UPMC Department of Otolaryngology Welcomes New Faculty Members
May 3, 2023
The UPMC Department of Otolaryngology, along with the Division of Head and Neck Surgery and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, is pleased to welcome six new faculty members.
Angela Mazul, PhD
Angela Mazul, PhD, has joined the Department of Otolaryngology as an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of UPMC Hillman.
Dr. Mazul will focus on head and neck cancer epidemiology, including a focus on understanding and addressing health disparities in cancer presentation and outcomes. Her research will be in the areas of head and neck cancer epidemiology, with a specific emphasis on developing a robust head and neck cancer population-based study across the UPMC system. She will collaborate closely with faculty in the Department of Otolaryngology, as well as at UPMC Hillman. Dr. Mazul earned her PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her MPH at Tulane University. She was a T32 postdoctoral fellow at UNC’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Garret Choby, MD
Garret Choby, MD, will be joining the faculty in August 2023. Dr. Choby is a national leader in rhinology and endoscopic skull base surgery and will contribute immediately to the world-class rhinology and skull base program at UPMC. He received his medical degree from Penn State University College of Medicine and completed his residency at the University of Pittsburgh followed by a fellowship at Stanford University.
Kevin Contrera, MD, MPH
Kevin Contrera, MD, MPH, will also be joining the Department with a research focus on head and neck cancer clinical trial design and implementation. He received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and completed his residency at Cleveland Clinic Head and Neck Institute.
Christina Yver, MD
Christina Yver, MD, will join the Department with a research focus in facial nerve disorders. She received her medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and also completed her residency there within the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Yver’s clinical focus is facial plastic surgery and facial nerve reanimation.
Melissa McGovern, PhD
Melissa McGovern, PhD, will join the Department as an assistant professor and faculty member at the Pittsburgh Hearing Research Center. She received her doctorate from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and post-doctoral degree from Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. McGovern’s research focuses on the fundamental questions in the developmental biology and the regeneration of the cochlea.
Thomas Kaffenberger, MD
Lastly, Thomas Kaffenberger, MD, former UPMC ENT resident, and current Sleep Medicine fellow at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, will join the Sleep Division in September.
Learn more about the UPMC Department of Otolaryngology.
