Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery

The Department of Otolaryngology at the Medical University holds as its mission the commitment to improving the quality of life of individuals and families through patient care, teaching, and the discovery of new knowledge. We believe that through the exceptional care of patients, the firm dedication to educating future otolaryngologists and the vital performance of research, the department is achieving its mission.

Faculty

The heart and soul of any department are, of course, its faculty. Our clinical enterprise consists of 22 full-time physicians, 20 audiologists, and 12 NPs/PAs. Our subspecialties include the following:

• Allergy.
• Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
• Head and Neck Oncology.
• Laryngology.
• Maxillofacial.
• Otology & Neurotology.
• Pediatric Otolaryngology.
• Rhinology & Sinus Surgery.
• Sleep & Breathing Disorders.

Our research enterprise consists of eight doctorate-level and three masters-level scientists, representing the following subspecialties:

• Allergy & Immunology.
• Auditory Neuroscience.
• Tumor Biology.
• Voice and Swallowing.

Among their many other accomplishments, these faculty members have successfully competed for NIH and other government supported funding, worked closely with the Governor’s office on strategies for head and neck cancer prevention in South Carolina, and received both the University’s “Teacher of the Year” and “Clinician of the Year” awards.

Our Team

• Faculty and Staff

Technology

The department recently expanded into new academic space, totaling more than 7,000 square feet. This consolidated area includes a library-conference room for administrative and educational meetings. Our state-of-the-art Dissection Laboratory is designed for multi-specialty use, including: temporal bone, sinus and microvascular surgery. The 11 laboratory stations are equipped with:

• Anspach drills.
• BrainLab image guided equipment.
• Gyrus soft tissue shavers/drills.
• Storz telescopes and hand instruments.
• Zeiss microscopes.

Education

The Department’s growth has allowed our teaching mission to significantly expand, with a number of annual CME courses for practitioners and subspecialty conferences for residents.

Conferences & Courses

• Carolinas Pediatric Airway Course.
• Charleston Otolaryngology Literature Update Course.
• Charleston Pediatric ENT Update.
• Charleston Pharyngoesophageal Training Program.
• Charleston Rhinology - Sinus Surgery Course.
• Charleston Temporal Bone Dissection Course.
• Charleston Vestibular Update.
• Pediatric Audiology Conference.
• Putney Lectureship on Head and Neck Cancer.

Undergraduate Medical Education - Otolaryngology Courses

• OTOL 850 - Otolaryngology Primary Care (PDF)
• OTOL 851 - Otolaryngology Externship (PDF)
• OTOL 853 - Community Based Otolaryngology (PDF)
• OTOL 854 - Otorhinolaryngology SC (PDF)
• OTOL 860 - Head and Neck Surg Onc Externship (PDF)

Research

The Auditory Neuroscience division has a long and successful history of NIH funding, including a Program Project Grant now in its 23rd year. Our NIH support places us 10th nationally for departments of otolaryngology. The department's research budget for the fiscal year 2010 exceeded $5.5 million and involved the following major areas:

• Auditory Neuroscience.
• Tumor Biology.
• Immunology & Allergy.
• Swallowing Physiology.

Currently, the department is engaged in 13 head and neck cancer clinical trials and 16 other clinical trials representing almost all subspecialty areas.

Programs

The following centers of excellence have been established by the faculty.

• Audiology and Hearing Aids.
• Aural Atresia and Microtia Program.
• Cochlear Implant Program.
• Craniofacial Anomalies and Cleft & Lip Palate Team.
• Endoscopic Skull Base Program.
• Evelyn Trammell Institute for Voice and Swallowing.
• Facial Paralysis Program.
• Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
• Maxillofacial Prosthodontics.
• Minimally Invasive Salivary Gland Surgery.
• Pediatric Airway & Aspiration Program.
• Pediatric ENT.
• Skull Base Surgery Center.
• Sinus Center.
• Sleep & Facial Skeletal Surgery.
• Snoring and Sleep Apnea Center.
• Velopharyngeal Insufficiency Team.
• Vestibular and Balance Program.
• Wendy & Keith Wellin Head and Neck Tumor Center.

These Centers of Excellence offer superb multidisciplinary clinical care and provide structure for clinical and basic research and for teaching initiatives.