Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Vanderbilt engineers have designed a “granular jamming cap” filled with coffee grounds that can improve the accuracy of the sophisticated “GPS” system that surgeons use for nose and throat surgery.

Having a child born without an external ear or ear canal can be a scary and confusing experience for parents, and finding medical care for the rare condition has meant having to travel to several distant medical centers for treatment options.

Ron Eavey, M.D., Guy M. Maness Professor and chair of Otolaryngology and director of the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, received the 2017 Edward C. Bradley S.J., M.D., Medical Alumni Award from the Saint Joseph’s University Medical Alumni Chapter at its annual awards event on its Philadelphia campus on April 23.

A hoarse voice or persistent sore throat that lasts for weeks may seem like a mild nuisance, but those same symptoms could be early signs of head and neck cancer. To help patients determine their risk for disease and detect problems at an early stage, the Vanderbilt Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center will offer free head and neck screenings Friday, April 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

People who have problems with their sense of smell or taste and don’t know the cause have a new treatment option at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center.

Last fall, the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center became the second facility in the country and third in the world to use a fully endoscopic surgical technique to remove an acoustic neuroma, a rare benign tumor on the balance and hearing nerves.

Patients are coming to the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center from around the globe, discovering the center’s world-class services through social media. One such person is Sophia Pafitis, who traveled to Vanderbilt last year from the Australian island of Tasmania.