• Use of Patient-specific 3D Printed Models in Preoperative Counseling for Pediatric Skull Base Surgery
  • A study was recently published in the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology that assesses the use of 3D models in preoperative parental and patient counseling prior to endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery in the pediatric population. The study was authored by several experts, including Amanda L. Stapleton, MD, from the UPMC Department of Otolaryngology, as well as Anish Ghodadra, MD, and Elliott Hammersley from the UPMC Department of Radiology.

• The 3-Dimensional Temporal Bone Dissection Manual: Operable Stepwise Models for Teaching Otologic Surgery
  • A study regarding operable models was recently published in the open access journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. The study was authored by several experts, including Noel Jabbour, MD, from the UPMC Department of Otolaryngology and Anish Ghodadra, MD, from the UPMC Department of Radiology.

• Scientists Discover Biological Mechanism of Hearing Loss Caused by Loud Noise – And Find a Way to Prevent It
  • Thanos Tzounopoulos, PhD, director of the Pittsburgh Hearing Research Center at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has focused his scientific career on investigating how hearing works and developing ways to treat tinnitus and hearing loss.
    
    In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Dr. Tzounopoulos and his Pitt collaborators Amantha Thathiah, PhD, and Chris Cunningham, PhD, discovered a molecular mechanism of noise-induced hearing loss and showed that it could be mitigated with medication.

• New AI Smartphone Tool Accurately Diagnoses Ear Infections
  • A new smartphone app developed by physician-scientists at UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to accurately diagnose ear infections, or acute otitis media (AOM), could help decrease unnecessary antibiotic use in young children, according to new research published in JAMA Pediatrics.

• Research from the UPMC Department of Otolaryngology
  • Recent research from the UPMC Department of Otolaryngology explores a variety of topics in ototoxicity, oropharyngeal cancer, survivorship, computer tests to assess ear canals, and more.
    • José P. Zevallos, MD, MPH, FACS, Eugene N. Myers, MD Professor and Chair, and professor and chairman, Department of Otolaryngology, and Angela L. Mazul, PhD, MPH, assistant professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, collaborated with colleagues from other institutions to published research in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship titled “Trends in Ototoxicity Monitoring Among Cisplatin-treated Patients with Cancer.”
    • Joseph M. Furman, MD, PhD, FACS, director, UPMC Center for Balance Disorders, and professor, Departments of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Neurology, Bioengineering, and Physical Therapy, and Jillyn J. Roxberg, AUD, published a study in the Journal of Vestibular Research with colleagues from Neurolign USA titled “The Vertical Computerized Rotational Head Impulse Test.”
    • In collaboration with external colleagues, Kevin J. Contrera, MD, MPH, assistant professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, recently published a new commentary in Cancer titled “The Role of Surgery and De-escalation for HPV-related Oropharyngeal Cancer.”

• UPMC Pituitary Center of Excellence
  • UPMC is proud to have some of the most skilled experts in the world treating pituitary and skull base tumors and lesions and providing life changing medicine to our patients by addressing pituitary issues. Otolaryngologists include:
    • Carl Snyderman, MD, MBA - Director, Center for Skull Base Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology
    • Eric Wang, MD - Department of Otolaryngology
    • Garret W. Choby, MD - Department of Otolaryngology

• PM&R and Otolaryngology Team Publish Research in Muscle & Nerve
  • Michael C. Munin, MD, physiatrist, UPMC Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Libby J. Smith, DO, laryngologist, UPMC Department of Otolaryngology, published “Utility of laryngeal electromyography for establishing prognosis and individualized treatment after laryngeal neuropathies” in the peer-reviewed journal Muscle & Nerve.

• Pittsburgh-area musician's customized tongue surgery saves his life and his 'purpose' - CBS Pittsburgh
  • When cancer threatened to silence a local musician, the surgery to save his life could also have ended his career. Two UPMC doctors, Kevin J. Contrera, MD, MPH, and Matthew Spector, MD, worked to re-imagine his surgery to make sure he wouldn't have to hang up his guitar.

• UPMC Department of Otolaryngology Welcomes Three New Faculty Members
  • The UPMC Department of Otolaryngology welcomed Chloe Santa Maria, MD, MPH, Peter Santa Maria, MD, PhD, and Greg Basura, MD, PhD, as the newest faculty members in the Department.

• Marci Nilsen PhD, RN, Joins Department of Otolaryngology
  • The Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery is pleased to announce that Marci Nilsen, PhD, RN, has officially joined the department as a professor in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and assumes the role of Director of the UPMC Head and Neck Cancer Survivorship Clinic.

• Dr. Maxwell Receives THRIVE Pilot Grant
  • Jessica Maxwell, MD, MPH, FACS, associate professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, associate program director for the Department of Otolaryngology, and chief of Otolaryngology at the Pittsburgh Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, was recently awarded a $50,000 Telehealth Research and Innovation for Veterans with Cancer (THRIVE) grant from the Office of Rural Health to improve treatment delays among Veterans with head and neck cancer.

• Ryan J. Soose, MD, received the "Excellence in Patient Care" award, with patients describing him as "very kind" and always "listening to their concerns."

• 12 UPMC Otolaryngologists Recognized on Pittsburgh Magazine’s Top Doctors List

These physicians are part of the Top Doctors® list, which is compiled by Castle Connolly. The Castle Connolly Top Doctor selection process is entirely merit-based. Castle Connolly’s peer-to-peer nominations and rigorous research process ensure only the most qualified physicians are included.

Otolaryngology

James E. Blaugrund, MD
Joseph Dohar, MD
Bridget C. Hathaway, MD
Jonas T. Johnson, MD
Seungwon Kim, MD
Andrew A. McCall, MD
Carl H. Snyderman, MD
Ryan Soose, MD
Shaum S. Sridharan, MD
Eric W. Wang, MD
José P. Zevallos, MD

Otolaryngology/Facial Plastic Surgery

Grant Gillman, MD

• UPMC Experts Deliver Free Care at Annual Mission of Mercy Event
  • Hundreds of volunteers, including faculty members, trainees, alumni, and staff from the UPMC Vision Institute, Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Health Sciences Communication Science and Disorders Department, and University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine delivered free care to patients in need at the eighth annual Mission of Mercy Pittsburgh event on Nov. 1 and 2 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh.

• Panel Discussion: Interesting Cases — Advanced Thyroid Cancer and Parathyroid Disease | UPMC
  • In this CME, Jessica Maxwell, MD, and colleagues discuss the radiographic and clinical findings of dedifferentiated thyroid cancer, review systemic therapeutic options for locally unresectable anaplastic/poorly differentiated thyroid cancer, and more.

• 2024 UPMC Multidisciplinary Thyroid Cancer Symposium
  • This event was designed to cover the most recent advances in the therapy of benign and malignant thyroid diseases, including methods of detection, treatment, and research. Attendees discussed current strategies and updates in diagnosis and management of hyperthyroidism, thyroid nodules and cancer, and surgical complications, based on the latest guidelines and newest technology.

• Advancements in Head and Neck Cancer Symposium
  • Attendees reviewed the following at this event:
    • The standard of care evaluation and treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, oropharynx (HPV negative), larynx, hypopharynx, nasopharynx, and paranasal sinus.
    • The standard of care evaluation and treatment of HPV positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
    • The standard of care evaluation and treatment of recurrent/metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

• First Advanced Course on Microvascular Reconstruction - Eye & Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh
  • On June 1, the University of Pittsburgh Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery hosted its first advanced course on microvascular reconstruction in head and neck surgery.

• Stories From the Road: Pittsburgh to Peru - Eye & Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh
  • The University of Pittsburgh Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and the Eye & Ear Foundation collaborated with Brother’s Brother Foundation to positively impact the otolaryngology-head and neck surgery landscape in Peru by providing equipment, expertise, and educational programs.
    
    Brother’s Brother Foundation (BBF) is a nonprofit organization with a long history of acquiring medical instruments and equipment to distribute to low-resource countries. The Department has a rich tradition of international outreach and dedication to training otolaryngologists from around the world. The Department’s founding Chair, Eugene N. Myers, MD, Past President of the Academy and the first American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) International Coordinator, has been a leader in training and mentoring otolaryngologists from around the globe for decades.

The current Chair of the Department, José P. Zevallos, MD, MPH, FACS, is dedicated to continuing this tradition of international outreach and training. Dr. Zevallos was born in Lima, Peru, and has developed strong relationships with the otolaryngology-head and neck surgery community in Peru. Recently, he has worked with Peruvian leaders in the field to discuss combined residency training, as is done in the United States. Currently, otolaryngology and head and neck surgery are separate training programs and specialties in Peru. There is a growing interest in developing combined training programs and more collaboration between the two specialties. Dr. Zevallos and the Department are poised to play a central role in these efforts.

• Addressing Otitis Media in Gorongosa - Eye & Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh
  • The Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery has partnered with health care leaders in the Gorongosa region of Mozambique to bring attention to otitis media and how to treat it. A small delegation from the Department and the Eye & Ear Foundation recently traveled there, hosted by the Carr Foundation. The contingent from Pittsburgh included Department Chair José P. Zevallos, Peter Santa Maria, MD, Chloe Santa Maria, MD, and Noel Jabbour, MD, as well as Eye & Ear Foundation CEO Lawton Snyder, and otolaryngology residents Dr. Nanki Hura and Dr. Khalil Baddour. They visited clinics and talked to health care workers throughout the region to understand the unmet medical needs of the community and how the Department may be able to collaborate to address these.

• Fostering Global Collaboration: Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery's Support for Ukraine’s ENT Community
  • One of the byproducts of the war in Ukraine is that that its ENT community is at risk for becoming increasingly isolated in the academic world. Travel to conferences, networking, and financial support for Continuing Medical Education (CME) have become more challenging. But an exciting collaboration between the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and the ENT community in Ukraine is providing them much needed educational support through various online CME lectures.