Mark A. Varvares, M.D.: 1958-2026

Mark A. Varvares, M.D.: 1958-2026

Mark A. Varvares, M.D. (Med '86), a nationally recognized leader in otolaryngology and former director of the Saint Louis University Cancer Center, died Wednesday, May 20, 2026. He was 67 years old.

"His passing leaves an enormous void in the hearts of those at Saint Louis University who were honored to work with and be taught by him," said Jastin Antisdel, M.D., professor and the Donald and Marlene Jerome Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at SLU.

Varvares grew up in Florissant, Missouri, and attended McCluer Senior High School before undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia. After a year of dental school, he decided that medicine, not dentistry, would be his career path. He graduated magna cum laude from Saint Louis University School of Medicine, where he was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society.

His first year of training in otolaryngology and head and neck surgery was at Saint Louis University. He completed his otolaryngology residency and a one-year fellowship in head and neck ablative and reconstructive surgery at Harvard-Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI). After that, Varvares advanced in his career at both Harvard and Saint Louis University.

He was an assistant professor of otolaryngology at SLU from 1994 to 1996 and then returned to the Harvard faculty. In 2003, he came back to St. Louis to become chair of the Department of Otolaryngology at the SLU School of Medicine. Three years later, he was also named director of the Saint Louis University Cancer Center. In 2008, he became the first incumbent of the Donald and Marlene Jerome Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at SLU.

Varvares returned to MEEI in 2015. From 2021 to 2026, he was chair of otolaryngology - head and neck surgery at MEEI and Harvard, and the William W. Montgomery and John W. Merriam Professor of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at Harvard Medical School.

"Even after leaving SLU, Mark was a kind, thoughtful and impactful member of the School of Medicine's dean's advisory board," said Christine Jacobs, M.D., vice president for medical affairs and the Gerald A. Maguire, M.D., and Joanne S. Maguire Cura Personalis Dean of the School of Medicine at SLU.

In 2017, Saint Louis University established the Mark A. Varvares Endowed Lectureship Fund to honor him for developing the University's multidisciplinary head and neck oncology program and for his service as director of the SLU Cancer Center.

Varvares' clinical and research interests included all areas of head and neck surgical oncology, including major ablative and reconstructive surgery of the head and neck with a focus on the oral cavity, the impact that surgical pathology of head and neck cancers has on oncologic outcomes, intraoperative imaging in oral cancer resections, the functional evaluation of patients undergoing treatment for cancer of the oral cavity, and how to optimize the functional outcomes. He also advocated for the benefits of music therapy for patients with cancer.

A couple of years ago, as Varvares underwent treatment himself for leukemia, he reflected on the experience in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"There is an indescribable feeling to be treating cancer while also being treated for cancer," he wrote. "Today, my clinical care comes with a different focus and purpose. As I see patients I may not have seen for nine months, the interaction is intense and moving, and I feel a new kinship with them. The way in which we engage has fundamentally changed."

‌Varvares is survived by his wife, Chris Varvares (DCHS '85) and three daughters, Alexis, Sophie and Tessa; sons-in-law Drew and Henry; grandchildren Rhea, Lincoln and Eleanor; siblings Teddy Hart and Chris Varvares; and many loved ones, colleagues and patients.

A visitation will be held on Friday, May 29, from 5-8 p.m., at Kutis South County Chapel, 5255 Lemay Ferry Rd., Mehlville, Missouri, 63129.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be made to the Mark A. Varvares Resident Education and Travel Fund, which helps to train and inspire the next generation of physicians.