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Carissa M. Thomas, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL, United States

Dr. Thomas is a head and neck oncologist specializing in microvascular reconstruction in the UAB Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and she serves as the Director of Head and Neck Microvascular Reconstruction as well as the Director of Clinical Research for the Department of Otolaryngology. She is a surgeon-scientist with research interests that include investigations on an altered oral microbiome that promotes malignant transformation in head and neck cancer, changes in the oral and gut microbiomes that contribute to head and neck cancer-related pain, regulation of PD-L1 expression in the tumor microenvironment by select oral bacteria, the effect of the oral microbiome on tumor associated macrophages and cancer cell metastases, the role of the gut microbiome in head and neck surgical outcomes, and clinical outcomes in microvascular reconstruction. Dr. Thomas earned her PhD and MD as part of the Baylor College of Medicine Medical Scientist Training Program in Houston, Texas. She completed residency in otolaryngology at the University of Colorado in Aurora, CO and fellowship in head and neck surgical oncology and microvascular reconstruction at the University of Toronto, Toronto, ON. Since 2019, she has been awarded several UAB pilot grants, foundation grants from the American Head and Neck Society and the Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation, a catalyst grant from the UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, and serves as the site PI for a large multi-center R01 award looking at predictive biomarkers in oral squamous cell carcinoma. She has published over 40 articles in high impact scientific, specialty, and subspecialty journals, and developed multiple research collaborations within UAB and with institutions across the country.

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