2010 Highlights

December 15, 2010

 

Clinical Growth

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.

This clinical growth reflects a dramatic expansion of the scope of services provided by the Department. Presently, the Department offers subspecialty services for rhinology (Texas Sinus Institute), voice (Texas Voice Performance Institute), skull base (Texas Skull Base Physicians), pediatric ENT, facial plastic surgery, and head and neck surgery as well as a comprehensive audiology program.

Clinical integration with Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital 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 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

Publications