Summer 2024 Newsletter
Stanford Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery
Dear Colleagues,
The arrival of summer brings a mix of emotions to the Farm.
As we bid farewell to another group of stellar residents and fellows, we are reminded of the momentous transition they are about to make to the professional world. Below please read about our recent graduates’ remarkable achievements and their upcoming destinations.
In my graduation speech, I commented on the coat of arms of our School of Medicine because it so fittingly embodies the professional journeys of our trainees and alumni.
Here, I would like to highlight just one aspect of it — the shifted boxes, which are a recurring abstract pattern integrated into the masonry of the School of Medicine. While the design, representing eternal life, is believed to be inspired by the Native American culture, it is also emblematic of the interdisciplinary nature of medicine.
This perspective illustrates the importance of collaboration and interconnectedness, such as how diverse viewpoints and teamwork are crucial for progress and innovation in healthcare. Accordingly, I hope you enjoy this newsletter’s inspiring story about how a partnership between otolaryngology and electrical engineering at Stanford contributed to the first multichannel cochlear implant.
Our current clinical, research, and educational collaborations are thriving, as you will also read below. We ring in the new academic year with not only a renewed commitment to innovation, excellence, and impactful advancements, but inspiration from the abundant potential of our current trainees.
As summer also offers a chance for renewal and reflection, I wish you and your families a refreshing and revitalizing season ahead!
Tina
Konstantina Stankovic, MD, PhD
Bertarelli Foundation Professor of Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery and, by courtesy, of Neurosurgery
"Dear Colleagues, Family Members, and Friends,
It is with deep gratitude and joy that I welcome you to this year's graduation festivities. Your unwavering support and presence here today are a testament to the strong bonds we share and the collective pride we have in our graduating residents and fellows.
Dear Graduating Residents and Fellows,
Today, we gather to celebrate you and your exceptional accomplishments. This day signifies a key milestone in your journey as you step into the esteemed ranks of otolaryngologists—head and neck surgeons. You have faced and overcome numerous challenges, both professionally and personally– the pandemic, political turmoil, wars, division, and grief. Yet, you have emerged even stronger than when you entered your training, well prepared to serve the communities you'll be a part of and lead the healthcare systems where you'll practice. Your resilience is a beacon of hope for all of us..." - Dr. Stankovic
Alanna Coughran, MD
Resident of the Year
For excellence during residency program
George Liu, MD
Resident Team Player of the Year
Resident who exhibits consideration for the team; cares about the group
Karthik Balakrishnan, MD, MPH
Faculty
Teacher of the Year
For excellence in teaching
Julia Noel, MD
Affiliated Faculty
Teacher of the Year
For excellence in teaching
Zipei Feng, MD, PhD
Clinical Instructor
Teacher of the Year
For excellence in teaching
Peter Hwang, MD
Faculty
Mentor of the Year
For excellence in mentorship
Julien Azimzadeh, MD, PhD
Resident
Research Symposium Award Grand Prize
Best presentation
George Liu, MD
Resident
Research Symposium Award
Runner up in content
Eric Wei, MD
Resident
Research Symposium Award
Runner up in presentations
Maxwell Lee, MD, MS
Resident
Peter Koltai Award
For excellence in the Pediatric Division
Lacey Nelson, MD, MS
Resident
Peter Koltai Award
For excellence in the Pediatric Division
Mohamed Diop MD, MS
Resident
Resident In-Training Award
Patrick Kiessling, MD
Resident
Resident In-Training Award
Dr. Cooperman is pictured next to the speech processor from the 1980 article.
We recently celebrated the life of Professor Robert White, a former Chair of Electrical Engineering at Stanford. He worked with Professor Blair Simmons, a then-Chair of Otolaryngology at Stanford, to enable the first multichannel cochlear implantation. Together, they launched a new era in otologic surgery, medical engineering, and neuroscience.
Dr. Shayna Cooperman, our OHNS resident, was a panelist in this symposium, providing invaluable insights into cochlear implants as both a user and a surgeon. Her co-panelists included former graduate students of Professor White, who together developed the first multi-channel cochlear implant speech processor. Note the staggering difference in scale between Shayna’s speech processor and the original one that fit in an attaché case.
In a Viewpoint article in the July 8th issue of JAMA titled “The Tobacco Industry Has No Business Funding Continuing Medical Education” OHNS faculty member Robert Jackler, MD, and UCSF Professor Pamela Ling described how Philip Morris International, maker of #1 selling cigarette brand globally (Marlboro), recently began offering accredited CME providers funding to cover tobacco-related curriculum. The JAMA paper analyzed the series of PMI-funded courses on Medscape, a for-profit provider of “free” CME, and found that they were rife with commercial bias. Not surprisingly, the educational content aligned with PMI’s business interests and offered opinions not supported by scientific evidence.
To their credit, Medscape took down the PMI courses and adopted a policy that it will no longer accept tobacco industry funding for their CME offerings. The accrediting body for CME in the US (ACCME) currently has no policy regarding tobacco industry funding, likely because the issue has never arisen before, but is currently engaged in a policy review.
Nayak Lab is part of a collaborative team receiving a stem cell grant award from CIRM
John Sunwoo, MD, received a U01 grant from NIH
Tulio Valdez, MD, received an R01 grant from NIH
Maggie Matern, PhD, received a K99 grant from NIH
Kara Meister, MD, received an HPHECA Award
Fellow Jason Qian, MD, won ASPO Fellow Award at COSM
OHNS Clinic Expansion ribbon cutting celebration on June 11, 2024, in Redwood City, CA.
We are delighted to announce the growth of our clinical facilities in Redwood City, a new home for our Laryngology Division, and an expanded home for our Sleep Surgery division. This expansion will not only allow us to see more patients in a beautiful and well-equipped facility with six new exam rooms, but also continue to build on the collocation of our Sleep Surgery with Sleep Medicine. This arrangement is more productive and conducive to collaboration while also being a fitting progression for the Stanford School of Medicine, a pioneer in the fields of Sleep Medicine, Sleep Research, and Sleep Surgery.
3D Printing for the Development of Palatal Defect Prosthetics.
Calderon C, Golzar A, Marcott S, et al.Fed Pract. 2024;41(Suppl2):S3-S7.
A Novel Gene Fusion YLPM1::PRKD1 Identified in a Cribriform Subtype of Polymorphous Adenocarcinoma.
Miyakawa-Liu M, Ozawa MG, Chen M, Rahman M. Head and Neck Pathol. 2024;18(1):43.
A Review of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide and Its Implications for Vestibular Disorders.
Baron R, Steenerson KK. Curr Treat Options Neurol. 2024;26(6):203-228.
Bridging the Translation of ICG-1-Maltotriose: A Multimodal Sensor for Monitoring and Detecting Bacterial Infections.
Zlitni A, Yang S, Achterberg FB, et al. ACS Sens. Published online May 29, 2024.
Clinical Practice Guideline: Age-Related Hearing Loss.
Tsai Do BS, Bush ML, Weinreich HM, et al. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. 2024;170(S2):S1-S54.
Clinical Practice Guideline: Age-Related Hearing Loss Executive Summary.
Tsai Do BS, Bush ML, Weinreich HM, et al. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. 2024;170(5):1209-1227.
Computer Vision Foundation Models in Endoscopy: Proof of Concept in Oropharyngeal Cancer.
Paderno A, Rau A, Bedi N, et al. The Laryngoscope. Published online June 8, 2024.
Consensus on intake questionnaire data elements in the development of an aerodigestive registry.
Ruiz R, Wootten C, Balakrishnan K, et al. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. 2024;182:112016.
Crooked Nose: Aesthetic and Functional Outcomes. Indian J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg.
Abdelhamid AS, Elzayat S, Elsherif HS, Amer MA, Most SP. Published online June 12, 2024.
Deep Learning Method for Rapid Simultaneous Multistructure Temporal Bone Segmentation.
Neves CA, Chemaly TEl, Fu F, Blevins NH. Otolaryngology–Head and NeckSurgery. 2024;170(6):1570-1580.
Endoscopic-Assisted Cochlear Implantation via a “Microfacial Recess.”
Din TF, Abdulkader F, Chang KW. The Laryngoscope. Published online June 5, 2024.
How far are we off? Analyzing the accuracy of surgical margin relocation in the head and neck.
Miller A, Wang V, Jegede V, et al. Head & Neck. Published online May 4, 2024.
HPV vaccine can reduce risk of multiple cancers in men, new study suggests.
Rahman A. ABC News. Published May 29, 2024.
Immigrant Status Disparities in Hearing Health Care Use in the United States.
Halagur AS, Fitzgerald MB, Megwalu UC. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Published online June 17, 2024.
Impact of a Daily Huddle on Safety in Perioperative Services.
Tuyishime H, Claure R, Balakrishnan K, et al. The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. Published online May 1, 2024.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Thyroid Cancer Surgery.
Lee ML, Megwalu UC, Finegersh A, Noel JE, Chen MM. Current Oncology. 2024;31(6):3579-3590.
Infrared Fluorescence-guided Surgery for Tumor and Metastatic Lymph Node Detection in Head and Neck Cancer.
White HW, Naveed AB, Campbell BR, et al. Radiology: Imaging Cancer. 2024;6(4):e230178.
Insurance Disparities in Quality of Care Among Patients With Head and Neck Cancer.
Megwalu UC, Ma Y, Divi V, Tian L. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. Published online June 13, 2024.
Localized application of SAG21k-loaded fibrin hydrogels for targeted modulation of the hedgehog pathway in facial nerve injury.
He L, Sato JE, Sundar P, et al. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules. 2024;269:131747.
Murine cochlear damage models in the context of hair cell regeneration research.
Maraslioglu-Sperber A, Blanc F, Heller S. Hearing Research. 2024;447:109021.
Nonsurgical improvement of severe upper airway obstruction in infants with Robin sequence and cleft palate using Stanford Orthodontic Airway Plate treatment.
Choo H, Sidell DR, Kim JW, Ahn HW, Day HS, Sullivan SS. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Published online July 4, 2024.
Patient perceptions underlying ctDNA molecular surveillance for HPV(+) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
Bastien AJ, Ng J, Cong I, et al. Oral Oncology. 2024;156:106894.
Protocol for in vivo elimination of avian auditory hair cells, multiplexed mRNA detection, immunohistochemistry, and S-phase labeling.
Sato MP, Huang AP, Heller S, Benkafadar N. STAR Protocols.2024;5(2):103118.
Safety and Early Outcomes of Cochlear Implantation of Nucleus Devices in Infants: A Multi-Centre Study.
Honigman T, Cushing SL, Papsin BC, et al. Trends in Hearing. Published online June 18, 2024.
Single-cell transcriptomic atlas reveals increased regeneration in diseased human inner ear balance organs.
Wang T, Ling AH, Billings SE, et al. Nat Commun. 2024;15(1):4833.
Suprazygomatic Maxillary Nerve Blocks and Opioid Requirements in Pediatric Adenotonsillectomy: A Randomized Clinical Trial.
Lin C, Abboud S, Zoghbi V, et al. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. Published online May 23, 2024.
Surgical complications in combined rhinoplasty and endoscopic sinus surgery.
Fereydooni S, Green A, Wei EX, Rossi-Meyer MK, Kandathil CK, Most SP. International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology. Published online June 18, 2024.
Ten-Year Efficacy of Transoral Surgery for Squamous Carcinoma of the Lateral Oropharynx.
Laccourreye O, Garcia D, Rahman A, Christopher Holsinger F. The Laryngoscope. Published online June 25, 2024.
The effect of climate changes on incidence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo; a systematic review with meta-analysis of 16144 patients.
Sharifi A, Steenerson KK, Alyono JC, et al. Environmental Research. 2024;259:119551.
The temporal progression of lung immune remodeling during breast cancer metastasis.
McGinnis CS, Miao Z, Superville D, et al. Cancer Cell.2024;42(6):1018-1031.e6.
The Utility of a “Second-Look” Debridement Following Endonasal Skull Base Surgery in the Pediatric Population.
Chang MT, Huang AE, Quon JL, et al. Journal of Neurological Surgery Part B: Skull Base. 2023;85:313-317.
The utility of ChatGPT as a generative medical translator.
Grimm DR, Lee YJ, Hu K, et al. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. Published online May 5, 2024.
Thyroid Cancer Incidence Among Korean Individuals: A Comparison of South Korea and the United States.
Kim D, Li G, Moon PK, et al. The Laryngoscope. First published May 10, 2024.
Thyroid Nodule Rupture Following Radiofrequency Ablation for Benign Thyroid Nodules.
Austerlitz J, Mann DS, Noel JE, Orloff LA. JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. Published online June 13, 2024.
Towards a wraparound model of surgical care: Expanding out-of-hospital phases and integrating health justice considerations to improve health outcomes.
Mukund AX, Lu A, Asamoah A, Balakrishnan K. The American Journal of Surgery. Published online May 29, 2024.
Update on Pediatric Thyroid Cancer Incidence and Mortality Trends in the United States, 2000-2018.
Li G, Tai JW, Moon PK, Megwalu UC. Cancer Investigation. 2024;42(4):357-360.