Benjamin L. Judson, MD

Benjamin Judson, MD, is the chief of the Yale Medicine Division of Otolaryngology. He specializes in performing surgery to remove benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck, which include oral cavity, pharynx and larynx tumors, as well as skin, salivary gland, and other less common tumors.

“I enjoy performing complex surgeries and find taking care of patients to be tremendously rewarding,” says Dr. Judson, who works with a team of specialists, including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, reconstructive and oral surgeons, pathologists, radiologists, and others. He says that listening carefully to his patients’ concerns, going over each patient’s records as a group, and taking time to communicate information to the patient are especially important. “Working in collaboration with each patient and their family, and with the multidisciplinary care team is critical for getting a successful outcome,” he says.

The multidisciplinary team at Yale is a national leader in figuring out how to incorporate new treatments, such as immunotherapy and minimally invasive surgery, into a tailored treatment plan for each patient. “I am equally passionate about performing the best possible surgery for each patient, as well as working with the multidisciplinary team to determine their optimal treatment plan, whether that includes surgery or not,” says Dr. Judson.

A professor of otolaryngology at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Judson has research interests in investigating outcomes and quality in head and neck cancer therapy. He is also involved in supporting a biorepository of head and neck cancers to support continued research that would ultimately improve care at Yale and other institutions.