Raymond L Chai, MD

Dr. Raymond Chai, MD, FACS is a nationally recognized leader in head and neck surgical oncology and thyroid cancer.  He is dedicated to a patient-centered care approach, with the philosophy that “less can be better” for certain head and neck cancers and with the goal of helping patients achieve the best outcomes while maintaining the highest possible quality of life after treatment.

An Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Dr. Chai serves as the Director of Head and Neck Robotic Surgery. In addition, he is the Residency Site Director for Otolaryngology at Mount Sinai West and the Co-Director of the Head and Neck Surgical Oncology fellowship program.  Dr. Chai’s surgical practice focuses on benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck. He has particular expertise and interest in HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer (including transoral robotic surgery), recurrent/advanced thyroid cancer, and the surgical management of parathyroid disorders.

Dr. Chai has published over 75 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters and regularly presents his work both nationally and internationally. He is an active reviewer for all the major otolaryngology journals.  Dr. Chai is also the current Associate Editor for endocrine surgery for Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the most widely circulated journal in the specialty.  In addition, he is the principal investigator of the SIRS 2.0 trial (NCT05419089), a phase II clinical trial evaluating the utility of circulating tumor DNA after transoral robotic surgery for HPV-related oropharyngeal carcinoma to eliminate adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy.

Noted for his dedication and skill in teaching, Dr. Chai is heavily involved in the training of the next generation of head and neck surgeons.  He currently chairs the system-wide Resident Research Committee and has won three “Faculty of the Year” teaching awards.

Board-certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology, Dr. Chai is a member of numerous societies including the American College of Surgeons, the American Thyroid Association, and the New York Head and Neck Society.  He holds national leadership positions with the American Head and Neck Society and the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.  Dr. Chai serves on the board of directors of the Thyroid, Head and Neck Cancer (THANC) Foundation.  

Dr. Chai is a graduate of Johns Hopkins and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.  He completed his residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.  He then completed a fellowship in Advanced Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania, where he trained with the inventors of transoral robotic surgery (TORS).

Read more about the SIRS 2.0 robotic sugery trial here: https://stage-reports.mountsinai.org/article/ent2023-02-reducing-the-need-for-adjuvant-chemoradiotherapy-among-patients

Read Dr. Chai's blog about HPV-related throat cancer and robotic surgery: http://www.healthbytesnyc.com/cancer/questions-to-ask-your-doctor-about-hpv-related-oral-cancer-2/.