Last year, the Division of Otolaryngology celebrated the 35th Anniversary of its founding and the 20th year with Dr. Jeffrey Harris as its Chief. The Division was founded in 1971 by Dr. Alan Nahum, who was recruited from the faculty of UCLA as the first Chief by Dr. Marshall Orloff, then Chair of Surgery. Dr. Nahum served as Chief until 1986, at which time the clinical faculty included Dr. Terence Davidson and Dr. Jeffrey Harris.
Upon Dr. Nahum’s retirement, Dr. Jeffrey Harris was appointed Division Chief by Dr. Moossa. Over the next few years, the Division expanded with the addition of several new full-time clinical faculty and a cadre of PhDs; and at present, there are 10 full-time clinical faculty members and 7 full-time PhD researchers in the division.
The Division as currently structured is divided into distinct clinical sections:
Head and Neck Oncology, based out of the Moores Cancer Center (Robert Weisman MD and Kevin Brumund MD). Over 50% of new head and neck cancers in San Diego County are treated by our physicians.
Rhinology/Nasal Dysfunction and Sleep Medicine (Terence Davidson MD, William Cain PhD, and Claire Murphy, PhD). One of only a handful of nasal dysfunction (disorders of smell and taste) programs in the country.
Otology, Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery (Jeffrey Harris MD, PhD; Joni Doherty MD, PhD; Quyen Nguyen MD, PhD; and Erik Viirre MD, PhD). This section offers the most up-to-date treatment for acoustic neuromas, Meniere’s disease, facial nerve paralysis, autoimmune deafness, and otosclerosis, with expertise in cochlear implants and implantable hearing aids. Each of the faculty leads important basic science and clinical research programs.
Audiology and Electrophysiological Testing (Erika Zettner PhD, Luis Benitez MD, Sara Mattson AuD, Ginny Harris MA, and Deborah Wian MA), encompassing our joint doctoral program in Audiology with SDSU and growing clinical service for diagnosis and treatment of patients with dizziness, hearing loss, and deafness, including hearing aid dispensing.
Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (Deborah Watson MD and Kevin Brumund MD). Cosmetic surgery practice and microvascular reconstruction, including free tissue transfer for reconstruction of head and neck defects.
The Research Division has 7 full-time researchers: Allen Ryan PhD (Director of Research), Elizabeth Keithley PhD, William Cain PhD, Enrique Cometto-Muniz PhD, Rutherford Ongkeko MD, PhD, Lina Mullen PhD, and Shuh-Yow Lin PhD (recently recruited from Harvard/MIT). Our faculty performs basic science research focused on hearing loss, autoimmunity, molecular biology of hearing, immunopathology, aging, tinnitus, vestibular plasticity, acoustic neuromas, head and neck cancers, cell imaging, hair cell transduction, nasal irritation, chemosensory perception, and tissue engineering for reconstruction.
The Clinical Program covers all head and neck and otolaryngological care for the UCSD Hillcrest Medical Center, UCSD Thornton Hospital, Moores Cancer Center, and San Diego Veterans Administration Hospital; our faculty also participates in specialized services at Scripps Clinic. We have an ACGME-accredited residency training program with 11 residents, two of whom are on a one-to-two-year research rotation that is funded by a NIH T32 training grant. Drs. Allen Ryan and Jeffrey Harris are the co-directors of this grant, which we have now had for more than 15 years. The program has a perfect track record: 100% of the graduates pass the American Board Examination on the first try. We also have an accredited ACGME two-year fellowship in Otology/Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery that accepts one new fellow each year. Ours is one of only 15 such accredited programs in the country.
Our Residents are highly sought for advanced fellowship training, and typically obtain the most competitive fellowships in our specialty, often leading to academic careers. Most recently, our residents have gone on to fellowships at Harvard, Boston Children’s Hospital, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, London Sick Children’s, University of Illinois, and House Ear Clinic/Institute. Our graduates have been recruited to very prestigious academic departments, including Johns Hopkins (Dr. Patrick Byrne), Harvard (Dr. Quinton Gopen), UCSF (Dr. David Kim), University of Washington (Dr. Al Merati), LSU (Dr. Cherie Ann Nathan), Medical College of Virginia (Dr. Michael Godin), Georgetown (Dr. Stanley Chia), University of Minnesota (Dr. Tim Lander), University of Pennsylvania (Dr. Michael Ruckenstein), University of Arkansas (Dr. Paul Digoy), and East Virginia (Dr. David Darrow). Our residents have won the Kaiser Award for Teaching at UCSD twice (Dr. Al Merati and Dr. Jeremy Richmon) and have been awarded Best Surgical House Officer by the UCSD Department of Medicine several times (including Dr. Al Merati and Dr. Tim Lander).
The Division has encouraged and nurtured its faculty’s research endeavors, and in the history of the Division we have had 5 NIH career development award recipients (Drs. Harris, Woodson, Ryan, and Ruckenstein; and most recently Drs. Doherty and Nguyen). Five of our current faculty and residents have earned combined MD/PhD degrees. Our research program in Otology has an international reputation and a solid history of NIH funding, and we attract many foreign fellows for post-doctoral training. We have trained more than 50 of these fellows, several of whom have now become department chairs in their own countries. Our NIH funding has ranked us in the top 10 to 20 departments across the country over the past two decades, despite our small size.
Our faculty has held important positions in our specialty. Dr. Harris has been the President of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO), the President of the American Otological Society (the second-oldest medical society in the country), President of the San Diego Academy of Otolaryngology, and a senior examiner for the American Board of Otolaryngology and the American Board of Otology/Neurotology. He is Editor-in-Chief of Audiology & Neurotology, a journal ranked in the top 3 in impact factor in our specialty.
Dr. Allen Ryan has also been the President of the ARO and is on the Council of the NIH/NIDCD. Both Dr. Harris and Dr. Ryan are members of the Collegium Oto-Rhino-Laryngologicum Amicitiae Sacrum, an honorary international society with only 20 members in the U.S. Dr. Harris is the Chair of the Nominating Committee of the U.S. delegation; Dr. Ryan is Chair of the International Jury; and recently, two additional UCSD former faculty/resident were inducted (Dr. Gayle Woodson, now Chair of Otolaryngology at the University of Southern Illinois, and Dr. Cherie Ann Nathan of LSU).
Dr. Davidson is the UCSD Associate Dean for Continuing Medical Education and serves as President of the Otolaryngology Advisory Panel for the California Medical Association.
Dr. Watson is the Program Director for the Otolaryngology Residency here at UCSD. She is the Young Physician Representative on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and also functions as an Oral Examiner for the American Board of Otolaryngology. Dr. Watson is the Principal Investigator in our Cartilage Tissue Engineering Lab.
Our residents in their research year volunteer at the Logan Heights Clinic of the Family Health Centers of San Diego, providing specialty consultative care for this community-based practice; and the full-time faculty provide their expertise in the continuing care of this patient population.
The Division has been successful in development of endowments for the support of the research mission. We are constantly seeking, and hope that we will be able to establish, several endowed chairs over the next few years for the support of our teaching and research mission. Our long-term goal is the establishment of a San Diego Ear Institute, housed in a multipurpose structure built on our campus, providing integrated state-of-the-art research and clinical services to our community.
In summary, the UCSD Division of Otolaryngology is a leading clinical and research program with an international reputation for innovative clinical care and research discovery. We have a faculty composed of talented clinician-scientists and fellowship-trained surgeons. Our faculty is consistently listed in Best Doctors in America, San Diego’s Best Doctors, and other lists of America’s top doctors. We have a highly attractive and successful fellowship and residency program, and train many of the future academic leaders in our field.
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