Newly Appointed Interim Chair of Head & Neck Surgery

Dear Colleagues, 

We are pleased to announce that Dinesh Chhetri, MD, will serve as the Interim Chair of the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM) and Executive Medical Director for Head and Neck Surgery for the UCLA Health System effective September 1, 2025. 

Dr. Chhetri is a distinguished physician-scientist and educator whose career has been marked by academic excellence, clinical innovation, and a strong commitment to service. He graduated magna cum laude with honors in Biochemistry from Brown University and earned his MD from UCLA, graduating with distinction for his thesis on laryngeal reinnervation. He completed both his residency in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and his Fellowship in Laryngology at UCLA.

Currently, Dr. Chhetri serves as Professor of Head and Neck Surgery and holds the Kamal A. Batniji, M.D., Chair in Humanitarian Care and Innovation in Laryngology and Head and Neck Surgery. For the past seven years, he has served as Vice Chair of Clinical Operations, during which time the department experienced substantial growth in clinical productivity and service expansion both at UCLA’s main campus and in affiliated community clinics. He has also held other key leadership roles, including co-Chair for Quality Improvement and co-lead for Inclusive Excellence initiatives within the department.

Dr. Chhetri’s research spans the fields of laryngeal physiology, neurolaryngology, and swallowing disorders. He directs the Laryngeal Physiology Laboratory at UCLA, which has received continuous NIH R01 funding to study neuromuscular control of the larynx for 12 years. His work has also been supported by multiple grants addressing vocal fold scarring, laryngeal reinnervation, HPV-related head and neck cancer, and cancer survivorship. He has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and authored a book on swallowing disorders.

He is an active member of numerous professional societies, including the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, American College of Surgeons, American Head and Neck Society, American Laryngological Association (ALA), and the Triological Society. He recently served as President of the ALA and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Triological Society Western Section.

A passionate advocate for global health, Dr. Chhetri has led and participated in numerous long-term international medical education and training initiatives over the past two decades, with sustained efforts in Nepal, India, Guatemala, Tanzania, and the Middle East.

We thank Dr. Maie St. John for her outstanding leadership and service as Department Chair at UCLA for 8 years. We also thank the search committee members, whose names are listed below, for their dedication and commitment to the search process.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Chhetri as our Interim Chair of the Department of Head and Neck Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA (DGSOM) and Executive Medical Director for Head and Neck Surgery for the UCLA Health System. 

John C. Mazziotta, MD, PhD

CEO, UCLA Health

Vice Chancellor, UCLA Health Sciences

Johnese Spisso, MPA

President, UCLA Health

CEO, UCLA Hospital System

Associate Vice Chancellor, UCLA Health Sciences

Steven M. Dubinett, MD

Dean, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

Associate Vice Chancellor, UCLA

Interim Chair of Head & Neck Surgery Search Committee: 

• Maxime Cannesson, MD, PhD (search committee co-chair): Professor and Chair, Ronald L. Katz Chair, Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine
• Linda Liau, MD, PhD, MBA (search committee co-chair): Professor and W. Eugene Stern Endowed Chair; Chair & Executive Medical Director, Department of Neurosurgery; Director, UCLA Brain Tumor SPORE
• Jeff Butler, MHA: Chief of Operations, Community Clinic Network
• Timothy Cloughesy, MD: Distinguished Professor of Neurology; Director, UCLA Neurooncology Program
• Timothy Donahue, MD: Professor and Chief, Division of Surgical Oncology; Vice Chair, Cancer Care; Garry Shandling Chair in Pancreatic Surgery; Medical Director, Cancer Services
• John Go, MD, FACR, FASSR: Professor of Radiology; Director of Head and Neck Imaging, Neuroradiology Division
• Eric Kezirian, MD, MPH: Professor-in-Residence, Department of Head and Neck Surgery
• Ashley Kita, MD, FACS: Assistant Professor-in-Residence, Department of Head and Neck Surgery
• Drew Moghanaki, MD, MPH: Professor and Chief of Thoracic Oncology, Department of Radiation Oncology; Stanley Iezman and Nancy Stark Endowed Chair in Thoracic Radiation Oncology Research; Co-Director, VA Greater Los Angeles Lung Precision Oncology Program
• Karen Nielsen, MD, MPH: Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatrics Infectious Diseases; Interim Associate Vice-Chair for Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics; Co-Director, Children’s Discovery and Innovation Institute (CDI)
• Dipti Sajed, MD, PhD: Health Sciences Clinical Associate Professor; Director, Head and Neck Pathology; Vice Chair, Postgraduate Clinical Education, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine