Bradford Woodworth, M.D., FACS, Interim Department Chair and ProfessorWelcome to the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Our department continues to be ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of the top programs in the country. The department’s 17 board-certified otolaryngologists offer a wide range of surgical and nonsurgical multidisciplinary treatment options for benign and malignant neoplasms, sinus disease, hearing and balance disorders, and other diseases of the ear, nose, and throat.

Patient Care

The Department of Otolaryngology performs 4,000 surgical procedures annually and cares for more than 31,000 patients. To help support these volumes, the department has advanced practice providers and clinical specialists in speech pathology and audiology, who enhance and enrich the patient care experience. Services are provided at The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital, UAB Highlands, UAB Hoover Primary and Specialty Care Clinic, Callahan Eye Hospital, and Mountain Brook Plastic Surgery. 

Education

As the only accredited residency program for otolaryngology in the state of Alabama, the department prepares future leaders of the field. Through their rotations in head and neck oncology, general otolaryngology, otology, laryngology, endocrine, the Veterans Administration Medical Center, and Children's of Alabama, residents amass an impressive amount of operative experience as they develop into fully independent clinicians. Our residents engage in level-appropriate research each year. Their research is frequently presented at national meetings and published in our specialty's leading journals. Additionally, we offer fellowship positions in head and neck oncology/microvascular reconstruction, laryngology, speech-language pathology, and pediatric otolaryngology.

Research

The Department of Otolaryngology is dedicated to basic and clinical research. We strive to make an impact through discoveries that improve patient care. Specific areas of research within the department include head and neck cancer, rhinology/cystic fibrosis, and inflammatory airway disease. The laboratories have received more than $3.5 million from the National Institutes of Health and other sources. The department also conducts numerous clinical trials to provide the latest treatments available to patients.