Tamar A Kotz, MS

Tamar Kotz, MS CCC-SLP is a Senior Head and Neck Cancer Speech Pathologist at the Mount Sinai’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Practice. She is a nationally recognized expert in the evaluation and treatment of communication and swallowing disorders associated with head and neck cancers. This includes patients who have undergone total laryngectomy, transoral robotic surgery or chemoradiation as primary cancer treatment. Ms. Kotz specializes in the area of alaryngeal voice restoration and heads Mount Sinai’s Tracheoesophageal Puncture (TEP) Voice Restoration Program. She is a vital member of a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists who provide comprehensive and patient-centered care to head and neck cancer patients. Her research has focused on changes in swallowing function after chemoradiation in advanced stage head and neck cancer, the effects of intensive prophylactic swallowing exercises on swallowing outcomes for patients undergoing chemoradiation and the preservation of long-term swallowing function using leading-edge surgical approaches, such as transoral robotic surgery. She is also conducting a prospective study examining the viability and safety of initiating an oral diet two days after oral cavity reconstructive surgery. Ms. Kotz also participates in the education and mentoring of early and midcareer speech pathologists, as well as residents and fellows in the Otolaryngology Fellowship Program at Mount Sinai. She regularly lectures on voice and swallowing rehabilitation of head and neck cancer patients at the local and national levels and is a member of the American Speech Language Association and the Dysphagia Research Society.