About us

Andrew Salama, DDS, MD, is the chief of oral and maxillofacial surgery at Long Island Jewish Medical Center at Northwell. He specializes in head and neck cancer and microvascular reconstruction.Dr. Salama's path toward his specialty actually began in the waiting room of his oral and maxillofacial surgeon, when he was preparing to get his wisdom teeth removed as a college student. Amid the usual magazines were medical journals describing surgeries related to oral and maxillofacial surgery."I thought it was fascinating, and that led to dental school," he recalls. "On my very first day there, one of the oral and maxillofacial faculty presented a lecture on head and neck cancer, and I remember thinking, 'I want to do that.' It seemed like a dynamic specialty with evidence-based practice, and also one that offered the opportunity to build strong and longitudinal doctor-patient relationships."After graduating from the University of Maryland Dental School in 1999, Dr. Salama attended the University of Maryland School of Medicine, graduating in 2002. He did his residency in oral and maxillofacial surgery and then completed a two-year fellowship in head and neck oncologic surgery. He remained on faculty for four years before moving to Boston as the director of maxillofacial oncology at Boston University Medical Center. After 11 years in Boston, he joined Northwell in July 2021 with the aim of blending his leadership skills with patient care."Surgeons only spend about 15 to 20% of their time actually performing surgery, which means it's crucial to find activity that makes the other 80% of time meaningful," Dr. Salama explains. "People simply like working at Northwell; it's a happy place that provides high-quality health care. I came here because it's a supportive environment that is dedicated to positive patient outcomes."Although Dr. Salama enjoys keeping up with the innovations in his field and drawing on the collaborative environment within Northwell, what he appreciates most in his role are the connections he makes with patients."There's magic there, when you're working together toward better health," he says. "The relationship and trust between doctors and patients is a large part of what meaningful health care is about. Interacting with patients and their families, and finding solutions to their problems, is what makes me excited to come in every day."