What is your role in the Department of Otolaryngology?
I am the current clinical fellow in the specialty area of head and neck surgical oncology and microvascular reconstruction.
What most attracted you to a fellowship at Washington University?
I was most attracted to WashU by the volume of cases done here and more importantly the variety of head and neck cases. There is a wide range of ablative and reconstructive surgery conducted here, and the surgeries are done in a variety of ways by different attendings. I feel I have had an incredible breadth of exposure to head and neck surgery this year.
What do you like best about your work here?
I really enjoy being able to interact with patients and accompany them through surgery and their early recovery process. I look forward to treating patients of my own in the near future and being able to partner with them during treatment of their cancer.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I have a beautiful wife named Kaitlynn and two young children – Paxton, four and Annie, one. I spend all the time I can get with them. We have really enjoyed all of the parks that St. Louis has to offer. We try to spend time outdoors as often as we can.
Do you have a favorite movie or book?
I am a big Star Wars fan, except for the most recent three which I mostly just tolerate. Each of those had a different director, and I was disappointed in how the story developed kind of randomly. That’s my unprofessional opinion of course!
Is there something about Burton Wood that would surprise your colleagues?
I play several musical instruments including guitar, and I have performed with a Country Music Association (CMA) award winner – before he was a household name. [Country music artist] Thomas Rhett was a year or two behind me in our undergraduate days at Lipscomb University in Nashville. We played a handful of shows at school and also played in a couple bars before he became a household name.
What’s next for Burton Wood?
I will be joining the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Department of Otolaryngology as an Assistant Professor of Head and Neck Surgery.