Research Summary

Ivan H. El-Sayed, MD, is Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology and the Director of the Otolaryngology Minimally Invasive Skull Base Surgery program and center in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) at the University of California, San Francisco. As of 2015, he has been elected to the North American Skull Base Society Directors Board, and he is recently named the Vice Chair of the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Skull Base Committee. He has also been the Co-Course Director for Stryker-UCSF Resident Skull Base Approaches Course since 2009. Dr. El-Sayed completed his medical degree and internship from Boston University School of Medicine in Massachusetts. He completed his otolaryngology residency from Boston University, followed by a head and neck surgical oncology fellowship from UCSF. He lectures nationally and internationally on various topics related to head and neck oncology.

Dr. El-Sayed’s clinical focus is skull base surgery and he has developed the minimally invasive program into a nationally recognized program along with his neurosurgical colleagues. The program and center offers a unique capability of providing both endoscopic and open approaches to tailor the approach to the lesion. He has a broad surgical experience having performed over 500 surgical procedures on tumors of the nasal cavity/paranasal sinuses, infratemporal fossa, skull base and pituitary glands in over a decade of experience. He is also interested in the outcomes of research and clinical innovations through novel approach development. His research program goal is to develop 1) novel endoscopic surgical approaches and 2) nanotechnologies as multifunctional theranostic devices for the detection, destruction, and monitoring of oral cancer.

Education

Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, Sc. B, 1992, Neuroscience
Boston University Medical School, Boston, MA, M.D., 1992-1996, Medicine
Boston University Medical Ctr, Boston, MA, 1996-2001, Otolaryngology-HNS
University of California, San Francisco, Postdoctoral, 2002-2003, Head and Neck Oncology-Fellowship

Honors & Awards

  • 1995
    Member, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society
  • 1998
    First Place: Ethics of Cochlear Implantation in Young Children, New England Otolaryngology Society
  • 2002
    U.S. Patent: Spectroscopic Diagnostics for Bacteria in Biologic Samples. Ivan El-Sayed, MD and Mostafa El-Sayed, PhD
  • 2002-2012
    Board Certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology
  • 2003
    THANKS Star Award, UCSF Medical Center
  • 2005
    "Quality Award" UCSF Medical Center Quality Improvement Office. For: Altered Airway PI Project. Member of the committee which developed this form.
  • 2007
    U.S. Patent: GTRC 3424 U.S.S.N. 11/913,915 "Shape Tunable Plasmonic Nanoparticles" Mostafa A. El-Sayed and Ivan Homer El-Sayed (Provisional Patent Filed 2005)
  • 2007
    "Hot Paper", American Chemical Society Publications, first author. [As defined by the ACS: "Hot Papers are articles published within the last two years receiving the most citations over the most recent two-month period. In a typical two-month period, Essential Science Indicators recognizes more than 200 total Hot Papers in chemistry.] For Article: Surface Plasmon Resonance Scattering and Absorption of anti-EGFR Antibody Conjugated Gold Nanoparticles in Cancer Diagnostics: Applications in Oral Cancer. Nano Lett. 2005.
  • 2007
    Outstanding Productive Physician and Surgeon, Certificate of Accomplishment, Department of Otolaryngology, UCSF
  • 2007
    "Most Accessed Article" for the 3rd quarter of 2007, American Chemical Society Publications. For article: "Gold Nanorods for Nuclear Targeting. BioconjugChemistry 2007.
  • 2008
    "Most Accessed Article" for first quarter 2008, American Chemical Society Publications: For article: Calculated Absorption and Scattering Properties of Gold Nanoparticles of Different Size, Shape, and Composition: Applications in Biological Imaging and Biomedicine. J. Phys. Chem. B.; (Article); 2006
  • 2008
    "Editor Selected Papers in Imaging"- Bioconjugate Chemistry- For Article: Peptide-Conjugated Gold Nanorods for Nuclear Targeting. Bioconjug Chem. 2007 Sep-Oct;18(5):1490-7. Epub 2007 Jul 13.
  • 2008
    #1 ranked article in citations in the field of Chemistry for 2007. Described by ScienceWatch. For article: 14. Huang X, El-Sayed IH, Qian W, El-Sayed MA. Cancer Cell Imaging and Photothermal Therapy in the Near-Infrared Region by Using Gold Nanorods. J Am Chem Soc. 2006 Feb 15;128(6):2115-2120.
  • 2008
    "Hot Paper", American Chemical Society Publications. For article: Cancer cell imaging and photothermal therapy in the near-infrared region by using gold nanorods, J Am Chem Soc 2006.
  • 2008
    "Most Cited Author"- First author- recognized as one of the top 20 cited papers in Cancer Letters toward the calculation of the 2007 impact factor. Cancer Letters. 2006 Jul 28;239(1):129-35.

Selected Publications

  1. Sewastjanow-Silva M, Jain S, Snyder R, McKean EL, Hachem RA, Adappa ND, Byrd JK, Carrau RL, Cohen MA, El-Sayed IH, Geltzeiler MN, Hanna EY, Kuan EC, London NR, Sargi ZB, Snyderman CH, Wang MB, Witterick IJ, Su SY. North American Delphi Consensus Study on Sinonasal Malignancy Survivorship Care. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2026 Jul 02. View on PubMed
  2. Semonche A, Wozny T, Osorio RC, Caldwell DJ, Prablek M, Pate EJ, Han N, El-Sayed IH, Mummaneni PV, DiGiorgio AM. Transoral Transmandibular Approach for Multilevel Anterior Cervical Fusion: Technical Note. Neurol India. 2026 Jul 01; 74(4):593-596. View on PubMed
  3. Truong AA, Ho S, Apostolova MKI, Lee RH, Wu X, Kang H, El-Sayed IH, George JR, Heaton CM, Likhterov I, Xu MJ, Spitzer MH, Ha PK, Algazi AP, Wai KC. Metastatic Lymph Node Status Is Associated With Progression-Free Survival in Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated With Pembrolizumab. Head Neck. 2026 Jun 18. View on PubMed
  4. Peeran Z, Shukla P, Tummala T, Kabir A, Osorio RC, Kourkoulakos C, Brumm ZG, Joe I, Lui A, Badani A, Khela HS, Young JS, El-Sayed IH, Gurrola JG, Theodosopoulos P, Blevins L, Kunwar S, Aghi MK. Prognostic value of postoperative day 1 prolactin following prolactinoma resection. J Neurosurg. 2026 May 15; 1-16. View on PubMed
  5. Howard J, Asad S, Gillard DM, Wai KC, Xu MJ, Likhterov I, George JR, El-Sayed I, Ryan WR, Ha PK, Heaton C. Changes in Time to Diagnosis of HPV+ Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Head Neck. 2026 May 14. View on PubMed
  6. Liao EN, Zhao NW, Naugle K, Jaradeh K, Rodriguez Rubio R, El-Sayed I. Optimizing Skull Base Anatomy Education: Qualitative Insights From Learner Interaction With 2D, Monoscopic 3D, and Virtual Reality Models. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2026 Jun; 11(3):e70394. View on PubMed
  7. Truong AA, Ho S, Lee RH, Wu X, Kang H, El-Sayed IH, George JR, Heaton CM, Likhterov I, Xu MJ, Ha PK, Algazi AP, Wai KC. Neutrophil-To-Lymphocyte Ratio and Survival in Pembrolizumab-Treated Oropharyngeal Cancer. Head Neck. 2026 May 10. View on PubMed
  8. Correia N, Johnson K, Durr M, Grimes BA, Lazar AA, Sarkar U, Ha PK, Chen L, Wai KC, Likhterov I, Yom SS, Chan JW, Algazi AP, Kang H, Ryan WR, Heaton CM, El-Sayed I, George J, Xu MJ. Timely Matters: Predictors of Delay in Oral Cavity Cancer Patients Across the Care Continuum. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2026 Apr; 11(2):e70363. View on PubMed
  9. Truong AA, Ho S, Lee RH, Wu X, Kang H, El-Sayed IH, George JR, Heaton CM, Likhterov I, Xu MJ, Ha PK, Algazi AP, Wai KC. Perineural Invasion and Survival in Pembrolizumab-Treated Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Laryngoscope. 2026 May; 136(5):2199-2205. View on PubMed
  10. Nesmith W, Fakurnejad S, Gillard D, Wai K, Xu MJ, Likhterov I, George J, Ryan W, El-Sayed I, Ha P, Park A, Seth R, Knott PD, Heaton C. Rates of ICU Delirium After Microvascular Free Tissue Transfer Reconstruction of the Oral Cavity and Oropharynx. Head Neck. 2026 05; 48(5):1279-1286. View on PubMed
  11. Quintana D, Ramesh R, Osorio RC, Shoap W, McMillan Villalobos P, Theodosopoulos PV, Kunwar S, Gurrola J, El Sayed IH, Aghi MK, Goldschmidt E. Geographic and Socioeconomic Predictors of Early Follow-Up Loss in Patients Undergoing Pituitary Neuroendocrine Tumors (PitNETs) Resection: A Retrospective Review of 1143 Cases. World Neurosurg. 2026 Jan; 205:124643. View on PubMed
  12. Shih PE, Osorio RC, Leng L, Lugo BM, Gupta S, Blevins L, Theodosopoulos P, Gurrola J, El Sayed IH, Kunwar S, Villanueva-Meyer J, Aghi MK. Hyperenhancement of pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) on preoperative MRI: implications on tumor characteristics and outcomes. J Clin Neurosci. 2026 Jan; 143:111747. View on PubMed
  13. Callander JK, Erickson TS, Abdulbaki H, Theodosopoulos PV, Aghi MK, Goldschmidt ED, El-Sayed IH, Gurrola JG. Surgical Experience and Validation of the "Bow Tie" Trilayer Graft Technique for Closure of Anterior Skull Base Defects. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2025 Oct; 10(5):e70281. View on PubMed
  14. Peeran Z, Osorio RC, Perez M, Kabir AS, Mehari M, Dada A, Badani A, Khela HS, Young JS, El-Sayed IH, Gurrola JG, Theodosopoulos P, Blevins L, Kunwar S, Aghi MK. Functional Gonadotroph Adenomas in Male Patients: Clinical Characteristics, Surgical Outcomes, and Hormonal Follow-up. Oper Neurosurg. 2026 May 01; 30(5):718-731. View on PubMed
  15. Quintana D, Ramesh R, Shoap W, Osorio RC, Jimenez C, Theodosopoulos PV, Kunwar S, Gurrola J, El-Sayed IH, Aghi MK, Goldschmidt E. Association of non-English language preference with tumor characteristics and postoperative outcomes following pituitary neuroendocrine tumor resection:
a retrospective review of 1143 cases. J Neurosurg. 2025 Nov 01; 143(5):1387-1397. View on PubMed
  16. Pandrangi VC, Liao JJ, de Almeida JR, El-Sayed IH, Hanna G, Su SY, Tsang R, Won TB, Witterick I, Choby G, Kuan EC, Geltzeiler M. Current Trends in the Management of Recurrent Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma. Head Neck. 2025 09; 47(9):2611-2621. View on PubMed
  17. Saba NF, Flamand Y, Lin DT, Chung CH, McDonald MW, Flampouri S, Khan SA, Snyderman CH, Hanna EY, El-Sayed IH, Solares CA, Le CH, Ghaly M, Hwang PH, Shin DM, Axelrod RS, Ikpeazu CV, Adkins DR, Duan F, Cohen M, Samuels MA, Swiecicki PL, Subramaniam RM, Chakravarthy AB, Burtness BA. Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy and Surgery versus Surgery for Organ Preservation of T3 and T4a Nasal and Paranasal Sinus Squamous Cell Carcinoma: ECOG-ACRIN EA3163. Clin Cancer Res. 2025 Jun 13; 31(12):2339-2346. View on PubMed
  18. Kuan EC, Talati V, Patel JA, Nguyen TV, Abiri A, Pang JC, Goshtasbi K, Liu L, Craig JR, Papagiannopoulos P, Phillips KM, Tajudeen BA, Adappa ND, Palmer JN, Sedaghat AR, Wang EW, Anand V, Batra PS, Bergsneider M, Bernal-Sprekelsen M, Bleier BS, Cappabianca P, Carrau RL, Casiano RR, Castelnuovo P, Cavallo LM, Cohen MA, Dallan I, Eloy JA, El-Sayed IH, Evans JJ, Fernandez-Miranda JC, Ferrari M, Froelich S, Gardner PA, Georgalas C, Gray ST, Hanna EY, Harvey RJ, Hong SD, Hwang PH, Kelly DF, Kong DS, Lan MY, Lee JYK, Levine CG, Liu JK, Locatelli D, Meço C, McKean EL, Nicolai P, Nyquist GG, Omura K, Passeri T, Patel ZM, Celda MP, Neto CP, Prevedello DM, Rabinowitz MR, Raza SM, Recinos PF, Rosen MR, Sargi ZB, Schlosser RJ, Schwartz TH, Sindwani R, Snyderman CH, Stamm AC, Thorp BD, Turri-Zanoni M, Wang MB, Wang WH, Witterick IJ, Won TB, Woodworth BA, Wormald PJ, Zada G, Su SY. Expert Strategies: Skull Base Reconstruction-Global Perspectives, Insights, and Algorithms through a Mixed Methods Approach. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2025 Oct; 15(10):1032-1069. View on PubMed
  19. Patel EJ, Glastonbury C, Zante AV, Yom SS, McDermott M, Theodosopoulos P, Aghi M, Goldschmidt E, El-Sayed I. Surgical Management of Esthesioneuroblastoma at a Single Tertiary Care Center. J Neurol Surg B Skull Base. 2026 Apr; 87(2):117-122. View on PubMed
  20. Nasta SR, Persad AR, Hori YS, Lam FC, Abu-Reesh D, Tayag A, Ustrzynski L, Emrich SC, Dillon WP, El-Sayed IH, Chang SD, Park DJ. Isolated unilateral hypoglossal nerve palsy due to an atlanto-occipital juxta-articular cyst: illustrative case. J Neurosurg Case Lessons. 2025 Mar 24; 9(12). View on PubMed

Go to UCSF Profiles, powered by CTSI