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With the holiday season fast approaching, so is the overlap of colder weather and allergy season. Taking proactive steps to manage these challenges is essential to fully enjoying the celebrations with family and friends.

Justin Turner, M.D., Ph.D., was recently named the fourth holder of the John S. Odess Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery in the UAB Department of Otolaryngology.

The UAB Department of Otolaryngology welcomed Daniel Rocke, M.D. to the faculty as an associate professor in September 2024.

Do-Yeon Cho, M.D., recently gave talks at multiple national and international meetings in Bangkok, Seoul, and beyond.  

Fourteen providers in the Department of Otolaryngology were recently recognized by the UAB Office of Patient Experience and Engagement for the exceptional care they delivered to patients during FY24. These providers achieved a 95 percent or higher top box rating  (n ≥ 30) in care satisfaction based on patient feedback in Medallia. 

Kristi Gidley, PA-C, MSHA, has been named Associate Vice President of Practice Expansion at UAB Medicine, effective Oct. 1, 2024. In this newly created role, Kristi will focus on the strategic and operational management of physician relationships and services within the UAB Health System. She will oversee the development of professional service agreements and community practice operations while supporting value-based care initiatives by aligning clinical practices with Health System metrics.

Three faculty members in the UAB Department of Otolaryngology have received promotions as of Oct. 1, 2024. Two of the three faculty members also received tenure.

With football season in the air, fans spend weekends cheering on their favorite teams. Yet, amid all the excitement, a less obvious concern often gets overlooked: the strain on the voice. For many devoted supporters, the thrill of shouting and cheering during games can result in vocal strain and potentially long-term vocal health problems.

U.S. News & World Report has ranked UAB Hospital number 23 among the "Best Hospitals for Ear, Nose & Throat" in the country. This is UAB Otolaryngology's fifth consecutive year appearing in the top 25.

Researchers in the UAB Department of Otolaryngology recently received a five-year, $50,000 grant to support voice therapy for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Bharat Panuganti, M.D., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Otolaryngology, and Jason Warram, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Head and Neck Research Lab in the Department of Otolaryngology, have been awarded a two-year NIH-funded R21 grant to research fluorescence surgical navigation and confocal laser endomicroscopy for laryngeal cancer treatment.

The UAB Department of Otolaryngology hosted its 19th annual Ann B. & Julius N. Hicks Lectureship in Otolaryngology and 2024 Resident Research Day on April 17 at the Hilton Birmingham at UAB.

The annual lecture is open to alumni, faculty, residents, fellows, health care professionals, and otolaryngologists throughout the Southeast.

The UAB Department of Otolaryngology hosted its annual graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 22, 2024, at Avenue D Events to honor its graduating residents and fellows.

Dear Colleagues,

They say there is nothing permanent in life except change, and such has resonated with me and my family over these past months. Accepting a position as chair of the UAB Department of Otolaryngology—an established department with an esteemed reputation—has brought welcomed change to our lives, as we embark on new endeavors both professionally and personally.

In anticipation of Justin Turner, M.D., Ph.D., officially assuming the chair role in the UAB Department of Otolaryngology in May of 2024, we recently reached out to Dr. Turner inquiring about his visionary plans and goals for propelling patient care, educational initiatives, technological advancements, and fostering collaborative efforts among members of the department.

As an integral member of the Department of Otolaryngology since 1984, Glenn Peters, M.D., has dedicated over four decades of his career to the field of otolaryngology. Peters will be retiring at the end of September 2023 as the Julius N. Hicks Endowed Professor, Vice Chair of Patient Safety and Quality of the Department of Otolaryngology, and Associate Chief of Quality Medical Officer for the UAB Health System.

The Department of Otolaryngology’s Executive Administrator and certified physician’s assistant, Kristi Gidley, PA-C, MSHA, received a 2023 Honors Award from the American Academy of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) and officially graduated from the 2023 UAB Healthcare Leadership Academy (HLA) this past month.

Kirk Withrow, M.D., associate professor and Director of Salivary and Sleep Surgery Division in the Department of Otolaryngology, has been making significant headway in treating patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and resident implantation certification.

 Withrow, who was the first surgeon in Alabama to implant the Inspire device in 2015, has implanted over 400 devices in patients with OSA.

Approximately 22M Americans are impacted by OSA, a condition that can cause accidents, affect mood and memory, stroke, heart attack, and other potentially fatal outcomes if left untreated. With a hypoglossal nerve stimulator, patients often see an improvement in their daily rest.

This minimally-invasive, outpatient procedure involves placing an FDA-approved nerve stimulator like Inspire beneath the skin. By stimulating the hypoglossal nerve, the device restores muscle tone typically lost during sleep, which helps open the airway and reduce airway obstruction. Although the tongue receives direct stimulation, its connection to the soft palate and epiglottis helps lead to a broader upper airway stimulation in many cases. 

Withrow recently held a didactic and cadaver course during which two chief residents completed the required training to become certified to begin implanting Inspire. Several other residents were able to attend and observe the course as well. The course represented the first time any trainee received an Inspire implant certification during a residency program in the world.

The Department of Otolaryngology interim chair, Bradford Woodworth, M.D., has received a two-year $275k R21 grant from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health to investigate a new therapeutic approach for cystic fibrosis (CF). The new approach developed by Dr. Woodworth and Dr. Cho targets the Ca2+-activated Cl− channel (TMEM16A) using ginsenosides found in Korean red ginseng, a popular natural health treatment in Asia.

The Department of Otolaryngology is proud to welcome four incoming residents this year!