7 Quick Questions With Head and Neck Surgeon Nicole Fowler, MD

August 10, 2026

As a UVA Health head and neck surgeon, Nicole Fowler, MD, strives to comfort her patients at difficult times in their lives. She treats head and neck cancers, including HPV, thyroid cancer, and salivary gland masses. She also serves as director of the Division of Head and Neck Oncologic and Microvascular Surgery.

Meet a UVA Health Head and Neck Surgeon

Get to know more about Fowler and her clinical approach in these 7 quick questions.

1. What has most inspired and shaped your approach to patient care?

I teach residents. I teach fellows. You're always teaching in medicine, but I think the most important people that we teach are the patients. If they don't understand what their diagnosis is, what the recommendation is, what the plan is, then they don't have buy-in and then they're not necessarily going to do it.

Especially nowadays, I feel like our treatments have gotten so complicated. You could do radiation, you can do surgery. Well, maybe it's robotics. Or chemo or immunotherapy. It takes time to really talk to patients and explain things.

2. What's your favorite part of your job?

Can I have two? I'm a people person, so the favorite part of my job is being around people. But I also love surgery. To be able to get to do that every day is incredible.

3. What’s your biggest fear as a patient?

I guess everybody's phobia is that there's something really wrong. I'm totally healthy, but you still always have that tiny little kernel that they're going to find something that could be wrong.

4. What do you do for stress relief?

I love being outside and I love reading. So hiking, walking, biking, spending time with my kids. I have three boys, so there's always something going on at my house. They keep me very active. And then when I'm done with all of that, reading a good book is amazing.