Welcome our new fellows!

Four new fellowship trainees recently started in the Department of Otolaryngology at Washington University. We connected with them to learn a little more about why they chose WashU to continue their training, their impressions of St. Louis, and what they like to do in their spare time. Ian Newberry, MD, fellow in pediatric otolaryngology Why […]

Q&A with donor James Seeser

A board member for the Central Institute for the Deaf, James Seeser, PhD, is a champion, volunteer and donor supporting the Department of Otolaryngology and the Newborn Hearing Screening Program in Missouri and at the national level. Where does your passion for supporting diagnosis and treatments for hearing loss come from? I am a CODA […]

Clinical trials offer hope for those with hearing loss

photo of boy with cochlear implant

The Department of Otolaryngology at Washington University in St. Louis plans to start recruiting patients this month for three important clinical trials. Clinical Utility of Residual Hearing in the Cochlear Implant Ear Principal Investigators: Amanda Ortmann, PhD, and Oliver Adunka, MD Project summary and aims: It is estimated that only five percent of qualified adult […]

Oncology nurse Athmer retires

Clinical Nurse Coordinator Diane Athmer, RN, retired in August after nearly 20 years with the Department of Otolaryngology at Washington University School of Medicine. “Diane was a highly valued nurse coordinator with our head and neck cancer division,” says Stacia Jansen, RN, clinical operations manager for the Department of Otolaryngology.  “Her commitment to patient care […]

Improving hearing aid benefits through digital training

Hearing loss is the third most common health condition for older adults in the US, and if untreated, may lead to social isolation, depression, cognitive decline, and fear of being home alone. Sadly, over 48% of seniors who purchase hearing aids cannot adjust to them well enough to use them daily and 31% report never […]

ENT interns impressed by depth of training and professional support

As they approach the end of their first rotations as residents in the Department of Otolaryngology at Washington University, we checked in to see how things were going with our new interns. Their responses indicate a strong appreciation for the depth of training and collegial support they have encountered. Amrita Hari-Raj, MD Rotation: St. Louis […]

Q&A with Chief Resident Pawina Jiramongkolchai

Pawina Jiramongkolchai, MD, MSCI, is a chief resident and surgeon-scientist in the Department of Otolaryngology. As she begins her final year of training at Washington University, she reflects on her work and reveals her outside interests. How long have you been a resident here and what attracted you to WashU’s program? I am in the […]

Q&A with Research Assistant Sophie Gerndt

Sophie Gerndt, MD, is a research assistant supporting head and neck cancer research efforts in the lab of Jose Zevallos, MD. What does your work in the Zevallos lab entail? I am a physician who graduated from medical school in Juarez City, Mexico. For the past year and a half I have been working as […]

Q&A with alumnus and ENT academic leader Kenneth Lee

photo of Ken Lee and family

Kenneth H. Lee, MD, PhD, is the John W. & Rhonda K. Pate Professor of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Lee specializes in pediatric otolaryngology and serves as director of the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at UT Southwestern, director of Pediatric Otolaryngology, UT Southwestern Pediatric Group Plan, and chief of surgery […]

Surgeon transplants salivary gland to produce tears

head shot of Dr. Paniello

Imagine the feeling of sandpaper dragging across your eyes every time you blink and the inability to produce tears to relieve the pain. This is the suffering that patients with a severe dry eye condition called xerophthalmia often endure. The constant irritation and resultant tissue damage can lead to blindness – unless they’ve found a […]