The Department has demonstrated an incredible growth in its clinical volumes. Clinical productivity, as measured by work RVUs, jumped 100% during the 12 months ending November 30, 2010, compared with the comparable period a year earlier.
Clinical integration with Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center (external link) and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital (external link) has provided a firm foundation for the Department, which offers tertiary and quaternary care at Memorial Hermann facilities. More importantly, collaboration with these hospital partners has permitted the Department to build a seamless experience for patients with both simple and complex diseases and disorders of the ear, nose and throat and related structures.
Education
The ACGME Residency Review Committee for Otolaryngology (external link) assigned a new status to the Department’s Residency Program; the program received “continued accreditation” with a 3 year review cycle. This obviously represented a key milestone in rebuilding the Department. Dr. Samer Fakhri, the Department’s program director, organized the effort to regain full accreditation.
In June 2010, David Clark, MD, and Joseph R. Smolarz, MD, graduated from the residency program. Dr. Clark went on to a rhinology fellowship at California Sinus Institute under the mentorship of Winston Vaughan, MD. Dr. Smolarz went into private practice in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In addition, Seth Isaacs, MD, completed his rhinology fellowship. Dr. Isaacs joined the Cincinnati Sinus Institute, where he joined Thomas Tami, MD.
Research
Dr. Joanne Shaw joined the department as a post doctoral fellow after obtaining her PhD under Dr. Yong-Jun Liu of the Department Chairman of Immunology at MD Anderson. Her graduate work focused on the regulation of B-cell differentiation by dendritic cells. In addition, Dr. Ashoori joined as full-time research coordinator after completing a comprehensive landmark research project with Dr. Russell Kridel; the result of that effort, a manuscript, entitled “Long-term use and follow-up of irradiated homologous costal cartilage grafts in the nose,” was published in the Archives of Facial Plastics Surgery.
Dr. Amber Luong continued to develop a comprehensive translational science program that examines the mechanisms of chronic rhinosinusitis. She has a special interest in allergic fungal rhinosinusitis, specific CRS subtype that seems to be more prevalent here in the greater Houston area.
Patient Success Stories
Surgery to Remove a Suspicious Nodule on Thyroid
Rhinoplasty for Nasal Obstruction
Recovery from Thyroid Cancer
Regaining an Active Voice
Getting Relief from Tracheal Stenosis
Sinus Surgery Ends Four Years of Debilitating Symptoms
Other Noteworthy Events
2011 Advanced Rhinology Concepts announcement
Establishment of UTHealth Audiology
Launch of new web portal for UT ORL Update and ORL Progress Notes
Launch of the Department’s web portal for CME
2010 Nose Unplugged Webinar
2010 Healthy Voice Webinar
2010 Nasal Obstruction, Snoring and OSAS Webinar
Media
Losing your voice: when to keep quiet and when to see a doctor
Smoking, drinking, HPV linked to throat cancer
Steven Cantrell returns to the Dr. Oz Show
Man with lip tumor gets a second chance
Chronic migraine sufferers finding relief from an unlikely source
R. E. Alexander, N. N. Grant, A. Blitzer. The throat mass. In Differential Diagnosis in Otolaryngology (eds., M. Stewart and S. Selesnick). Thieme Medical Publishers (New York, NY). 2010.
N. N. Grant, L. Sulica, R. E. Alexander, A. Blitzer. Laryngeal paralysis and paresis. Laryngeal Evaluation (eds., K. Kendall and R. Leonard). Thieme Medical Publishers Inc. (New York, NY). 2010.