Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Archives

Multisite project seeks to use patients’ voices to help diagnose disease

Sep. 22, 2022—Vanderbilt University Medical Center is partnering with 11 institutions on a $14 million NIH-funded project that aims to establish voice as a biomarker used in clinical care.

Former patient Herbert Christopher poses for a photo with Elizabeth Perkins, MD, the first Christopher fellow of Otolaryngology.

Gifts bolster otolaryngology, Alzheimer’s disease programs

Sep. 15, 2022—Herbert Christopher, a grateful Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery patient who received cochlear hearing implants from David Haynes, MD, has funded the training of otolaryngology fellows and leaders in Alzheimer’s disease care through several outright endowed gifts and additional gift planning with his estate.

Study tests drug to illuminate cancer during surgery

Sep. 8, 2022—A Vanderbilt study is testing drugs that provide a targeted fluorescent dye that clings to and illuminates cancer.

Residency programs receiving national accolades

Sep. 1, 2022—Vanderbilt residency programs are being recognized among their peers for consistently high rankings by multiple outlets.

New Clinician Spotlight: Elizabeth Perkins

Jun. 17, 2022—Elizabeth Perkins, MD, assistant professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, joined the surgical faculty in the Department of Otolaryngology in August 2021, and she is serving as co-director of Pediatric Neurotology at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Scientists at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and 23andMe find genetic link to people’s ability to move to a musical beat

Jun. 16, 2022—Vanderbilt researchers, in collaboration with 23andMe, have made a significant discovery about the biological underpinnings of musical rhythm.

Vanderbilt’s Complex Airway Center team helped patient Shirley Beal overcome a serious complication following her bout with COVID-19.

Complex Airway Center team helps patient breathe easier

Mar. 24, 2022—Vanderbilt Otolaryngology’s Complex Airway Center team helped patient Shirley Beal recover from a serious complication that arose after she was treated for COVID-19.

José Ontiveros, center, and his wife, Isela Morales, to his left, are surrounded by some of the team members who helped save his life as he battled post-COVID complications, including from left, infectious disease specialist Karen Bloch, MD, MPH; interpreter Eleazar Jimenez; orthopaedic surgeon Amir Abtahi, MD; infectious disease specialist Christina Fiske, MD, MPH; and otolaryngologist Sarah Rohde, MD, MMHC.

Teamwork returns man with severe post-COVID complications to his life

Mar. 16, 2022—A multidisciplinary team at Vanderbilt helped José Ontiveros cope with a long list of severe complications arising from his COVID-19i infection.

VUMC mourns loss of Otolaryngology’s Huang

Mar. 8, 2022—Vanderbilt's Shan Huang, MD, PhD, research assistant professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (HNS) and an expert in device implant technology died on Feb. 10. He was 78.

Alex Harrison is one of the young patients helped by Children’s Hospital’s Complex Aerodigestive Evaluation Team.

Multidisciplinary team helps treat airway, upper GI issues in children

Mar. 3, 2022—Vanderbilt's Complex Aerodigestive Evaluation Team focuses on complicated airway and upper digestive issues for chronically ill children.

Probing cancer cell invasion

Mar. 1, 2022—The rigidity of the extracellular matrix that surrounds cells impacts the contractile and invasive properties of head and neck cancer cells.

Thanks to the treatment she received at VUMC, Meredith Watson is able to pursue a career as a ‘professional nose.’

Treatment sharpens sense of smell for ‘professional nose’

Jan. 13, 2022—Surgery at Vanderbilt helped 25-year-old Meredith Watson pursue her dream of becoming a professional nose — someone specially trained in combining ingredients to create fragrances.