00pm
Location: Eric P. Newman Education Center, main auditorium
Title: “Recent practice-changing developments in head and neck cancer”
J. Gershon Spector Lecture in the Biology of Cancer
The purpose of this lectureship is to invite nationally and internationally known investigators to serve as lecturers at Washington University. The lecturer should be an accomplished fundamental biologist studying the mechanisms and biology of cancer. Areas of highest interest include molecular mechanisms, biophysics and bioengineering, including nanotechnology. The lectureship should be coordinated with the academic programs of the Siteman Cancer Center in the Department of Otolaryngology.
Spector Lecturers (Established 2017)
- 2024 – Mark A. Varvares, MD
- 2023 – Richard J. Wong, MD
- 2022 – David Hayes, MD
- 2021 – Eben Rosenthal, MD
- 2019 – Cherie-Ann Nathan, MD
- 2018 – James W. Rocco, MD, PhD
- 2017 – John Sunwoo, MD, PhD