Dr. Zevallos became Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology in August 2022. He was previously Division Chief of Head and Neck Surgery and the Joseph B. Kimbrough Endowed Professor of Head and Neck Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO.
Dr. Zevallos’ clinical interests include the management of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, salivary gland tumors, thyroid and parathyroid conditions, and benign tumors of the head and neck. He has a special interest in transoral robotic surgery for HPV+ oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. He also has a strong interest in head and neck cancer epidemiology and population sciences.
Dr. Zevallos has published over 120 peer-reviewed research articles and is a highly sought-after speaker at national and international conferences on head and neck cancer. He is a member of the International Head and Neck Cancer Epidemiology Consortium, American Head and Neck Society, American Thyroid Association, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and the Triological Society. He is a Fellow, American College of Surgeons. He is on the Editorial Boards of Oral Oncology and Cancer Medicine, and Associate Editor of Head & Neck.
Dr. Zevallos is also the founder and chair of the board of a molecular diagnostics start-up company, Droplet Biosciences, based in Cambridge, MA. He continues to be actively engaged in entrepreneurship and in the development of responsible academic-industry collaborations across otolaryngology.
- Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center, Head and Neck Oncology and Microvascular Reconstruction Fellowship
- Baylor College of Medicine, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Residency
- Baylor College of Medicine, General Surgery Internship
- Rutgers University, MD
- Middlebury College, BA, Biology
Education & Training
Dr. Zevallos runs a translational research lab that focuses on HPV+ oropharyngeal cancer genomics and biomarker development and has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American Head and Neck Society, the Veterans Affairs research program, and many others.
He is currently Principal Investigator on four grants: A Four-class, Molecular Subtyping Diagnostic for HPV-Negative Head and Neck Cancer; Phase II trial of surgery followed by risk-directed post-operative adjuvant therapy for HPV (+) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma: The Minimalist 2 Trial; HPV genomic structural subtypes in oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma; and Postdoctoral Training in Head and Neck Oncology.
He is co-investigator of: A saliva-based test using methylated microRNAs for recurrence of head and neck cancer.