Prof Hisham M Mehanna

Hisham graduated from Glasgow Medical School with honours in 1994.  He went on to complete his ear nose and throat surgery specialist training in the West of Scotland, before undertaking a specialist training fellowship in thyroid and parathyroid surgery at Auckland Regional Head and Neck Unit in New Zealand. 

Hisham became a consultant in head and neck surgery at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, as well as at Birmingham Heart of England Foundation Trust, in 1994. He then joined the University of Birmingham and University Hospitals Birmingham in November 2012 as the Professor and Chair of Head and Neck Surgery.

Research interests

Hisham is the Director of the Institute of Head and Neck Studies and Education (InHANSE). He holds research grants of more than £16 million, awarded by the Department of Health, Cancer Research UK, and Macmillan Cancer Research. He heads two national research collaborations and is the previous Chair of the National Cancer Research Institute’s Head and Neck Group.

Hisham’s research interests focus on improving treatments of head and neck conditions and thyroid disease. He runs several national and international studies, including studies on the use of PET CT scanning in head and neck cancer, better treatments for Human papillomavirus (HPV) related cancer, better diagnosis of patients with thyroid cancer.

Hisham's clinical interests include:

• Management of recurrent head and neck and thyroid cancer
• Keyhole (endoscopic and minimal access) thyroid and parathyroid surgery
• Difficult/complex head and neck, salivary and thyroid surgery including overactive thyroid (thyrotoxicosis) and retro-sternal goitre (thyroid extending into the chest)
• Voice and laser surgery
• Swallowing problems
• Salivary surgery
• Tonsillectomy and nasal polyps

• Chair, Head and Neck Cancer International Group
• British Association of Otorhinolaryngologists - Head Neck Surgeons
• Past President British Association of Head Neck Oncologists
• Treasurer of Otorhinolaryngological Research Society
• Previous Chair, National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) - Clinical Studies Group in Head Neck Surgery