Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert now has an expert to treat cancer cases of the head and neck.

Dr. Harrison Cash recently became the newest member of the hospital’s surgical team.

Cash’s expertise is in treating a variety of different conditions affecting the head and neck with the exception of the spine and the brain. That includes skin cancers like melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma, as well as other cancers that affect the tongue, the throat, the windpipe, and the insides of the nose, scalp, face and ears.

“In medical school, I really gravitated toward focusing on head and neck surgery specifically because of the complexity — both of the anatomy in the region and also how it affected people who struggled with other problems in that area,” Cash said. “Any problem that happens in the head or neck region almost always has to affect one of your five senses, whether it’s sight, smell, hearing, touch, or taste. Being able to help people impacted by those things is really meaningful to me.”

Cash also focuses on cosmetic reconstruction to help people with defects caused by the cancer or its treatment. He said people can recover from cancer but still have wounds or other functional problems.

“Given the increasing population in the Valley, there’s definitely a need for a complex and comprehensive head and neck cancer surgery offering,” Cash said. “I am thrilled to bring my expertise to Banner MD Anderson and work alongside my wonderful colleagues for this community. I strive for people to have the best possible care when it comes to these nuanced cancer cases and really help them understand how to lower their risk.”

Cash grew up in Cleveland in a family where many worked in health care.

“My mom was a nurse, my grandmother was a nurse, and multiple aunts of mine were nurses, so I was always pretty close to health care one way or another,” Cash said.

Cash graduated from the University of Toledo with an undergraduate degree in pharmacy and from the University of Cincinnati with a master’s degree in physiology. He then attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University.

During that time, he completed a year of research at the National Institutes of Health, which had one of the most prominent head and neck cancer immunology and micro-environment labs at the time.

After finishing medical school, Cash completed his residency at the University of Washington. He comes to Banner MD Anderson from Seattle, where he most recently completed his Head and Neck Oncology and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship.

Cash and his wife own two cats. When not focused on treating cancer patients, he said the two of them enjoy skiing, biking, running outside and seeing live music.

"I feel immense gratitude to be part of the Banner system, contributing my skills and being a valuable member of this larger team," he said. "The collaborative environment at Banner MD Anderson is truly exceptional, and I aspire to complement and contribute to its ongoing success."