Carole Fakhry, M.D. ’03, the Charles W. Cummings, M.D. Professor of Otolaryngology and chief of the Division of Head and Neck Surgery, has been named the inaugural associate dean for clinical affairs, effective March 1. 

In this role, Dr. Fakhry will work collaboratively to help develop and implement strategies for the Clinical Practice Association and will work to enhance its clinical administrative operations to help ensure patient-centered, safe and efficient care delivery. 

Since joining the school of medicine faculty in 2011, Dr. Fakhry has established herself as a highly accomplished physician-leader, investigator and educator. As chief of the Division of Head and Neck Surgery and executive vice director of the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, she has collaboratively led initiatives to enhance clinical operations, align educational and research activities with strategic growth, and implement programs to support faculty satisfaction and well-being. She oversaw the development and implementation of faculty-grown initiatives, including alignment of the faculty compensation plan with the financial interests of the department, development of the department operating room block operations group, the clinical trial core, early career grant support, the financial optimization committee, and the faculty satisfaction committee. Additionally, as director of the Johns Hopkins Head and Neck Cancer Center, she oversaw the development, implementation and growth of the clinical trials infrastructure and portfolio, in collaboration with the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.

An internationally recognized expert in her field, Dr. Fakhry’s research has been pivotal in advancing our understanding of head and neck cancers. Her work helped define a distinct entity of head and neck cancer, leading to the integration of HPV as a biomarker in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines. She has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and is a frequently sought-after lecturer and media contributor. 

Dr. Fakhry completed medical school, a residency in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery, and a fellowship in head and neck surgical oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She received a master’s degree in public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 

Among her many awards and honors, Dr. Fakhry received the George T. Nager, M.D. Faculty Teaching Award for the Department of Otolaryngology and the American Head and Neck Society Service Award. Dr. Fakhry is an associate editor for the journal Oral Oncology, editor of the Head and Neck section of Cancer, and she serves on several editorial boards. She also co-chairs the National Cancer Institute Head and Neck Steering Committee.

As she assumes her new position, Dr. Fakhry will continue to serve as chief of the Division of Head and Neck Surgery.