Division of Audiology

Helping people with balance and hearing problems function optimally in their activities of daily living. The Division of Audiology at UPHS provides services to individuals seeking help with balance, tinnitus and hearing problems, backed up by decades of experience and skilled specialists with Masters and/or Clinical Doctorate Degrees in Audiology. This program is a Division of the Department of Otorhinolarygnology (Ear, Nose, Throat Specialists), ranked by U.S. News and World Reports as best in the region and one of the finest in the country.

Existing specialty programs include the Hearing Aid Dispensing Program and the Center for Implantable Hearing Devices. Other specialty services available include Custom Earmolds For Musicians, Noise Protection, Swimming, Sleeping and Cell Phone Use; Assistive Listening Devices; Audiologic Assessment; and Electrophysiologic Assessment.

For information, visit the Division of Audiology.

Division of Facial Plastic/Reconstructive Surgery

Director: Ara A. Chalian, MD

Surgical defects generated by head and neck oncologic activities provide considerable volume of experience in reconstructive surgery. This includes not only strong experience with pedicled composite flaps but also experience in the use of free flap reconstructions with microvascular anastomosis. Additionally, the Department works closely with the Department of Dermatology in the flap closure of facial and head and neck defects resulting from Moh's chemosurgery. The Department participates as a member of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Human Appearance.

Resident experience in facial cosmetic surgery is developed by interaction with the Departmental Cosmetic Surgery Program. Facial Trauma is a significant component of several rotations and faculty with special interest and expertise in this area provide subspecialty teaching. Residents may attend a microvascular laboratory course giving hands-on instruction in arterial and venous anastomosis in the rat. The full range of topics within the field of reconstructive surgery of the head and neck is covered clinically as well as in lecture format.

For information, visit the Division of Facial Plastic/Reconstructive Surgery.

Division of General Otolaryngology

Director: Erica R. Thaler, MD

The division of General Otolaryngology is comprised by otolaryngologists in the department with a broad spectrum of surgical interests and areas of expertise. The Otolaryngology team works in cooperation with many other divisions within Penn Medicine to manage and treat disorders including chronic rhinosinusitis, voice disorders, thyroid and parotid tumors, sleep apnea, and swallowing disorders that require surgical management such as Zenker's diverticulum.

For more information, visit the Division of General Otolaryngology.

Division of Head and Neck Cancer Surgery

Director: Gregory S. Weinstein, MD, Vice-Chair

The Head and Neck Surgery Division comprises the surgical group for the Penn Center for Head and Neck Cancer. The members of our team have special expertise in the management of all benign and cancerous tumors of all sites in the head and neck including:

• thyroid
• salivary gland
• neck
• tonsil
• tongue
• oral cavity
• larynx
• hypopharynx
• sinus
• skin

For more information, visit The Penn Center for Head and Neck Cancer Website.

Division of Laryngology

Director: Natasha Mirza, MD

Significant advances have occurred in recent years in the diagnosis and surgery of laryngeal pathology. The department has a voice laboratory equipped with state-of-the-art, microprocessor-based, digital signal processing equipment, and laryngeal stroboscopy with video documentation. The entire range of phonosurgery is practiced. The laboratory provides rich research opportunities for the resident in training. The center performs multiple office based laryngeal procedures as well as procedures under minimal sedation in the Center for Advanced Medicine. Additionally, the Department now houses the Tucker Laryngeal Collection, a whole organ section collection which provides an excellent resource for clinical research.

For more information, visit Voice, Speech and Swallowing Disorders.

Division of Otology-Neurotology

Director: Douglas C. Bigelow, MD

The Department has an extremely active program in clinical otology-neurotology and has a close working relationship with the Division of Neurosurgery. In collaboration with Neurosurgery and other interested specialties, the Department has developed a multi-disciplinary Skull Base Center. A significant number of skull base and posterior fossa cases are performed each month, in addition to more routine otologic operations such as middle ear and mastoid procedures.

The Department opened a multi-disciplinary Balance Center in 1995. The Center provides both the most sophisticated diagnostic and rehabilitative equipment and the opportunity for exciting clinical research. There is an ongoing and active adult and pediatric cochlear implant program which has performed implantation and rehabilitation for more patients then any other Center in the area. Resident education in otology/neurotology is based on clinical experience in ambulatory and inpatient care with emphasis on operative techniques of the temporal bone in the new Sargent Temporal Bone Laboratory. Didactic lectures in temporal bone anatomy and histopathology supplement this experience providing the resident with a comprehensive understanding of this anatomic region.

For more information, visit the Division of Otology-Neurotology.

Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology

Director: Ralph F. Wetmore, Jr, MD

The Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology is based at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), under the direction of Ralph F. Wetmore, Jr. The division is staffed by one of the largest clinical faculties of pediatric otolaryngology in the country and provides innovative and comprehensive pediatric otolaryngology care to patients.

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is the oldest children's hospital in the United States and is located adjacent to the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center Campus. Inpatient services include general pediatrics, medical and surgical specialties, radiology, anesthesia and critical care medicine. Ambulatory care in pediatric otolaryngology is provided to children ranging in age from newborns to 19 years of age at the Richard D. Wood Ambulatory Care Center adjacent to CHOP's inpatient facility and at 6 regional Specialty Care Centers. Over 30,000 outpatient visits are made yearly to the division of pediatric otolaryngology from a referral area that encompasses southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware. Annually, over 8000 operative procedures are performed by the pediatric otolaryngology staff of attending, fellow and resident surgeons at CHOP's main campus and 3 Ambulatory Surgical Facilities. These procedures address problems in all areas of pediatric otolaryngology: otology, bronchoesophagology, cochlear implantation, head and neck surgery, nasal and sinus disease, and airway reconstruction.

CHOP pediatric otolaryngology directs The Center for Pediatric Airway Disorders. Children with all types of airway problems, such as subglottic stenosis and chronic tracheostomies are treated by a multi-disciplinary team that includes otolaryngology, respiratory therapy, speech therapy, feeding therapy, pulmonology and critical care. A separate Voice Clinic has been established to treat children with voice disorders.

Audiology and Speech pathology services are provided through the Center for Childhood Communication (CCC). The CCC is a state-of-art facility that combines the highest quality patient care with innovative research. Its goal is to translate new discoveries in hearing, language, voice and speech disorders into clinical applications.

For more information, visit the Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology.

Division of Rhinology

Director: James Nathan Palmer, MD

Rhinology is the study of health issues that can impact the structure and function of the nose. Penn Medicine’s Division of Rhinology in Philadelphia, PA provides a broad range of evaluation and treatment options for diseases and disorders of the nose and paranasal sinuses. The department’s renowned faculty are established leaders in their fields, recognized nationally, and around the world, for their reputations in clinical care, academic leadership, and pioneering research.

Patients present to Penn Medicine with a wide scope of conditions from acute and chronic sinusitis, allergies, deviated septums, nasal polyps and other nasal obstruction, to nasal valve collapse, nasal fractures and complicated tumors of the nose, sinuses and anterior skull base. Treatment options range from medical management using a variety of drug options to the latest in surgical procedures including minimally-invasive techniques, even for malignant tumors of the sinuses.

For information, visit the Division of Rhinology

Division of Speech-Language Pathology

Associate Director: Patricia Dooley, MS, CCC-SLP

The Speech-Language Pathology Division of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) provides comprehensive evaluation and treatment for deficits related to speech, language, cognitive, voice and swallowing disorders (dysphagia). Difficulties in swallowing and/or communication often occur with surgeries of the head and neck, cerebral vascular accidents (stroke), brain tumors, head injuries and neuromuscular diseases. Services offered include the following: Dysphagia clinical evaluation, Videofluoroscopic study (with the radiologist), Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (with an attendant physician), Videostroboscopic Voice evaluation, Kay Computer Speech Lab and various appropriate treatment strategies.

Many patients present with problems requiring close consultation between the speech-language pathologist and the referring physician, or multidisciplinary care involving other appropriate medical subspecialists. The University of Pennsylvania Health System is an environment in which the patient can be assured of close collaboration with appropriate medical specialists for those patients who require it. The services provided by the Speech-Language Pathology Division are designed to help patients develop effective communication abilities and restore safe eating and drinking function.

For more information, visit the Division of Speech-Language Pathology.