Six ORL Specialists Named Houstonia Top Doctors for 2018
Six members of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery have been selected as Houstonia Top Doctors by physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners in Greater Houston in the magazine’s sixth annual survey, the results of which were published in the August 2018 issue. They are Martin J. Citardi, MD; Ron Karni, MD; Amber Luong, MD, PhD; Soham Roy, MD, FACS, FAAP; William Yao, MD; and Sancak Yuksel, MD.
Martin J. Citardi, MD specializes in the treatment of complicated sinus and nasal disease and is a core member of the Texas Sinus Institute and Texas Skull Base Physicians. He is chief of otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and professor and chair of the department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. An internationally recognized ear, nose and throat surgeon, he has special interests in difficult-to-treat chronic sinusitis, revision sinus surgery, and minimally invasive surgery for tumors of the nose and sinuses.
Ron Karni, MD is chief of the division of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at Memorial Hermann-TMC and an associate professor who holds joint appointments in the department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the division of Medical Oncology at McGovern Medical School. A specialist in transoral robotic surgery (TORS) and thyroid/parathyroid surgery, Dr. Karni focuses his practice on the management of benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck, including throat cancer, oral cancer, larynx cancer, locally advanced skin cancer, salivary gland tumors and thyroid/parathyroid disease. He also leads a multidisciplinary ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration clinic for thyroid nodules and neck masses, as well as a survivorship clinic for head and neck cancer patients.
Amber U. Luong, MD, PhD runs a basic science lab at the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine focused on the role of innate immunity and environmental triggers on the pathophysiology of chronic sinus disease. She also serves as a co-director of the McGovern Medical School Rhinology and Skull Base Fellowship with Martin Citardi, MD, and William Yao, MD, an assistant professor. In addition to her basic science research, she is actively engaged in a number of industry-funded translational studies that directly stem from her interest in the relationship of chronic inflammation between the sinuses and lungs and in the role of innovation in management of chronic sinus disease. Both her basic science and translational research complement her clinical interest in the medical and surgical management of chronic sinus disease. She is an associate professor in the department.
Soham Roy, MD, FACS, FAAP serves as director of pediatric otolaryngology at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and is a professor of otorhinolaryngology at McGovern Medical School. An internationally recognized pediatric ear, nose and throat specialist, he has expertise in pediatric airway diseases and the care of clinically complex children. A renowned speaker and author, Dr. Roy is a recognized expert in operating room safety issues and serves as a consultant in the development of innovative and safer surgical devices. He has become a recognized thought leader on the subject of operating room fires, and he lectures around the world about fire prevention during surgery.
William C. Yao, MD serves as a co-director of the Texas Sinus Institute Rhinology and Skull Base Fellowship and is associate director of the Otolaryngology Residency Program. He has a strong interest in residency education, including the development of teaching instruments. Fluent in English and Japanese, he is the author of chapters in many textbooks, as well as numerous articles published in peer-reviewed journals. His clinical interests are paranasal sinus disease and endoscopic sinus, skull base and orbital surgery.
Sancak Yuksel, MD has clinical interests that include pediatric ear diseases, cochlear implantation, newborn and pediatric swallowing and airway problems, congenital head and neck lesions, adult hearing loss, complex ear problems and surgeries, lateral skull base tumors and surgeries, salivary gland strictures and stones, and sialendoscopy. He is an associate professor in the Department.