New Chief and Chair: Mark A. Varvares, MD, FACS

Introducing the New Chief and Chair of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery

After a year-long, nationwide search, Mark A. Varvares, MD, FACS, has been officially appointed Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Chief of the Departments of OHNS at Mass Eye and Ear and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

Dr. Varvares, a head and neck cancer surgeon who serves as the John W. Merriam and William W. Montgomery Professor of OHNS, is the department’s seventh Chief in the nearly 200-year history of Mass Eye and Ear. Since July 1, 2020, he had served as interim Chair and Chief following the decision of his predecessor, D. Bradley Welling, MD, PhD, FACS, to step down.

“We are delighted that Dr. Varvares has accepted this position,” said John Fernandez, President of Mass Eye and Ear. “He is a gifted academic surgeon who will put his superb leadership skills to work, ensuring that Mass Eye and Ear and MGH remain world leaders in research and patient care to help cure deafness, head and neck cancer and other conditions that impede patients’ quality of life.”

Dr. Varvares graduated from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine in 1986 and completed his residency at the Harvard Otolaryngology Residency Program in 1991. Following residency, he accepted a clinical fellowship in head and neck reconstructive surgery at Mass Eye and Ear under the direction and mentorship of William W. Montgomery, MD. He subsequently helped establish a head and neck free flap program as a junior attending. In 2003, Dr. Varvares moved home to St. Louis, having accepted a position as OHNS Department Chair at Saint Louis University Medical Center. During his 12-year tenure as Department Chair, he concurrently served as Director of the Saint Louis University Cancer Center and held a number of key leadership positions.

Dr. Varvares returned to Mass Eye and Ear and MGH in 2015 as the Associate Chief of OHNS. Over the last five years, he has helped articulate and refine the department’s vision, facilitated programmatic growth and provided educational and administrative oversight. Dr. Varvares’ greatest passion is serving as a teacher and mentor. He finds tremendous satisfaction in helping develop young surgeons, both academic and non-academic. “

As the newly installed chair, I have been tasked by hospital leadership to lead the transformation of the department,” said Dr. Varvares. “It is my intent to not just transform how we provide patient care locally, but to change patient care globally through innovation. Together, our department will revolutionize how we educate, perform research and infuse equity into the culture of our academic program. It is my goal that we will become the global leader in all aspects of academic otolaryngology–head and neck surgery and that we will train and inspire the next generation of our specialty’s leaders.”