D. Bradley Welling, MD, PhD, Chair
The Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery is nationally recognized in treating human communication disorders and head and neck malignancy. In 2006 it continued to expand, welcoming four new faculty members and opening two satellite offices to better serve the community. In addition, Otolaryngology residents continue the Department’s longstanding history of excellence, ranking in the 98th percentile as a residency group on the in-service training exam. For the 14th consecutive year, the department has been ranked by U.S.News & World Report among the top 20 Ear, Nose and Throat programs in the nation.
Ongoing Research Programs
- Molecular mechanisms of vestibular schwannoma formation
- Virtual modeling of the temporal bone dissection
- Intensification regimens for advanced-stage squamous cell carcinoma and chemoprevention for oral carcinoma
- Mechanisms of pneumococcal otitis media
Research Accomplishments of 2006
- Gregory Wiet, MD, continued work on a $1.87 million grant-funded project to develop and test an otologic surgical simulator. His work, with collaborator Don Stredney, PhD, was highlighted in a journal article titled “Multi-center testing of the virtual temporal bone dissector simulator.” The project is funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. The potential for education of all otolaryngology residents and for preoperative simulation with this technology is encouraging.
- D. Bradley Welling, MD, PhD, continued work on his $1.62 million grant-funded project on phenotypic determinants of vestibular schwannomas. The project is funded by the National Institutes of Health and is directed at deciphering the underlying molecular causes of vestibular schwannomas. The work moved forward in 2006 in collaboration with Long-Sheng Chang, PhD, and a host of research colleagues.
- James Lang, PhD, and David Schuller, MD, have secured funding through the Biomedical Research Commercialization Program (BRCP) to investigate head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Jeffrey Chalmers, PhD, a professor of Chemical Engineering and member of Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, is the lead principal investigator for the $3.5 million BRCP grant.
