This special series on “Improved Quality of Life after Thyroid Surgery” is guest-edited by Dr. Vaninder K. Dhillon and Dr. Elizabeth Cottrill.
Vaninder K. Dhillon, MD
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Endocrine Surgery, Johns Hopkins University, Bethesda, MD, USA
Dr. Dhillon is an assistant professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, specializing in adults. Dr. Dhillon is board-certified in Otolaryngology by the American Board of Otolaryngology. She practices out of Johns Hopkins Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Dhillon is also affiliated with Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Dhillon is dual fellowship trained and has an expertise in thyroid and parathyroid surgery for benign and malignant lesions, as well as laryngology which includes voice and swallowing disorders. She has a clinical interest in laryngeal outcomes after thyroid and parathyroid surgery. She is also evaluating the role of office-based treatment on vocal fold paralysis and neurogenic cough, as well as neurogenic recovery of vocal fold paralysis. When she's not working, she enjoys spending time with her daughter and husband, and cooking, running and writing.
Elizabeth Cottrill, MD, FACS
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Dr. Cottrill is an Associate Professor of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Jefferson Health in Philadelphia, PA. She serves as Associate Residency Program Director and Co-Director of the Jefferson Thyroid and Parathyroid Center. Dr. Cottrill is affiliated with the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and is a member of the multidisciplinary Head and Neck Surgical Oncology team where both her clinical and research endeavors focus on cancers of the head and neck with a focus on advanced and aggressive thyroid cancers. She is an active member of the American Thyroid Association and serves on the Surgical Affairs Committee. She is also an active member of the American Head and Neck Society and has served on multiple committees including currently the Endocrine Section and the Ethics and Professionalism committee. Dr. Cottrill is active in the local ThyCa chapters and efforts to bring head and neck cancer screening into underserved communities in Philadelphia. When she is not at the hospital, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two kids, especially exploring the outdoors.
Series Outline:
- Thyroid hormone supplementation ‘how will I feel with my thyroid out’
- Having a support group- what it means to be a thyroid cancer survivor (ThyCa)
- Radiofrequency ablation over having surgery
- Quality of life after minimally invasive (scarless) thyroid surgery
- Post operative expectations, immediate, short term and long term- pain, how will I feel, scar revision
- Supporting our patients- how to facilitate improved communication/patient satisfaction in daily practice
- Laryngeal function after thyroid surgery—symptoms related to voice, swallow, breathing and in between
- Hypocalcemia- what is it really like to be calcium dependent?
- Preoperative decision making- the beginning of an aid
Disclosure:
The series “Improved Quality of Life after Thyroid Surgery” was commissioned by the editorial office, Annals of Thyroid without any sponsorship or funding. Dr. Vaninder K. Dhillon and Dr. Elizabeth Cottrill are serving as the unpaid Guest Editors for the series.
