Deepa Nair

Accomplished head and neck surgeon and educator, recognized for expertise in managing skull base malignancies and employing minimally invasive techniques to address head and neck cancers. Extensive experience in surgical mentorship, clinical trials and quality improvement initiatives in cancer care. Demonstrates a commitment to advancing patient outcomes.

Professor & Surgeon ‘G’, Division of Head & Neck Oncology, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, Maharashtra

• President of India Dr. Shankar Dayal Sharma Gold Medal, University of Mumbai (2006)
• S. Kameshwaran Gold Medal, DNB Otorhinolaryngology (2006)
• Chancellor’s Award, Best Student, Mumbai University (2005–06)
• Best Paper Awards: Skull Base Surgery Society, FHNO, Asia Pacific Thyroid Society, MUMBAICON
• Travel Grants: 9th ESBSM, 2ND EORTC QoL symposium, 10th ESBS
• Best Teacher Award, Tata Memorial Centre, 2025

• Foundation for Head and Neck Oncology
• Association of Otolaryngologists of India
• Skull Base Surgery Society of India
• Indian Society of Thyroid Surgeons
• Asia-Pacific Society of Thyroid Surgery

1. Endoscopic Endonasal Skull Base Surgery course – April 2009

2. Open versus Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery – May 2012, Brighton,UK

3. ACORD protocol development workshop – September 2012, Australia

4. Transoral Robotic Surgery - March 2016

5. Train the trainers - February 2017

6. Complex Endoscopic Endonasal Skull Base Surgery course – November 2019

7. Transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA) – June 2024, Bangkok

• Primary Surgery versus Primary Chemo-radiation for Oropharyngeal Cancer (SCOPe trial), 3582
• Validation of the Beta Defensin Index (BDI) as a Biomarker for Oral Cancer – Indi, 3152
• Voice Quality after Transoral CO2-Laser Surgery versus Single Vocal Cord Irradiation for Unilateral Stage 0 & I Glottic Larynx Cancer, 3967

• Endoscopic Endonasal Skull Base Surgery course, 2009-04-01
• Open versus Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery, 2012-05-01, Brighton, UK
• ACORD protocol development workshop, 2012-09-01, Australia
• Transoral Robotic Surgery, 2016-03-01
• Train the trainers, 2017-02-01
• Complex Endoscopic Endonasal Skull Base Surgery course, 2019-11-01
• Transoral endoscopic thyroidectomy vestibular approach (TOETVA), 2024-06-01, Bangkok

• Academic Coordinator: M.Ch Head & Neck Surgery Program, Tata Memorial Hospital
• Faculty: Annual cadaver dissection workshops (oral, laryngeal, skull base)
• Organizer: National and international surgical skills courses, including train-the-trainer modules
• Examiner: National Board and university postgraduate/ fellowship examinations
• Mentor: Over 40 M.Ch and fellowship graduates in Head & Neck Oncology
• Invited faculty for courses and CMEs at FHNO, IFHNOS, IAOO, AHNS, and IASO-NATCON etc

• Member, Institutional Ethics Committee
• Executive Member, Foundation for Head & Neck Oncology
• Editorial/Review roles: Head & Neck, EJSO, IJSO, Indian Journal of Cancer
• Database committee, Head Neck International Cooperative Group (HNCIG)

1. Nair D, Thomas L, Patil V. Ewing's sarcoma of the head and neck: differential diagnosis, treatment and outcomes. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2025 Apr 1;33(2):85-91.

2. Mittal N, Nagar S, Patil A, Rane SU, Nisarga P, Rabade K, Janu A, Nair D, Thiagarajan S, Laskar SG, Prabhash K, Bal M. SMARCB1-deficient Sinonasal Carcinoma: Expanding the Pathologic Spectrum with a Series of 32 Cases. Am J Surg Pathol. 2025 Apr 1;49(4):381-393.

3. Ghosh Laskar S, Sinha S, Jeeva M, Gupta M, Karmakar S, Anuj Kumar, Mohanty S, Mahajan P, Timmanpyati S, Balaji A, Budrukkar A, Swain M, Khan F, Pantvaidya G, Deshmukh A, Nair D, Chaukar D, Pai PS, Thiagarajan S, Vaish R, Tuljapurkar V, Chaturvedi P. Prophylactic Versus Reactive (PvR) Feeding in Patients Undergoing (Chemo)radiation in Head and Neck Cancers: Results of a Phase III Randomized Controlled Trial,” Head & Neck (2025): 1–9

4. Malik A, Sharin F, Balaji A, Mathur Y, Nair S, Chaturvedi P, Nair D.Swallowing in advanced oral cancers: A prospective observational study. J Cancer Res Ther. 2024 Jan 1;20(1):340-348. doi: 10.4103/jcrt.jcrt_1499_22. Epub 2024 Mar 29.

5. Ferrari M, Mattavelli D, Tomasoni M, Raffetti E, Bossi P, Schreiber A, Orlandi E, Taboni S, Rampinelli V, Gualtieri T, Turri-Zanoni M, Battaglia P, Arosio AD, Bignami M, Tartaro T, Molteni M, Bertazzoni G, Fiaux-Camous D, Jourdaine C, Verillaud B, Eu D, Nair D, Moiyadi A, Shetty P, Ghosh-Laskar S, Budrukkar A, Magrini SM, Guillerm S, Faivre S, Piazza C, Gilbert RW, Irish JC, de Almeida JR, Pai P, Herman P, Castelnuovo P, Nicolai P. The MUSES∗: a prognostic study on 1360 patients with sinonasal cancer undergoing endoscopic surgery-based treatment: ∗MUlti-institutional collaborative Study on Endoscopically treated Sinonasal cancers.Eur J Cancer. 2022 Aug;171:161-182.

Book Chapters:

• Pai P, Nair D, Mair M. “Salivary Glands,” in Bailey & Love’s Short Practice of Surgery (2023).
• Nair D, Shetty KS Rathan. “Surgical management of anaplastic thyroid cancers,” in Thyroid Surgery (2020).
• Pai P, Nair D, Ghosh Laskar S, Kumar Prabhash. "Management of hypopharyngeal cancers" Scott-Brown Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery 8th edition(2018).
• Nair D, Sharma A, Singh S. “The Ear,” in Bailey’s Physical Signs Demonstrations (2016).

Maharashtra Medical Council, 2001/02/0826