The THANC Foundation, Inc.

Research Associates (RA) work with an interdisciplinary team of physicians and scientists to play an integral role in clinical research. They present at regional and national conferences, write and publish scientific papers in peer-reviewed, industry esteemed journals (i.e. The Laryngoscope, JAMA Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery) which lead to innovative improvements in patient care and treatments. RAs follow patients throughout their entire clinical course, collect data for clinical studies, and review patient charts. RAs are recent college graduates completing two gap years with a uniquely invaluable clinical and research experience before attending medical school.

With the support of Mount Sinai Downtown's Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, THANC supports a year-long Clinical Fellowship in Speech Language Pathology (SLP). Under the closer supervision of an experienced Head & Neck Speech Language Pathologist, as well as the Professor and Chief of Head & Neck Surgical Oncology, the fellowship provides SLP clinicians starting their careers the rare opportunity to learn how to facilitate voice and swallowing rehabilitation for the medically complex head & neck patient. The SLP fellow is an integral part of a multidisciplinary team of physicians and allied health professionals. The fellow collaborates with Mount Sinai Cancer Center and THANC's Functional Outcomes Research Lab on various IRB-approved research protocols, encompassing basic science and functional outcomes related to head & neck cancer.

The THANC Guide is a comprehensive digital knowledge bank and a significant resource that endeavors to help patients and caregivers through their cancer journey. This is accomplished through: (1) regularly updated, in-depth medical information written in layman's terms; (2) a plethora of video content, illustration, glossary of terms; and (3) a child-life component that specifically aims to address the many issues surrounding the communication with young family members of patients, as well as young patients about cancer. Additionally, the THANC Guide is a tremendous reference point for physicians around the world who can visit the site for a wealth of updated, unbiased, medical information. The THANC Guide will soon expand to include a special physician portal that will enable clinicians to tap into a lecture-format journal club.

THANC hosts a weekly virtual journal club, where leading physicians are invited to present their recent work in thyroid cancer care. The objective of the virtual journal club is to provide a multi-institutional platform to inform the medical community of breakthrough aspects of treatments for thyroid malignancies, and to promote the discussion and collaboration on relevant research topics. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have engaged a global roster of speakers and audience who benefit from this weekly educational session. In addition - recordings of each session are made available following the session and are viewed by between 500-2000 physicians worldwide.

In 2018, THANC helped sponsor the production of a film—"​Can You Hear My Voice?" ​ Directed and produced by Bill Brummel, ​"Can You Hear My Voice?" ​ is a documentary about the arduous transition from a life with a voice box, to one without. It is told through the personal stories of members of the ​Shout At Cancer ​ choir—an extraordinary group in London made up of individuals who have had their voice boxes surgically removed in a life-altering surgery called a laryngectomy—as they prepare for the most ambitious concert they have ever performed.

In 2020, THANC will be partnering with Atos Medical in a special campaign to host a series of film screenings at medical institutions across the country. The goal of these screenings is (1) to provide an opportunity for all laryngectomees to view this uplifting documentary film that will give hope & encouragement; and (2) to encourage the physical gathering of patients, family, caregivers, physicians, social workers, people whose lives have been touched by the laryngectomy procedure, and to subsequently aim to create a more robust community of head & neck cancer patients nationwide.

TIRO (Thyroid International Recommendations Online) is a compilation of multiple, widely-recognized international thyroid nodule and thyroid cancer guidelines from the United States, Europe and Japan. TIRO puts all of the most up-to-date guidelines in one easy to access site. In addition, it compares and contrasts international thyroid cancer and thyroid nodule guidelines, white papers and recommendations in a way that identifies where guidelines align and where discrepancies exist. It acts as a dynamic resource for clinicians on contemporary topics via weekly journal clubs, lectures, tumor boards and round table discussions. This program is led by a multidisciplinary board composed of top thyroid specialists from around the world.