Ear, Nose, and Leadership: Get to Know Dr. Justin Turner
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.
A Lifetime of Devotion to Otolaryngology: Commemorating Dr. Glenn Peters' Leadership in the Otolaryngology 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.
Accolades of Excellence: Gidley recognized for leadership and devoted service
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.
Read moreUAB Sleep Center reaches two new milestones
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.
Woodworth receives NIH R21 grant for research on cystic fibrosis
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.
Match Day 2023
The Department of Otolaryngology is proud to welcome four incoming residents this year!
Thomas and co-investigator Morlandt receives year-long 75k research support grant from OMS Foundation
Carissa Thomas, M.D., Ph.D., FACS, an assistant professor and Director of Head and Neck Microvascular Reconstruction in the UAB Department of Otolaryngology, and Anthony Morlandt, DDS, M.D., of UAB Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery received a $75,000 research support grant from the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Foundation (OMS) for their research proposal on the relationship between the oral microbiome and predicting the risk of metastatic disease.
Read moreThe Department of Otolaryngology pays tribute to Gary T. Turner, M.D. for his benevolent endowment
The UAB Department of Otolaryngology received a generous contribution from the esteemed head and neck surgeon, Gary T. Turner, M.D., FACS, to establish the annual Gary T. Turner Lectureship. His gift to the department provides funding for internationally renowned speakers to lecture on innovative topics for resident education.
Cho receives GEF grant for Comprehensive Smell and Taste Clinic proposal
The UAB Health Services Foundation General Endowment Fund (HSF-GEF) awarded Do-Yeon Cho, M.D., associate professor of the Department of Otolaryngology and Director of the Smell and Taste Clinic, with funding for his proposal to create state-of-the-art-care for smell and taste loss patients.
Read moreOtolaryngology department faculty members and APPs recognized by UAB Medicine as 2022 Patient Experience Leaders
Fifteen providers associated with the Department of Otolaryngology were recognized by UAB Medicine as Patient Experience Leaders based on outstanding feedback scores given by patients through Medallia.
Thomas helps lead UAB Heersink School of Medicine to serve as a study subsite for early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma research
Carissa M. Thomas, M.D., Ph.D., FACS, collaborates with Loma Linda University School of Dentistry Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery’s Chi T. Viet, M.D., Ph.D., DDS, on early-stage oral squamous cell carcinoma research.
Read moreEdie R. Hapner, Ph.D. Awarded the Prestigious American Laryngological Award at COSM
The ALA Award is a mark of recognition and esteem for outstanding achievement.
Read moreUAB Sleep Center Reaches Milestone
Kirk Withrow, M.D., performs 300th hypoglossal nerve stimulator implant procedure.
Art Expressions of the Head & Neck Cancer Journey
The Otolaryngology Department collaborates with UAB Arts in Medicine to bring head and neck cancer patients a different kind of healing.
Read more2022 Match Day
The Department of Otolaryngology is excited to welcome Edward Harris Jr., John Hunsicker, Connor Koch, James Stewart!
Read moreThomas inducted as a fellow into American College of Surgeons
Carissa Thomas, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, has been named a fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
Read moreTwo residents elected to AOA honor society
Two Department of Otolaryngology residents were recently elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society at UAB for their commitment to scholarship, leadership, professionalism, and service.
Read moreMicrosurgical training lab to honor Dr. Carroll
After a quarter century of service, Dr. Carroll leaves UAB with a vision for a pre-eminent, multidisciplinary, Microsurgical Training Laboratory. This laboratory will be designed to provide UAB residents, fellows, and faculty with unparalleled opportunities to hone their surgical skills.
Read moreDepartment of Otolaryngology Chair William Carroll to retire; Woodworth selected as interim
After 25 years of service to the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine and UAB Health System, William Carroll, M.D., a widely recognized leader in head and neck oncology, will retire at the end of 2021.
Carroll joined the Department of Otolaryngology faculty in 1996, was named section director for Head and Neck Oncology in 2008, became the John S. Odess Endowed Chair in 2017 after being selected as interim chair in 2015.
Read moreGeorge W. Barber Jr. Lectureship in Otolaryngology presents "Frontiers in Facial Reanimation"
The 2021 George W. Barber Jr. Lectureship in Otolaryngology, "Frontiers in Facial Reanimation," was presented by a pioneering clinician-scientist in the field of otolaryngology, Tessa A. Hadlock, M.D. Director of the Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the Facial Nerve Center at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. Dr. Hadlock has been at the forefront of the field with more than 20 years of experience in otolaryngology.
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