By Tina Withrow
You can tell a lot about a physician when you sit in their office. You hear the good, the bad, and the ugly. My first meeting with Dr. Masoud Saman was quite enlightening. While waiting, I had the opportunity to speak with the office staff. They spoke with me about how proud they are to work for someone who takes a personal interest in his patients.
Head and neck cancer is very close to my heart, having lost my brother, my sister, and even my sisters cat to head and neck cancer, I know that early detection is the key to survivorship along with a good head and neck surgeon who can skillfully guide you through what can be a very scary time in your life.
As a young man, Dr. Saman worked as a unit secretary at the Medical Center of Plano. He was always interested in the sciences but this job majorly shaped his life and his career. He was fascinated by how the physicians and nurses interacted with patients and how the attention to detail, along with spending quality time with patients and families, made all the difference in the world.
As he explains, “Some things are sacred, including medicine. As a practicing physician, if you do not feel you can make a difference in the everyday lives of patients, then get out. You must be plugged into the humanity of medicine. There is no greater joy for me at the end of the day than to tell my wife the story behind the story and know that I made a difference.”
Dr. Saman graduated from medical school at UT in San Antonio. He received a research grant from the National Institutes of Health to conduct clinical research at the Harvard Medical School in Boston, MA. This was followed by residency in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai in Manhattan, NY, where he received the resident teaching award as chief resident. While a resident, he had the opportunity to train with some of the world pioneers in head and neck surgery and skull base surgery. Further training was done in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery as well as head and neck oncologic and skull base surgery sponsored by the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, for which he currently serves as clinical faculty.
Dr. Saman’s expertise in head and neck surgery and supra-specialty training in facial plastic surgery give him a unique knowledge of the face and its underlying structures. He confines his practice to the resection and reconstruction of head and neck tumors with added qualification in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery of the face, head, and neck.
Dr. Saman currently serves as the medical director of Head & Neck Oncologic Surgery at The Medical Center of Plano.
I couldn’t help feeling a little melancholy as I left our meeting. As an advocate for those affected by cancer, I see those affected by not receiving quality care. My own family members felt stuck in the system with no choices. You do have a choice and it does make a difference who your medical team is. Partnering with a quality physician who cares for you in body, mind, and spirit will start you on your path to being well, in spite of the circumstances. Check him out. He is the real deal!
Tina Withrow is an independent cancer navigator and patient advocate at Health-Sync. If you or someone you know needs help navigating a health-care crisis or cancer, contact Tina at 214-546-2215 or email her at twithrow@health-sync.net.
