D. Gregory Farwell, MD, FACS
Otorhinolaryngology
Accepting new patients
Sees patients age 18 and up
Penn Otorhinolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Perelman
Make an appointmentCall 800-789-7366
Penn Medicine Provider

About me

  • Chair, Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
  • Gabriel Tucker Professor of Otorhinolaryngology

D. Gregory Farwell, MD, FACS, is Chair of Penn Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Farwell specializes in head and neck cancer surgery, thyroid/parathyroid surgery, advanced facial skin cancer surgery, and microvascular reconstruction.

As Chair of Penn Ear, Nose, and Throat, Dr. Farwell is committed to providing patients with compassionate, contemporary, evidence-based care, and significantly advancing the field of otorhinolaryngology to create the next gold standard in head and neck surgery.

Dr. Farwell has published well over 100 peer-reviewed papers and is a leader in the field of head and neck cancer surgery.  He has been invited to give over 300 presentations across the world on the best ways to treat and rehabilitate patients with cancer of the head and neck. 

Dr. Farwell sees patients at the Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine.

Education and training

  • Medical School: Washington University School of Medicine
  • Residency: Virginia Mason Franciscan Health
  • Residency: University of Washington

What my patients think about me

Average Rating

371 reviews

Comments are submitted by patients and reflect their views and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of Penn Medicine.

January 2026
super knowledgeable
January 2026
dr farwell is kind, understanding and thorough. he takes his time with each patient and doesn't rush out the door.
December 2025
explains things very well
December 2025
dr farwell has been a wonderful and supportive provider for my health issue. takes time to put me at ease

Insurance accepted

My Locations

Penn Medicine hospital privileges

  • Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
  • Pennsylvania Hospital: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
  • Penn Presbyterian Medical Center: Has privileges to treat patients in the hospital.
Dr. Farwell is a Penn Medicine physician.

Qualifications and experience

Treatments and Conditions

My research

Wang SY, Turner G, Valdes-Morales KL, Hunter ER, Kim M, Tran VA, Polen K, Haynes D, Miller CJ, Etzkorn JR, Sobanko JF, Walker JL, Zhang J, Brody RM, Cannady SB, Rajasekaran K, Farwell DG, Miura JT, Karakousis GC, Lukens JR, Amaravadi RK, Schuchter LM, Mitchell TC, Higgins HW, Carey RM Accuracy of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy in Head and Neck Merkel Cell Carcinoma: Predictors of Biopsy Failure and Nodal Metastasis , JAMA Otolaryngology Head Neck Surgery: 2026

Rajasekaran K, Gentile M, Lukens JR, Newman JG, Chalian AA, Rassekh CH, Farwell DG, Lin A, Naik A, Kaye ER, Brody RM, O’Malley BW, Weinstein G, Cao A, Halle TR, Basu D, Cannady SB, Gobillot TA, Lee JJ Risk of occult contralateral neck metastasis in early-stage HPV-related lateralized cancer of the base of tongue , Head & Neck: 2025

Gobillot TA, Weinstein G, Cao A, Lee JJ, Brody RM, Basu D, O'Malley BW Jr, Farwell DG, Cannady S, Lin A, Lukens J, Gentile M, Newman JG, Chalian AA, Sun L, Lakshmipathy D, Cohen RB, Rasskeh CH, Rajasekaran K. Outcomes of HPV+ oropharyngeal carcinoma of unknown primary following transoral robotic surgery , Laryngoscope: 2025

Henderson Douglas, Knoedler Leonard, Niederegger Tobias, Fenske Jakob, Mathieu Olivier, Hundeshagen Gabriel, Heiland Max, Cetrulo Curtis L., Farwell D. Gregory, Lechien Jerome R., Lellouch Alexandre G. What are the functional outcomes of total laryngeal transplantation? A systematic review of preclinical and clinical studies , Frontiers in Immunology, 16: 2025

Gates JC, Abouyared M, Shnayder Y, Farwell DG, Day A, Alawi F, Moore M, Holcomb AJ, Birkeland A, Epstein J. Clinical Management Update of Oral Leukoplakia: A Review from the American Head and Neck Society Cancer Prevention Service , Head and Neck Pain: 2024

Yuan N, Hassan M, Ehrlich K, Weyers B, Biddle G, Ivanovic V, Raslan OA, Dui D, Abouyared M, Bewley AF, Birkeland AC, Farwell DG, Marcu L, Qi J. Early Detection of Lymph Node Metastasis Using Primary Head and Neck Cancer Computed Tomography and Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging. , Diagnostics, 14(18): 2024,2097

Candelo E, Farwell DG, et al The Global Experience of Laryngeal Transplantation: Series of Eleven Patients in Three Continenta , Laryngoscope: 2024

Evangelista L, Nativ-Seltzer N, Bewley A, Birkeland AC, Abouyared M, Kuhn M, Cates DJ, Farwell DG, Belafsky P Functional Laryngectomy and Quality of Life in Survivors of Head and Neck Cancer with Intractable Aspiration , JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 150(4): 2024,335-341

Hassan MA, Weyers BW, Bec J, Fereridouni F, Qi J, Gui D, Bewley AF, Abouyared M, Farwell DG, Birkeland AC, Marcu L Anatomy-Specific Classification Model Using Label-free FLIm to Aid Intraoperative Surgical Guidance of Head and Neck Cancer , IEEE Trans Biomed Eng, 12: 2023

Gerber BB, Chen J, Beliveau A, Farwell DG, Birkeland AC Using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 to improve depression screening in head and neck cancer patients , Am J Otolaryngol , 44(2): 2023,103724