New faculty spotlight: Zafar Sayed, M.D.

Zafar Sayed, M.D., is a new faculty member at UNMC.

• Name: Zafar Sayed, M.D.
• Hometown: Fort Wayne, Ind.
• Title and department at UNMC: Assistant professor, UNMC Department of Otolaryngology

Research/professional interests:

• Head and neck surgical oncology
  • Oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancer
  • Salivary gland tumors
  • Thyroid cancer
  • Laryngeal cancer

How I fell in love with medicine:
I started volunteering at a local hospital’s emergency department in high school. That eventually led to an opportunity to shadow a neurosurgeon for a day. The experience of being in the operating room for the first time was unforgettable, and I immediately knew I wanted to help people through a career in medicine.

Degrees:

• Bachelor of Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
• Doctor of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
• Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery residency, Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.
• Head and Neck Surgical Oncology fellowship, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City

Memberships:

• American Head and Neck Society

Three things people may not know about me:

• I enjoy tennis (both watching and playing, though I am better at the former).
• I play the guitar and drums.
• I have visited Antarctica.