Chetan S. Nayak, MD

Philosophy of care

I try to put myself in patients’ shoes and understand where they’re coming from. As a surgeon, I mainly deal with head and neck cancer, and I’m mindful of relational matters such as how to give someone a bad diagnosis and help patients make good decisions. I try to give people as much information as possible so they can intelligently and knowledgably weigh options about their care. If we’re talking about surgery, I try to draw diagrams to make the procedure more clear. We’re a multidisciplinary head and neck center, so patients can also talk to a radiation oncologist and medical oncologist and get all their questions answered at one time in a multidisciplinary conference with their family. You need support systems to get through these medical problems.

I am a member of the head and neck cancer and skin and soft tissue cancer multidisciplinary consultation teams. Together we review your diagnostic information and give you a written opinion reflecting the scope of your condition and recommendations for your best course of care. 

Why I entered medicine

I spent lot of time with one of my uncles at his clinic in India when I was younger, and got to see him take care of all types patients with all types of illnesses. That was the start of my interest. When I got into medical school, I became fascinated with head and neck anatomy. That led to my becoming a head and neck surgeon. From there I specifically became interested in cancer and trying to make a difference in patients with a bad diagnosis. That’s especially rewarding with the kind of surgeries I do, which require trying to both eradicate disease and maximize head and neck functions such as swallowing and speaking.

Community involvement

I recently moved to the area so have just begun delving into the local community. One thing I’d like to explore is participating in state professional organizations such as the Pennsylvania Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

Personal interests

I have school-age kids, so I am engaged in their activities on most weekends. Other than spending time with family, I enjoy taking my dog for hikes. I also play tennis, as I have since I was a kid, including in college. I’m a strong believer in trying to work out 30 to 60 minutes a day, whether that means doing cardio or lifting weights. And I’ve been trying to cook more using my smoker. I have to say, that’s still experimental at this point.