Dr. Ron Karni Recognized for Excellence in Teaching
Ron J. Karni, MD, chief of the Division of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at McGovern Medical School, has been named among the 2025 winners of the school’s Dean’s Teaching Excellence Awards for outstanding faculty contributions to medical education. Dr. Karni was recognized for his stellar contributions to education through problem-based in the classroom, at the bedside, in the clinic and in the OR. In making the award decision, teaching quality is documented by learner evaluations, comments, and other metrics.
A native of Houston, Dr. Karni received his medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine and returned to join the department after completing residency training at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He helped create the head and neck cancer program, bringing in novel ideas outside the standard treatment paradigm and focusing on very individualized patient-centered care. Today, people travel from across Texas and neighboring states for appointments that typically include visits with a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician skilled in meeting the needs of people with cancer, lymphedema specialists, speech-language pathologists, reconstructive surgeons, and other clinicians who treat swallowing and vocal difficulties, range-of-motion deficits, and the psychological effects of survivorship.
An associate professor of otorhinolaryngology with a joint appointment in the Division of Medical Oncology, Dr. Karni focuses his practice on management of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer; thyroid and parathyroid disorders; diagnostic ultrasonography and fine-needle aspiration of head and neck masses; transoral surgery for throat, larynx, and oral cavity cancer; and salivary gland tumors. He performs more than 200 thyroid and parathyroid surgical procedures each year and leads a multidisciplinary ultrasound-guided aspiration biopsy clinic for thyroid nodules. He is the author of publications on robotic head and neck surgery, workup of occult head and neck cancer, and integrating evidence-based methods in cancer survivorship. He serves as physician lead of the Memorial Hermann Cancer Center and chair of the Memorial Hermann Cancer Accountable Care Organization.
As part of a comprehensive health science university, the Department of Otorhinolaryngology’s mission is to educate clinicians, discover and translate advances, and model best practices in clinical care and public health. Faculty recognized with the awards are engaged in teaching, committed to educational administration and service, and involved in educational research and scholarship.