Dr. William Armstrong is a nationally recognized head and neck cancer surgeon at The University of California, Irvine.  He is a leader in management of head and neck cancer in Southern California and he treats patient referred from across the nation.  Minimizing the side effects from cancer treatment is a critical concern of Dr. Armstrong, and he has particular interest in advancing minimally invasive diagnostic and surgical treatments in the head and neck region.  With the latest technology at his disposal he is dedicated to using the latest techniques to treat head and neck cancer while preserving the voice, swallowing, and cosmesis.  Dr. Armstrong is actively involved in development of optical coherence tomography (OCT), through UCI and the Beckman Laser Institute; an imaging technique that has the potential to detect early cancer without biopsy.  He is developing endoscopic minimally invasive surgical treatments for thyroid and parathyroid masses and is a regional leader in this area.  Dr. Armstrong also is a member of the UCI skull base team.  In addition to patient care, Dr. Armstrong is involved in National Cancer Institute funded clinical trials for oral cancer prevention and Southwest Oncology Group clinical cancer trials. 

Dr. Armstrong has been a faculty member of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at UCI since July 1994.  He currently is Department Vice-Chair, and residency program director.  He formerly served as otolaryngology division chief at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, in Long Beach, CA.  Dr. Armstrong graduated from Pomona College in 1984, and from Medical School with honors from the University of Washington, School of Medicine (Seattle).  Dr. Armstrong completed his internship and residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Southern California.  He completed fellowship training in head and neck oncology and skull base surgery at Vanderbilt University before coming to Irvine. 

Dr. Armstrong is married to his wife Susan, and they have two young children William Harry, born December 2000 and Eric Byron born February 2002.  Recreational interests include jogging, cooking, planting fruit trees and participating in activities with his two boys.