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D-Index
136
Citations
80180
World Ranking
1958
National Ranking
1113

Overview

William H. Westra is affiliated with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the United States. Their research primarily revolves around medicine, with a strong focus on otorhinolaryngology, surgery, oncology, epidemiology, and molecular biology. The bulk of their scholarly output contributes to understanding diseases related to the head and neck region and cancer biology.

Westra's publication record includes several recent papers that address critical clinical and pathological aspects of cancer and infectious diseases. Notable publications include:

  • Pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2: the Mount Sinai COVID-19 autopsy experience (2021, Modern Pathology)
  • Pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2: targeting of endothelial cells renders a complex disease with thrombotic microangiopathy and aberrant immune response. The Mount Sinai COVID-19 autopsy experience (2020, bioRxiv)
  • Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Locally Advanced Head and Neck Cancer (2025, New England Journal of Medicine)
  • Performance of Liquid Biopsy for Diagnosis and Surveillance of Human Papillomavirus-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer (2023, JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery)
  • Summary from an international cancer seminar focused on human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharynx cancer, convened by scientists at IARC and NCI (2020, Oral Oncology)

Their research topics largely concentrate on:

  • Head and Neck Cancer Studies
  • Cervical Cancer and HPV Research
  • Head and Neck Surgical Oncology
  • Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers
  • Colorectal and Anal Carcinomas
  • Lung Cancer Treatments and Mutations
  • Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research

Westra regularly collaborates with several frequent co-authors, including Marshall R. Posner, Richard L. Bakst, Eric M. Genden, Brett A. Miles, and Krzysztof Misiukiewicz. These collaborations have contributed to a sizeable body of work in clinical oncology and surgery.

Their work is often published in prominent scientific venues, with multiple publications found in:

  • International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics
  • Journal of Clinical Oncology
  • The American Journal of Surgical Pathology
  • Oral Oncology
  • Head & Neck

Westra's research embraces a multidisciplinary approach, integrating clinical studies and molecular investigations, contributing broadly to contemporary understanding and treatment approaches for cancers affecting the head and neck region as well as viral oncogenesis related to human papillomavirus (HPV).

Best Publications

  • Human Papillomavirus and Survival of Patients with Oropharyngeal Cancer

    K Kian Ang;Jonathan Harris;Richard Wheeler;Randal Weber

  • Evidence for a Causal Association Between Human Papillomavirus and a Subset of Head and Neck Cancers

    Maura Gillison;Wayne M. Koch;Randolph B. Capone;Michael Spafford

  • Case-control study of human papillomavirus and oropharyngeal cancer.

    Aimee R. Kreimer;Raphael Viscidi;Michael Pawlita;Carole Fakhry

  • Improved Survival of Patients With Human Papillomavirus–Positive Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma in a Prospective Clinical Trial

    Carole Fakhry;William H. Westra;Sigui Li;Anthony Cmelak

  • HPV-associated head and neck cancer: a virus-related cancer epidemic

    Shanthi Marur;Gypsyamber D'Souza;William H Westra;Arlene A Forastiere

  • Exome sequencing of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma reveals inactivating mutations in NOTCH1

    Nishant Agrawal;Mitchell J. Frederick;Curtis R. Pickering;Chetan Bettegowda

  • Distinct Risk Factor Profiles for Human Papillomavirus Type 16–Positive and Human Papillomavirus Type 16–Negative Head and Neck Cancers

    Maura L. Gillison;Gypsyamber D'Souza;William Westra;Elizabeth Sugar

  • Genetic progression model for head and neck cancer: Implications for field cancerization

    Joseph Califano;Peter Van Der Riet;William Westra;Homaira Nawroz

  • BRAF mutation predicts a poorer clinical prognosis for papillary thyroid cancer

    Mingzhao Xing;William H. Westra;Ralph P. Tufano;Yoram Cohen

  • BRAF Mutation in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

    Yoram Cohen;Mingzhao Xing;Elizabeth Mambo;Zhongmin Guo

  • Association between BRAF V600E mutation and mortality in patients with papillary thyroid cancer

    Michael Mingzhao Xing;Ali S. Alzahrani;Kathryn A. Carson;David Viola

  • TP53 mutations and survival in squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

    M. Luana Poeta;M. Luana Poeta;Judith Manola;Meredith A. Goldwasser;Arlene Forastiere

  • Evidence for a role of the PD-1:PD-L1 pathway in immune resistance of HPV-associated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

    Sofia Lyford-Pike;Shiwen Peng;Geoffrey D. Young;Janis M. Taube

  • High Frequency of p16 (CDKN2/MTS-1/INK4A) Inactivation in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

    Andre L. Reed;Joseph Califano;Paul Cairns;William H. Westra

  • Frequency of homozygous deletion at p16/CDKN2 in primary human tumours

    P. Cairns;T. J. Polascik;Y. Eby;K. Tokino

  • Inactivation of LKB1/STK11 Is a Common Event in Adenocarcinomas of the Lung

    Montserrat Sanchez-Cespedes;Paola Parrella;Manel Esteller;Shuji Nomoto

  • AIS is an oncogene amplified in squamous cell carcinoma

    Kenji Hibi;Barry Trink;Meera Patturajan;William H. Westra

  • Comparison of human papillomavirus in situ hybridization and p16 immunohistochemistry in the detection of human papillomavirus-associated head and neck cancer based on a prospective clinical experience.

    Aatur D. Singhi;William H. Westra

  • A genetic progression model for head and neck cancer: Implications for field cancerization

    Joseph A. Califano;Gary Clayman;David Sidransky;Wayne Koch

  • AssociationBetween BRAFV600EMutationand MortalityinPatientsWithPapillaryThyroidCancer

    Mingzhao Xing;Ali S. Alzahrani;Kathryn A. Carson;David Viola

Frequent Co-Authors

David Sidransky
David Sidransky Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Joseph A. Califano
Joseph A. Califano University of California, San Diego
Wayne M. Koch
Wayne M. Koch Johns Hopkins University
Ralph H. Hruban
Ralph H. Hruban Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
David W. Eisele
David W. Eisele Johns Hopkins University
Robert Udelsman
Robert Udelsman Yale University
Maura L. Gillison
Maura L. Gillison The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Marianna Zahurak
Marianna Zahurak Johns Hopkins University
Jin Jen
Jin Jen Bristol Myers Squibb
Janis M. Taube
Janis M. Taube Johns Hopkins University

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