Richard E. Hayden MD

Dr. Hayden was born in Canada, completed his BSc at Mount Allison University, his MSc at Edinburgh University, Scotland in Neurophysiology, his MD at McGill University and his Otolaryngology Residency at the University of Toronto.  He did fellowships in Head and Neck Surgery at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston and Radiation Oncology at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto.

He practiced at the University of Toronto from 1979-1983, at Washington University in St. Louis 1983-1991 and was recruited to the University of Pennsylvania in 1991 to create a Center for Head and Neck Cancer.  He became Chair of Otolaryngology at Allegheny/Drexel University in 1995-2002.  In 2002, Mayo Clinic Arizona recruited him as Chair of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, to establish an academic department and residency.  He is currently the Dean of the School of Health Sciences at Mayo Clinic Arizona, maintaining a busy Head and Neck Surgery practice and training residents and  fellows.

Dr. Hayden is recognized as one of the original pioneers of Advanced Microsurgical Reconstruction in the Head and Neck.  He began performing microvascular surgery in 1975 and went on in 1983 to create the first, and longest-running Fellowship in Microvascular Head and Neck Surgery.  He is currently training his 47th fellow.

In 1983 he pioneered the free flap procedure employing free skin flaps to reconstruct total laryngopharyngectomy defects and this technique remains the “standard of care” 43 years later.  In 1985 he pioneered the free flap procedure for reconstructing the total glossectomy defect while preserving the larynx, still the “standard of care”.

He was the earliest promoter within the H&N Surgery community of fibula flap reconstruction of maxillomandibular defects and demonstrated the first use of primary osseointegrated implants in the fibula for dental rehabilitation in 1991.

Dr Hayden has performed thousands of free flaps but for decades has advocated for less complicated pedicled flaps in cases where flaps such as the submental and supraclavicular can provide equal outcomes for the patient with less time, risk, cost and morbidity.

Dr. Hayden has over 130 peer-reviewed publications and travels extensively speaking on H&N reconstruction topics.