Two Vanderbilt otolaryngologists are now associate fellows of the American Laryngological Association (ALA), in recognition of their distinguished contributions to the field of laryngology.
Bernard Rousseau, Ph.D., assistant professor of Otolaryngology, and David Zealear, Ph.D., professor of Otolaryngology, are among the three associate fellows recognized at the 134th Annual Meeting of the American Laryngological Association held last month in Orlando, Fla.
They join a distinguished list of only six non-physician scientists ever elected ALA associate fellows, a group that also includes Vanderbilt’s Thomas Cleveland, Ph.D., professor of Otolaryngology, who was elected an ALA associate fellow in 2009.
“I have had the honor of collaborating with both of these outstanding researchers, and the field of otolaryngology as a whole has benefited from their investigative talents,” said ALA President Gaelyn Garrett, M.D., also a Vanderbilt professor of Otolaryngology and medical director of the Vanderbilt Voice Center.
Zealear, a neurophysiologist with expertise in electrophysiology and functional electrical stimulation, directs the Neurolaryngology Research Laboratory at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center.
“I am grateful to be included as a member of this distinguished society,” he said. “I am deeply indebted to the Department of Otolaryngology at Vanderbilt and extend my sincere thanks to James Netterville and Robert Ossoff for proposing my nomination to this society.”
One of the original founding four members of the Department of Otolaryngology, Zealear introduced the concept of electrical stimulation of paralyzed head and neck muscles as a new form of treatment in 1977. Through continued pursuit of this line of research, Zealear and colleagues conducted the first clinical trial of reanimation of the paralyzed human larynx with an implantable stimulator in 1996.
Rousseau directs the Laryngeal Biology Laboratory at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center and is a clinician at the Vanderbilt Voice Center. He teaches and conducts research in otolaryngology and hearing and speech sciences.
“I am honored to join such a distinguished group of scientists who have been elected associate fellows of the American Laryngological Association,” Rousseau said. “I am grateful to my mentors, colleagues and collaborators at Vanderbilt University for their support, and especially thankful to Robert Ossoff and Gaelyn Garrett for supporting my nomination.”
A member of the Vanderbilt faculty since 2005, Rousseau’s federally funded research program focuses on the molecular pathophysiology of acute phonotrauma and outcomes studies related to the assessment and management of patients with benign vocal fold disease.
The ALA, founded in 1878, recognizes the accomplishments of individuals who have made significant contributions to the care of patients with disorders of the larynx and upper aerodigestive tract. It seeks to encourage research in laryngology and uphold the standards of the teaching of laryngology in medical schools and postgraduate medical education.