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Smilow Cancer Hospital Head and Neck Cancers Program
55 Park Street
Ste Phase I Clinical Trial Infusion Center
New Haven, CT 06511
  • Smilow Cancer Hospital Head and Neck Cancers Program
    55 Park Street
    Ste Phase I Clinical Trial Infusion Center
    New Haven, CT 06511

Barbara Burtness, MD

Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology
Telehealth is available
Learn more about telehealth
Patient type treated
Adult
Accepting new patients
Yes
Referral required
From patients or physicians
Board Certified in
Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology

Biography

Barbara Burtness, MD, is a Yale Medicine medical oncologist who sees patients at Yale Cancer Center. She has made it her life’s mission to help people diagnosed with head and neck cancer, which can be a devastating disease even after it is cured—it can impact a person’s appearance, as well as the ability to speak, swallow, and eat.

“Patients often encounter unpleasant outcomes that can include difficulty swallowing solid foods, impaired nutrition, aspiration, and feeding tube dependence,” says Dr. Burtness. “Younger patients may have to deal with these side effects for decades after cancer treatment.”

A careful treatment approach can help prevent these problems. She and her team evaluate the tumor location and decide which primary treatment (surgery or radiation therapy) will best cure the cancer and cause the fewest possible negative outcomes.

A professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Burtness’ research lab is actively studying new cures for head and neck cancers. “We want to help improve these patients’ quality of life,” she says.

Titles

  • Anthony N. Brady Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology)
  • Chief Translational Research Officer, Yale Cancer Center
  • Chief, Head and Neck Cancers/Sarcoma
  • Co-Leader, Developmental Therapeutics, Yale Cancer Center
  • Associate Cancer Center Director for Translational Research, Yale Cancer Center

Education & Training

  • Fellowship
    Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (1993)
  • Residency
    Yale-New Haven Hospital (1989)
  • Internship
    Yale-New Haven Hospital (1987)
  • MD
    SUNY at Stonybrook (1986)
  • AB
    Bryn Mawr College (1982)

Languages Spoken

  • English
  • Deutsch (German)

Additional Information

Locations
Smilow Cancer Hospital Head and Neck Cancers Program
55 Park Street
Ste Phase I Clinical Trial Infusion Center
New Haven, CT 06511
  • Smilow Cancer Hospital Head and Neck Cancers Program
    55 Park Street
    Ste Phase I Clinical Trial Infusion Center
    New Haven, CT 06511

Biography

Barbara Burtness, MD, is a Yale Medicine medical oncologist who sees patients at Yale Cancer Center. She has made it her life’s mission to help people diagnosed with head and neck cancer, which can be a devastating disease even after it is cured—it can impact a person’s appearance, as well as the ability to speak, swallow, and eat.

“Patients often encounter unpleasant outcomes that can include difficulty swallowing solid foods, impaired nutrition, aspiration, and feeding tube dependence,” says Dr. Burtness. “Younger patients may have to deal with these side effects for decades after cancer treatment.”

A careful treatment approach can help prevent these problems. She and her team evaluate the tumor location and decide which primary treatment (surgery or radiation therapy) will best cure the cancer and cause the fewest possible negative outcomes.

A professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Burtness’ research lab is actively studying new cures for head and neck cancers. “We want to help improve these patients’ quality of life,” she says.

Titles

  • Anthony N. Brady Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology)
  • Chief Translational Research Officer, Yale Cancer Center
  • Chief, Head and Neck Cancers/Sarcoma
  • Co-Leader, Developmental Therapeutics, Yale Cancer Center
  • Associate Cancer Center Director for Translational Research, Yale Cancer Center

Education & Training

  • Fellowship
    Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (1993)
  • Residency
    Yale-New Haven Hospital (1989)
  • Internship
    Yale-New Haven Hospital (1987)
  • MD
    SUNY at Stonybrook (1986)
  • AB
    Bryn Mawr College (1982)

Languages Spoken

  • English
  • Deutsch (German)

Additional Information

Locations
Smilow Cancer Hospital Head and Neck Cancers Program
55 Park Street
Ste Phase I Clinical Trial Infusion Center
New Haven, CT 06511
  • Smilow Cancer Hospital Head and Neck Cancers Program
    55 Park Street
    Ste Phase I Clinical Trial Infusion Center
    New Haven, CT 06511
Smilow Cancer Hospital Head and Neck Cancers Program
55 Park Street
Ste Phase I Clinical Trial Infusion Center
New Haven, CT 06511
  • Smilow Cancer Hospital Head and Neck Cancers Program
    55 Park Street
    Ste Phase I Clinical Trial Infusion Center
    New Haven, CT 06511