Ann M. Gillenwater, MD
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Division of Surgery
About Dr. Ann M. Gillenwater
Dr. Ann Gillenwater is a Professor for the Department of Head and Neck Surgery, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas. She earned a BA in Russian studies from Brown University in 1979 and received her MD from the University of Virginia in 1983. She completed residency in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston followed by a 2-year fellowship in Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She has been a faculty member since there 1994. She currently directs the Oral Cancer Prevention Clinic at UTMDACC.
Dr. Gillenwater’s clinical interests include oral precancers and cancers, thyroid neoplasms, salivary neoplasms, and non-melanoma skin cancer. Her research interests include detection and diagnosis of oral cancer and precancer, molecular imaging, and chemoprevention. A NIH-funded investigator, her research involves development of novel technologies for detection and diagnosis of oral cancer and precancer.
Dr. Gillenwater has published over 90 articles in peer-reviewed journals and is a reviewer for multiple journals.
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Professor (Adjunct Appointment), Rice University, Houston, TX
Professor, Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Director, Oral Cancer Prevention Center, Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 1987 | University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, US, Medicine, MD |
| 1983 | Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, US, Russian Studies, BA |
Postgraduate Training
| 1993-1994 | Clinical Fellowship, Dept. of Head & Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
| 1992-1993 | Research Fellowship, Dept. of Head & Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas |
| 1989-1992 | Otolaryngology Resident, Dept. of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, UT Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas |
| 1987-1989 | Surgical Internship, Dept. of General Surgery, UT Health Science Center At Houston, Houston, Texas |
Licenses & Certifications
| 2023 | Georgia Composite Medical Board |
| 2023 | Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners |
| 2023 | Washington State Department of Health |
| 2023 | Arizona Medical Board |
| 2023 | Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners |
| 2021 | Florida Board of Medicine |
| 1993 | American Board of Otolaryngology |
Experience & Service
Faculty Academic Appointments
Professor, Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 2015 - 2018
Adjunct Associate Professor, Bioengineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 2007 - 2008
Associate Professor, Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 2002 - 2008
Assistant Professor, Head and Neck Surgery, UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 1996 - 2002
Instructor, Head and Neck Surgery, UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 1994 - 1995
Junior Faculty Associate, Head and Neck Surgery, UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, 1994 - 1994
Other Professional Positions
Member, NIDCR Special Emphasis Study Section Committee, NIDCR, 2023 - Present
Adjunct Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 2021 - 2022
Adjunct Professor, Rice University, Houston, TX, 2018 - 2021
Alliance PI, MDA/Rakuten Medical Strategic Alliance, JSC Voting Member, MDA/Rakuten, 2016 - Present
Adjunct Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 2011 - 2012
Adjunct Professor, Rice University, Houston, TX, 2010 - 2013
Adjunct Associate Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, 2010 - 2011
Intramural Institutional Committee Activities
Member, Laser Safety Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2017 - Present
Associate Member, Institutional Review Board 2 (IRB), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2011 - Present
Member, Search Committee, Chair, Dept. of Critical Care, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2004 - 2004
Member, ACB Faculty Advisory Task Force, UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, 2003 - 2003
Member, Faculty Health Committee, UT M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 2002 - 2002
Member, Proton Pump Inhibitor Task Force, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2001 - 2001
Member, Pediatric Critical Care Task Force, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2001 - 2001
Member, Education Council Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2001 - 2001
Chairman, Graduate Medical Education Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1999 - 2001
Vice Chairman, Graduate Medical Education Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1997 - 1998
Director, Head & Neck Surgery Core Curriculum Course, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1996 - 2003
Member, Women Faculty and Administrator Organization (WFAO) Steering Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1996 - 1998
Member, Case Management Executive Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1996 - 1997
Representative, Quality Assurance Representative, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1995 - 2001
Member, Utilization and Case Management Committee, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1995 - 1997
Editorial Activities
Editorial Board, Oral Oncology, 2005 - Present
Honors & Awards
| 2025 | Ranked in top 10% nationally by Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey, CGCAHPS |
| 2024 | Ranked in top 10% nationally by Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey, CGCAHPS |
| 2023 | Top Doctor of Houston - Otolaryngology, Castle Connolly |
| 2023 | Ranked in top 1% nationally by Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey, CGCAHPS |
| 2021 | Service Award, American Head and Neck Society, Cancer Prevention Service, American Head and Neck Society |
| 2018 | 2018 Top Performers, Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CGCAHPS) |
| 2002 | Honor Award, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery |
| 2001 | UT MD Anderson Educator of the Month Award, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center |
| 1996 | Triological Society Research Training Award |
| 1983 | Magna Cum Laude, Brown University |
| 1982 | Phi Beta Kappa, Brown University |
Professional Memberships
Selected Presentations & Talks
National Presentations
- 2024. A Multiscale Optical Imaging Approach to Real-Time Surgical Margin Assessment in Oral Cancer Surgery. Conference. AHNS 2024 COSM Meeting. Chicago, IL, US.
International Presentations
- 2023. Safety and efficacy findings from a phase 1b/2 open-label study of a novel combination of ASP-1929 photoimmunotherapy with anti-PD-1 therapy in EGFR-expressing advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Conference. AHNS 11th International Conference on Head and Neck Cancer. Montreal, CA.
- 2022. Photodynamic Therapy and Photodiagnosis Update. Invited. PDT-PDD 2022 Symposium. Nancy, FR.
Grant & Contract Support
| Date: | 2024 - 2029 |
| Title: | AccessPath: A Low-Cost, Rugged, End-to-End System for Slide-Free Pathology Based on Computational Microscopy and Pan-Cancer Targeted Vital Dyes |
| Funding Source: | ARPA-H PSI |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | D24AC00296 |
| Date: | 2023 - 2028 |
| Title: | The Center for Innovation and Translation of Point of Care Technologies for Equitable Cancer Care |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | U54EB034652-01 |
| Date: | 2022 - 2027 |
| Title: | Deep Learning Microscope for Slide-free and Digital Histology |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NCI |
| Role: | Co-PI |
| ID: | 1R01DE032051-01 |
| Date: | 2021 - 2026 |
| Title: | Developing a Clinical Trial Platform for Local Delivery of Immunotherapy |
| Funding Source: | Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | RP210176 |
| Date: | 2021 - 2026 |
| Title: | Deep Learning Image Analysis Algorithms to Improve Oral Cancer Risk Assessment for Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders |
| Funding Source: | NIH/NIDCR |
| Role: | Co-I |
| ID: | R01-DE030656 |
| Date: | 2019 - 2025 |
| Title: | Randomized Phase II/III Trial of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Versus Elective Neck Dissection for Early-Stage Oral Cavity Cancer |
| Funding Source: | NRG Oncology |
| Role: | Collaborator |
| ID: | 2020-0277 |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Hou H, Wu J, Liu J, Boominathan V, Shende A, Goli K, Carns J, Schwarz RA, Gillenwater AM, Ramalingam P, Salcedo MP, Schmeler KM, Tkaczyk TS, Robinson JT, Veeraraghavan A, Richards-Kortum RR. Deep-learning endomicroscope with large field-of-view and depth-of-field for real-time in vivo imaging of epithelial cancer hallmarks. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 123(20):e2602705123, 2026. e-Pub 2026. PMID: 42113975.
- Trinconi Cunha M, Sewastjanow-Silva M, Holsinger FC, Garden AS, El-Naggar AK, Myers JN, Lewin J, Gillenwater AM, Lee JJ, Khuri FR, Diaz EM Jr, Ferrarotto R. Chemotherapy alone for stage II-IVa laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma: A 20-year follow-up. Cancer 131(23):e70177, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 41250807.
- Mitbander, R, Carns, J, Schwarz, RA, Anderson, S, Vipulanandan, G, Hernandez, M, Hartzell, AE, Jiao, J, Rutkowska, I, Durab, S, Sadeghi, S, Clayton, AD, Bass, NE, Anandasivam, L, Giese, RA, Gillenwater, AM, Vigneswaran, N, Richards-Kortum, R. Optimization of a mobile imaging system to aid in evaluating patients with oral lesions in a dental care setting. Biophotonics Discovery 2(4), 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 42028297.
- Mitbander R, Carns J, Schwarz RA, Anderson S, Vipulanandan G, Hernandez M, Hartzell AE, Jiao J, Rutkowska I, Durab S, Sadeghi S, Clayton AD, Bass N, Anandasivam L, Giese RA, Gillenwater AM, Vigneswaran N, Richards-Kortum R. Optimization of a mobile imaging system to aid in evaluating patients with oral lesions in a dental care setting. Biophotonics Discov 2(4):042307, 2025. e-Pub 2025.
- Cognetti DM, Curry JM, Johnson J, Kwon M, Su SY, Civantos F, Olazagasti C, Valentino J, Arnold SM, Bell RB, Gibson MK, Mannion K, Van Abel KM, Price KA, Dong H, Thorne AH, Suzuki T, Gillenwater AM. Safety and Efficacy Findings From a Phase Ib/II Study of ASP-1929 Photoimmunotherapy With Pembrolizumab in Recurrent and/or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Head Neck, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 40852760.
- Mitbander R, Brenes D, Coole JB, Kortum A, Vohra IS, Carns J, Schwarz RA, Varghese I, Durab S, Anderson S, Bass NE, Clayton AD, Badaoui H, Anandasivam L, Giese RA, Gillenwater AM, Vigneswaran N, Richards-Kortum R. Development and Evaluation of an Automated Multimodal Mobile Detection of Oral Cancer Imaging System to Aid in Risk-Based Management of Oral Mucosal Lesions. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 18(4):197-207, 2025. e-Pub 2025. PMID: 39817650.
- Jin, L, Tang, Y, Coole, J, Tan, MT, Zhao, X, Badaoui, H, Robinson, JT, Williams, MD, Vigneswaran, N, Gillenwater, AM, Richards-Kortum, R, Veeraraghavan, A. DeepDOF-SE. Nature communications 15(1), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38580633.
- John E, Lesluyes T, Baker TM, Tarabichi M, Gillenwater A, Wang JR, Van Loo P, Zhao X. Reconstructing oral cavity tumor evolution through brush biopsy. Sci Rep 14(1):22591, 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 39343812.
- Hou, H, Carns, J, Schwarz, RA, Gillenwater, AM, Anandasabapathy, S, Richards-Kortum, R. Use of topical methylene blue to image nuclear morphometry with a low-cost scanning darkfield microendoscope. Journal of biomedical optics 29(5), 2024. e-Pub 2024. PMID: 38774711.
- Hou H, Tang Y, Coole JB, Kortum A, Schwarz RA, Carns J, Gillenwater AM, Ramalingam P, Milbourne A, Salcedo MP, Schmeler KM, Richards-Kortum RR. Scanning darkfield high-resolution microendoscope for label-free microvascular imaging. Biomed Opt Express 14(10):5097-5112, 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37854554.
- Mansour J, Nesbitt B, Khanjae S, Horowitz G, Amit M, Muhanna N, Hofstede TM, Gillenwater A. The Feasibility and Outcome of Integra® Bilayer Matrix in the Reconstruction of Oral Cavity Defects. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37717219.
- Zhang X, Gleber-Netto FO, Wang S, Jin KW, Yang DM, Gillenwater AM, Myers JN, Ferrarotto R, Pickering CR, Xiao G. A Deep Learning Onion Peeling Approach to Measure Oral Epithelium Layer Number. Cancers (Basel) 15(15), 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 37568707.
- Zhang X, Gleber-Netto FO, Wang S, Martins-Chaves RR, Gomez RS, Vigneswaran N, Sarkar A, William WN, Papadimitrakopoulou V, Williams M, Bell D, Palsgrove D, Bishop J, Heymach JV, Gillenwater AM, Myers JN, Ferrarotto R, Lippman SM, Pickering CR, Xiao G. Deep learning-based pathology image analysis predicts cancer progression risk in patients with oral leukoplakia. Cancer Med 12(6):7508-18. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36721313.
- William WN, Zhang J, Zhao X, Parra ER, Uraoka N, Lin HY, Peng SA, El-Naggar AK, Rodriguez-Canales J, Song J, Gillenwater AM, Wistuba II, Myers JN, Gold KA, Ferrarotto R, Hwu P, Davoli T, Lee JJ, Heymach JV, Papadimitrakopoulou VA, Lippman SM. Spatial PD-L1, immune-cell microenvironment, and genomic copy-number alteration patterns and drivers of invasive-disease transition in prospective oral precancer cohort. Cancer. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36597662.
- Coole, J, Brenes, D, Mitbander, R, Vohra, IS, Hou, H, Kortum, A, Tang, Y, Maker, Y, Schwarz, RA, Carns, J, Badaoui, H, Williams, MD, Vigneswaran, N, Gillenwater, AM, Richards-Kortum, R. Multimodal optical imaging with real-Time projection of cancer risk and biopsy guidance maps for early oral cancer diagnosis and treatment. Journal of biomedical optics 28(1), 2023. e-Pub 2023. PMID: 36654656.
- Bouvard, V, Nethan, ST, Singh, D, Warnakulasuriya, S, Mehrotra, R, Chaturvedi, A, Chen, TH, Ayo-Yusuf, O, Gupta, PC, Kerr, AR, Tilakaratne, WM, Anantharaman, D, Conway, DI, Gillenwater, AM, Johnson, NW, Kowalski, LP, Leon, ME, Mandrik, O, Nagao, T, Prasad, VM, Ramadas, K, Roitberg, F, Saintigny, P, Sankaranarayanan, R, Santos-Silva, AR, Sinha, DN, Vatanasapt, P, Zain, RB, Lauby-Secretan, B. IARC Perspective on Oral Cancer Prevention. New England Journal of Medicine 387(21):1999-2005, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36378601.
- Brenes DR, Nipper AJ, Tan MT, Gleber-Netto FO, Schwarz RA, Pickering CR, Williams MD, Vigneswaran N, Gillenwater AM, Sikora AG, Richards-Kortum RR. Mildly dysplastic oral lesions with optically-detectable abnormalities share genetic similarities with severely dysplastic lesions. Oral Oncol 135:106232. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36335817.
- Contrera KJ, Zafereo ME, Yaniv D, Roberts DB, Gillenwater AM, Hanna EY, Weber RS, Myers JN, Chang EI, Garvey PB, Hanasono MM, Yu P, Hutcheson KA, Fuller CD, Tyler MA, Neskey DM. Outcomes for recurrent oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. Oral Oncol 134:106127, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36155359.
- Wise-Draper TM, Gulati S, Palackdharry S, Hinrichs BH, Worden FP, Old MO, Dunlap NE, Kaczmar JM, Patil Y, Riaz MK, Tang A, Mark J, Zender C, Gillenwater AM, Bell D, Kurtzweil N, Mathews M, Allen CL, Mierzwa ML, Casper K, Jandarov R, Medvedovic M, Lee JJ, Harun N, Takiar V, Gillison M. Phase II Clinical Trial of Neoadjuvant and Adjuvant Pembrolizumab in Resectable Local-Regionally Advanced Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Clin Cancer Res 28(7):1345-1352, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35338369.
- Contrera KJ, Chinn SB, Weber RS, Roberts D, Myers JN, Lai SY, Lewis CM, Hessel AC, Gillenwater AM, Mulcahy CF, Yu P, Hanasono MM, Fuller CD, Chambers MS, Zafereo ME. Outcomes after definitive surgery for mandibular osteoradionecrosis. Head Neck. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35238096.
- Cognetti DM, Johnson JM, Curry JM, Kochuparambil ST, McDonald D, Mott F, Fidler MJ, Stenson K, Vasan NR, Razaq MA, Campana J, Ha P, Mann G, Ishida K, Garcia-Guzman M, Biel M, Gillenwater AM. Phase 1/2a, open-label, multicenter study of RM-1929 photoimmunotherapy in patients with locoregional, recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Head Neck 43(12):3875-3887, 2021. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34626024.
- Dahlstrom KR, Anderson KS, Guo M, Kwon MC, Messick CA, Pettaway CA, Asomaning N, Hopper M, Price A, Xu L, Day AT, Gillenwater AM, Sturgis EM. Screening for HPV-related oropharyngeal, anal, and penile cancers in middle-aged men: Initial report from the HOUSTON clinical trial. Oral Oncol 120:105397. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 34182223.
- Abdelmeguid AS, Silver NL, Boonsripitayanon M, Glisson BS, Ferrarotto R, Gunn GB, Phan J, Gillenwater AM, Hanna EY. Role of induction chemotherapy for oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma. Cancer. e-Pub 2021. PMID: 33909292.
Editorials
- Gillenwater, AM, Vigneswaran, N, Sikora, AG. Assessing the Role of Inflammation in Oral Tongue Carcinogenesis. Journal of Clinical Oncology 42(15):1729-1730, 2024. PMID: 38635939.
Abstracts
- Coole J, Mitbander R, Brenes D, Vohra I, Hou H, Kortum A, Tang Y, Schwarz R, Carns J, Badaoui H, Williams M, Vigneswaran N, Gillenwater A, Richards-Kortum R. Optical Imaging to Optimize Biopsy Site Location, 2021. e-Pub 2021.
- Curry JM, Fidler MJ, Johnson JM, Mott FE, Stenson K, Kochuparambil ST, McDonald DR, Tahara M, Vasan NR, Razaq MA, Campana JP, Ha P, Parmar H, Mann G, Ishida K, Cognetti DM, Gillenwater AM. RM-1929 photoimmunotherapy in patients with locoregional, recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (rHNSCC): Efficacy and safety results from a subgroup analysis in anti-PD1 treated and anti-PD1 naïve patients, 2021. e-Pub 2021.
- Cognetti DM, Kochuparambil ST, Arron S, Yoshikawa H, Ishida K, Hou J, Gillenwater AM. Proof of concept for treating cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma with RM-1929 photoimmunotherapy: case examples of lesions with cutaneous involvement from a phase 1/2a trial of patients with recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, 2021. e-Pub 2021.
- P-J L, Gillenwater AM, Cognetti DM, Johnson JM, Arron S, Tahara M. A global phase 3 multicenter, randomized, double-arm, open-label trial of ASP-1929 photoimmunotherapy vs. physician’s choice standard of care for the treatment of patients with locoregional, recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (rHNSCC), 2021. e-Pub 2021.
- Mitbander R, Coole J, Brenes D, Kortum A, Vohra I, Carns J, Schwarz R, Badaoui H, Anandasivam L, Giese R, Vigneswaran N, Gillenwater A, Richards-Kortum R. Mobile-based Imaging System for Early Detection of Oral Premalignant Lesions at the Point of Care, 2021. e-Pub 2021.
Patents
- Richards-Kortum R, Utzinger U, Svistun ES, Gillenwater A. Vision Enhancement System for Improved Detection of Epithelial Neoplasia and Other Conditions. Patent Number: US 7,365,844 B2.
- Richards-Kortum R, Schwarz RA, Gillenwater AM. Depth-Resolved Spectroscopy Method and Apparatus. Patent Number: US 7,499,161 B2.
- Utzinger U, Durkin AJ, Fuchs H, Gillenwater AM, Heintzelman DL, Richards-Kortum RR. Combined fluorescence and reflectance spectroscopy. Patent Number: US 6,571,118.
Patient Reviews
CV information above last modified August 12, 2026