Pierre Lavertu, MD

About

Pierre Lavertu was born in Val-D’Or, Québec, Canada on July 11, 1952. He and his wife, Christiane, have three children: Stephane, Philippe and Catherine. Dr. Lavertu grew up in Québec and attended medical school at the University of Montréal, where he also completed a residency in otolaryngology and a fellowship in head and neck surgery. Following his time at University of Montréal, Dr. Lavertu completed a year of fellowship in head and neck surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation under the tutelage of Harvey M. Tucker, MD, before working for three years at Notre-Dame Hospital in Montréal. He returned to the United States and the Cleveland Clinic in 1986, where he eventually became head of the section of Head and Neck surgery and also served as vice-chairman and acting chairman. In 1998, Dr. Lavertu joined University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center as Director of Head and Neck Surgery and Oncology. He now serves as Vice-Chairman of Academic Affairs for the Ear, Nose & Throat Institute in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. He also served as medical director of the surgical oncology floor at the Seidman Cancer Center. In addition, Dr. Lavertu is a professor of Otolaryngology and Oncology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland.

Dr. Lavertu has spent his entire career treating head and neck cancer patients. Shortly after he joined the Cleveland Clinic, he became active in promoting multidisciplinary care for head and neck cancer patients. He was instrumental in creating a multidisciplinary tumor board at both UH and Cleveland Clinic and building active head and neck oncology programs that serve as leading regional referral centers. One of his earliest landmark contributions in the field occurred after he developed a relationship with medical oncologist David Adelstein and radiation oncologist Jerold Saxton; together, they developed the first regimen of concurrent chemotherapy and radiation for head and neck cancer as we know it today. To date, Dr. Lavertu has authored more than 100 publications, mainly related to the treatment of head and neck tumors and cancers. He also has delivered more than 200 lectures related to this topic.

Dr. Lavertu is a member of numerous otolaryngology societies and has served on many committees for most of these societies. He served twice as a council member of the American Head and Neck Society. He was also part of the group that merged the Society of Head and Neck Surgeons with the American Society for Head and Neck Surgery to create the AHNS in 1998. He was vice president of the Middle Section of the Triological Society. Additionally, Dr. Lavertu has served as a reviewer for many journals and on the editorial board of three major journals. He is the editor of the “How I Do It” section for The Laryngoscope. Dr. Lavertu continues to be active in the advancement of care and research related to head and neck cancer. In addition to his family and his work, he enjoys the game of curling during the winter and is an avid gardener during the summer.