Shannon Wu, MD

Dr. Shannon Wu is a current third-year resident in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. Dr. Wu completed her undergraduate studies at University of California, Berkeley in Molecular and Cell Biology, and her medical school at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Wu is excited to the join the national Costs of Care network of thought leaders, working towards improving health care access and affordability.

My passion for health care affordability first stemmed from a young age, as I watched family members with serious illnesses navigate the complexities of the health system. Having a cancer diagnosis is life-altering in itself; no patient’s immediate next thought should be, “How am I going to pay for this?” Throughout my clinical training, I have gained a deeper understanding of the profound stress associated with the cost of cancer care and its consequences, ranging from maladaptive coping strategies to the worsening of existing health inequities.

During my surgical training, I have continued to witness how financial hardship negatively impacts quality of life and treatment adherence in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). As an aspiring head and neck surgical oncologist specializing in microvascular reconstruction, I am especially drawn to caring for this patient population. HNC affects some of the core functions that define our social and physical lives, from communicating to eating to breathing. HNC is also one of the costliest cancers to treat. Based on the findings of prior work on this topic, patients with HNC have been shown to be at particularly higher risk of financial hardship due to expensive multimodal treatments, representation from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, HNC-specific treatment effects, delayed return to work, and lower likelihood of self-reporting financial concerns.

Based on these findings, I am looking forward to delving deeper into research and advocacy for HNC care affordability as the incoming Costs of Care Fellow. I am very excited to join the Costs of Care team and work alongside leaders in the field. I hope to implement actionable changes to improve HNC care access and survivorship. Outside of medicine, surgery, and research, I also enjoy cycling, skiing, and exploring local coffee shops.

Selected publications:

Wu SS, Chen MM. Cost-of-Care Conversations—Time to Break the Ice? JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. Published online May 7, 2026. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2026.0840

Wu SS, Colevas AD, Martinez Ramirez L, et al. Cost of Neoadjuvant Immunotherapy vs Up-Front Surgery in Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Post Hoc Analysis of a Nonrandomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2025;151(5):495-502. doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2025.0001

Wu SS, Ayoub NF, Chen MM, et al. Cost Comparison of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Versus Elective Neck Dissection in Early-Stage Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Head Neck. Published online February 16, 2026. doi:10.1002/hed.70200

Wu SS, Huynh J, Most SP. Patient-Centered Financial Analysis of Paramedian Forehead Flap Pedicle Takedown Time in Nasal Reconstruction. Facial Plast Surg Aesthet Med. Published online March 1, 2026. doi:10.1177/26893614261429315

Wu SS, Muralidharan J, Hui G, Ayoub NF. Healthcare Utilization Among Chronic Rhinosinusitis Patients Using Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Agonists. Int Forum Allergy Rhinol. 2026;16(2):218-222. doi:10.1002/alr.70097

Schafer RE, Quick JD, Blazel MM, et al. Accessibility of Neurotization in Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap Reconstruction: Inequities and Implications for Preauthorization. J Reconstr Microsurg. 2025;41(5):398-404. doi:10.1055/a-2404-1924

Wu SS, Rathi VK, Ross JS, Sethi RKV, Xiao R. Payer-Negotiated Prices for Telemedicine Services. J Gen Intern Med. 2022;37(13):3495-3497. doi:10.1007/s11606-022-07398-4

Wu SS, Rathi VK, Byrne PJ, et al. Variations in Payer-Negotiated Prices for Head and Neck Reconstructive Surgery. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2023;169(5):1154-1162. doi:10.1002/ohn.407