Department of Surgery
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

Specialties

Louise Davies, MD, MS

Professor

  • Division of Endocrine Surgery
  • Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

louise.davies@wisc.edu

600 Highland Avenue
Madison, WI 53792

Education

  • MD, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA
  • MS, Masters of Science - Health Services Research & Health Policy University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, WA
  • General Surgery Internship, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
  • Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Residency, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH
  • Senior fellowship Clinical Research, Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
  • Research Grant & Fellowship, Fulbright U.S. Global Research Scholar U.S. Department of State

Clinical Specialties

Dr. Davies is certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology. She specializes in surgical treatment of disorders of the thyroid and parathyroid glands, head and neck cancer, voice and swallowing disorders, and skin cancer. She has a dual appointments in the Department of Surgery – Division of Endocrine Surgery and the Department of Otolaryngology – Division of Head & Neck Surgical Oncology.

Dr. Davies provides a wide range of services including Thyroid Surgery, Thyroidectomy, Thyroid Lobectomy, Total Thyroidectomy, Resection Of Substernal Goiter, Parathyroid Surgery, Minimally Invasive Parathyroidectomy, Central Neck Dissection, Functional Neck Dissection, Modified Radical Neck Dissection, Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA), Neck Ultrasound, Parotidectomy, Vocal Cord Injection, Tracheostomy, Esophageal Dilation, Skin Cancer Reconstruction.

Research Interests

Dr. Davies is internationally recognized for her research on the epidemiology of thyroid cancer and its impact on population health. Her current projects focus on de-escalation of thyroid cancer treatment for appropriately selected patients to optimize outcomes while minimizing side effects and risks of treatment; and developing research evidence to optimize the patient experience and support joint decision making between physicians and their patients in healthcare for thyroid and head and neck cancer.

Recent Publications

  • Veterans Hospitals vs Non-Veterans Centers in the Prevention of Limb Loss.
    Ponukumati AS, Columbo JA, Joseph R, Berceli SA, Goodney PP, Davies L, Soybel DI, Scali ST, Stone DH
    JAMA Surg 2026 Mar 25;
    [PubMed ID: 41879754]

  • Overdiagnosis of Papillary Thyroid Cancer.
    Francis DO, Davies L, Zhang Y, Arroyo N, Fernandes-Taylor S, Nordby P, Cher BAY, Venkatesh M, Aiello Bowles EJ, Alagoz O
    JAMA Netw Open 2026 Feb 02; 9(2): e2559852
    [PubMed ID: 41733915]

  • Colorectal cancer T stage, size at diagnosis, and presentation 2017 to 2023: an analysis using Veterans Affairs data.
    Bellamkonda KS, Newton L, Korves C, Weinberger D, Zwain G, Eid M, Fowler X, Ponukumati A, Robertson DJ, Wilson MZ, Justice AC, Vashi A, Goodney PP, Davies L
    J Gastrointest Surg 2026 Apr; 30(4): 102344
    [PubMed ID: 41581587]

  • Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on thyroid cancer diagnoses in a comprehensive cancer center (2017-2023).
    Mann H, Dimon E, Zhang Y, Arroyo N, Adil A, Zhang Y, Alagoz O, Fernandes-Taylor S, Aiello Bowles EJ, Davies L, Francis DO
    PLoS One 2026; 21(1): e0340347
    [PubMed ID: 41538388]

  • Do discharge delays explain longer stays at veterans health administration hospitals?
    Lucas BP, Weinberger DM, Vashi AA, Smith J, Korves C, Justice AC, Neugaard BI, Davies L
    BMC Health Serv Res 2025 Dec 12; 25(1): 1595
    [PubMed ID: 41387858]

All Publications on PubMed