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C. Alessandra Colaianni

C. Alessandra Colaianni, MD, MPhil, is a UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center member and an otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon who specializes in the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer.

MD, MPhil
Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology/Head and Neck
UNC-Chapel Hill
Clinical Research

Area of Interest

I am an otolaryngologist with fellowship training in surgical oncology of the head and neck and microvascular reconstruction. I also hold an M.Phil degree in History and Philosophy of Science.

Broadly, I am in interested in the use of narrative, storytelling, and reflective writing to understand the impact of head and neck cancer on patients, families, trainees, and providers. I am also interested in issues of identity and autonomy in head and neck cancer patients, and how these play into concerns about high-morbidity cancer operations, informed consent in complex or experimental treatment plans, and information sharing among oncology team members. I draw from multiple disciplines — philosophy, sociology, creative writing and narrative medicine — in formulating these research questions.

Find publications on PubMed 

Awards and Honors

  • Faculty Teacher of the Year, Oregon Health and Science University Department of Otolaryngology, 2023
  • Runner-up, New England Journal of Medicine Fiction Contest, 2022
  • AAO-HNS Humanitarian Travel Grant Recipient, 2018
  • American Medical Association Journal of Ethics Theme Issue Editorship, AMA, 2019
  • Commencement/Convocation Medical Student Speaker, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2015
  • Harry C. Saltzstein Prize in Medical Writing, for “Requiem,” Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2015
  • Alpha Omega Alpha, 2015 Rausing Prize, University of Cambridge Department of History and Philosophy of Science, 2014
  • Gates Cambridge Scholarship, 2013
  • American Medical Association Journal of Ethics Theme Issue Editorship, AMA, 2013
  • Harry C. Saltzstein Prize in Medical Writing, for “Up for Yes,” Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2013
  • Harry C. Saltzstein Prize in Medical Writing, for “Detachment, Clinical and Otherwise,” Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 2012
  • Fellowship at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics, Museum of Jewish Heritage, 2011
  • US Department of Homeland Security Scholar full-tuition scholarship Edward H. Benenson Award in the Arts, Duke University, 2007
  • Anne Flexner Fiction Award, second place, Duke University, 2007
  • Phi Beta Kappa, 2007
  • Graduated Magna Cum Laude, 2007
  • Francis J. Pemberton Memorial Scholarship for Creative Writing, Duke University, 2005
Headshot of C. Alessandra Colaianni.