You play a key role in your treatment. You talk with your doctor about your treatment goals. Together, you choose the best care plan for you. We use minimally invasive surgical techniques, many of which were pioneered by our doctors.
Team-based thyroid clinic
Our Madison-based thyroid clinic provides complete care for cancerous and noncancerous thyroid tumors. The team includes endocrinologists, pathologists, surgeons and nurse practitioners.
When you come to the clinic for the first time, you’ll stay for a half-day. We’ll perform an ultrasound of your thyroid gland and a fine-needle biopsy of any thyroid nodules you have. We provide immediate biopsy results. We discuss treatment options and outline a care plan.
Better care for you through research
We are invested in providing the best possible care. Our doctors and scientists research treatments for all types of endocrine tumors and disorders.
To diagnose thyroid conditions, we study cells from a thyroid tumor under a microscope. We use a thin needle to collect the cells. This is called fine-needle aspiration.
Cushing’s syndrome
Hyperaldosteronism (Conn’s syndrome)
Pheochromocytoma
Appendiceal carcinoid tumors
Nonfunctional islet cell tumors
Carcinoid tumors
Pancreatic polypeptide-secreting tumor
Colonic carcinoid tumors
Pulmonary carcinoid tumors
Gastric carcinoid tumors
Rectal carcinoid tumors
Gastrinoma (Zollinger-Ellison syndrome)
Small intestinal carcinoid tumors
Glucagonoma
Somatostatinoma
Insulinoma
Vasoactive intestinal peptide-secreting tumor
Hyperparathyroidism
Parathyroid hyperplasia
Parathyroid cancer
Graves’ disease
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Advanced, innovative treatments
We use the most up-to-date, minimally invasive techniques for endocrine surgery. Treatments include:
Laparoscopic adrenalectomy
Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy
Parathyroid surgery
Radioguided parathyroidectomy
Thyroid surgery
Radioactive iodine
The endocrine surgery team at UW Health includes experts in endocrinology, pathology and surgery.
Courtney Balentine, MD, MPH, FACS
General SurgeryMolly Barrie, NP
General SurgeryAlexander Chiu, MD
General SurgeryDawn Elfenbein, MD, MPH, FACS
General SurgerySimon Holoubek, DO, MPH
General SurgeryKristin Long, MD, FACS, MPH
General Surgery
Thyroid cancer support group
The Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association sponsors a support group for thyroid cancer survivors, family members and friends. We share information, experiences and coping strategies.
Location: Wisconsin Institute of Medical Research Building, Room 5001A, 1111 Highland Ave., Madison, WI
Information: Contact Timothy Lau at (563) 580-3003 with any questions.
Our patients explain how parathyroid surgery at UW Health changed their lives.
We provide specialized endocrine surgery at UW Health clinics in Madison, Wis., and in Rockford, Ill.
East Madison Hospital Endocrine Surgery Clinic