Targeted Programs

The Department has targeted for programmatic development the following areas of the specialty:

Head & Neck Cancer: Treating cancers of the head and neck is a complex effort, requiring the skill and expertise of several specialties. At the Health Sciences Center, patients benefit from an organized, multidisciplinary team of experts dedicated to providing the care one would expect from a nationally ranked cancer program. Biochemical studies are being performed on head and neck cancer specimens to provide a basis for developing more effective treatment regimes for cancer patients. Clinical and applied basic science research of the mechanoreceptors of the larynx, computer analysis of facial movement, and special protocols for prevention of head and neck cancer are in progress.

Balance Disorders: The Oklahoma Ear Institute opened in the Spring of 1997. Operationally this is an institute without walls, joining together all of the specialties available on campus which contribute to complete assessment and treatment of hearing and balance disorders. The equipment and expertise made available through this effort will be unmatched in this region. The Institute's resources will include the Department's temporal bone laboratory which is a part of the NIDCD National Temporal Bone, Hearing and Balance Pathology Resource Registry. The neurobiological laboratories of the Department are funded by National Institutes of Health and Deafness Research Foundation grants, as well as by special support from Departmental funds. The laboratories are devoted to molecular biology, specifically in search of special protective proteins and neurotransmitters that pertain to hearing and balance.

Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea: The Department offers a full range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including dental appliances, CPAP and the most advanced surgical options. A multidisciplinary approach including dentistry, pulmonary medicine, and neurology covers the full range of sleep disorders.

Voice Disorders: The Hollingsworth Center for Voice Disorders is a multidisciplinary approach for the diagnosis and treatment of laryngeal and voice disorders as well as to the education of patients and health professionals about these problems. The integration of highly specialized and unique equipment provides this center with an opportunity to better understand voice and laryngeal function through clinical research. This laboratory features standard video imaging, stroboscopy and electromyography, as well as a novel combination of image analysis, lasers, electronics, light and software which can accurately make area and length measurements as a patient speaks. These techniques will have a major impact on patients with laryngeal dystonias and vocal fold paralysis. Services offered include video stroboscopic laryngoscopy, Botulinum Toxin Injection, and care of professional voice users.

Audiology And Speech-Language Pathology: The Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology curriculum is administered by the Department's Section of Audiology and Speech Pathology. It is designed to give the resident a working knowledge of these disciplines as they relate to the practice of otorhinolaryngology. Our specific objective is to develop the fundamentals necessary to provide appropriate care for those with hearing and/or speech/language problems. A one-month audiology rotation is taken during the first year of ORL. Working with section faculty, the resident participates in formalized discussions over 24 topics, reviews critical and supplemental reading materials, and actively participates in behavioral and electrophysiologic assessment of hearing or balance function, hearing aid management, as well as speech, language, and voice evaluation. The education in audiology and speech-language pathology is further developed over the years of the residency by related activities in otology/audiology conference, grand rounds, journal club, and finally, common work up of patients with hearing, balance, or speech problems.

Educational Activities: Educational conferences and rounds include the following:

  • basic and clinical science didactic conferences
  • daily ward rounds
  • weekly grand rounds
  • weekly journal club
  • preoperative consult clinics
  • surgical technique/laboratory sessions
  • head and neck tumor board
  • otology/neurotology conference
  • communicative sciences conference
  • head and neck planning conference

Each resident is required to participate in a four year research education program with the goal of refinement of analytical and critical thought. During the first year, each resident is taught the fundamentals of experimental design and statistics and writes a grant proposal on a clinical or basic science topic of his or her choice. The proposal is refined in collaboration with the faculty during the second year. During the third and fourth years, the experiment is conducted and prepared for publication. In addition to this formal requirement, the resident is expected to consider the research questions raised by each patient seen and is also encouraged to be productive in writing for national meetings and publications.