Carver College of Medicine

Courses

Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery

The Department of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery is one of the most comprehensive otolaryngology departments in the world. Founded in 1922, it also is among the oldest in the United States. Its facilities are situated at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. US News & World Report has consistently ranked the department's program among the top three in the nation.

The department's chief focus areas are education and training, patient care, and research. M.D. students in the Carver College of Medicine, residents, and fellows benefit from a faculty dedicated to providing thorough training in all aspects of otolaryngology and patient care. Patients in the otolaryngology clinic enjoy access to comprehensive care in any of five subspecialties: pediatric otolaryngology, otology/neurotology, general otolaryngology and rhinology, head and neck oncology, and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. University of Iowa faculty members from ophthalmology and radiation oncology hold joint appointments in otolaryngology, adding depth to the department's resources.

The department is home to prominent research programs in cleft palate and other craniofacial defects, head and neck oncology, cochlear implants, and molecular genetics. It also offers fellowships in otology/neurotology, pediatric otolaryngology, and head and neck oncology.

Residency Program

The clinical track provides four years of concentrated clinical study and application in all aspects of otolaryngology. Residents begin their training with a seven-week intensive basic science course divided into an anatomy component, which includes a supervised cadaver dissection, and a 160-hour lecture series that details the study of otolaryngology and related disciplines. Each resident also completes two research rotations in order to explore research areas that interest him or her.

The research track is a combined clinical-research program designed for residents interested in an otolaryngology research career. After an internship year, residents complete two years of research followed by four years of clinical training. The interaction of clinicians and basic scientists from several departments affords residents the opportunity for involvement in a wide spectrum of current research in areas such as electrophysiology of the auditory system, the genetics of head and neck cancer, and gene therapy.

Fellowships

One applicant is admitted to the otology/neurotology fellowship program every two years. Otology fellows spend a minimum of 20 months on the clinical service. They attend all otology/neurotology clinics and neurotology cases in the operating room, and are responsible for inpatient service. They also have one day of dedicated research time each week.

The pediatric otolaryngology fellowship program admits one applicant each year. Fellows spend a minimum of 18 months on the clinical service, where they have the opportunity to train with all pediatric otolaryngology faculty members. Each fellow also has six months of dedicated time for academic research.

One applicant is accepted as a head and neck oncology fellow each year. Training is largely clinical, allowing fellows the opportunity to participate in a variety of procedures, ranging from skull base resection to laryngeal rehabilitation. Fellows routinely perform 35 to 45 free-tissue transfers during one year of training. They also complete a clinical and/or basic science research project relating to head and neck oncology.

Courses