David Goldenberg

Dr. David Goldenberg serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at Penn State University College of Medicine, with additional professorial appointments in the Department of Surgery and Department of Medicine. He also holds leadership positions at the Penn State Cancer Institute in Cancer Control. His clinical expertise spans head and neck cancers, thyroid cancers and parathyroid disease, and radiofrequency ablation of thyroid nodules.

Dr. Goldenberg earned his MD from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, completed an Otolaryngology Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, and undertook his Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Residency at Rambam Health Care Campus Israel.

His research program focuses on two main areas: thyroid cancer genomics in familial non-medullary thyroid cancer and radiation-induced thyroid cancer (basic science), and the outcomes and etiology of the rise in incidence of thyroid cancer (clinical research). Dr. Goldenberg has established himself as a leading authority in head and neck endocrine surgery, authoring over 260 journal articles, 40 book chapters, and eight books, including the comprehensive 'Head & Neck Endocrine Surgery - A Comprehensive Textbook, Surgical, and Video Atlas' (Thieme 2021).

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on thyroid cancer management, surgical outcomes, genomic aspects of head and neck cancers, and innovative techniques in thyroid nodule management. His work bridges clinical practice with molecular research, particularly examining HPV-related mechanisms in head and neck cancers and hormonal influences on thyroid malignancy.

• Best Doctors in America: Top Doctors (2011-2025)
• Castle Connolly Top Doctors (2009-2025)
• Distinguished Educator Award (2014)

As an educator, Dr. Goldenberg has recruited and retained talented surgeons while mentoring residents, fellows, and medical students. His leadership extends beyond Penn State as Executive Council Member and Director of Education for the American Head and Neck Society, Editor-in-Chief of Operative Techniques in Otolaryngology, and Past President of the Pennsylvania Academy of Otolaryngology. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and serves as Vice President of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Services at Penn State Health.