WINTER 2022

In this Issue

A Message from the Chair

Dear Friends,

I hope this message finds you and your loved ones well and vibrant as we pass the two-year mark of this pandemic. Even with all this disruption, strain, and loss, there has been much to be grateful for and much to celebrate.

This newsletter is filled with great news and landmarks – e.g., our faculty continuing to take on new leadership roles, our residency size increasing, and the creation of a new endowed fund gifted from one of very own alumnus. READ MORE

Best Evidence ENT 2022

We look forward to the return of our 7th annual Best Evidence ENT Conference July 28 - 31 at the American Club in Kohler, WI.

The Conference will update practicing otolaryngologists and advanced practice providers on the latest evidence-based clinical care pathways and practice guidelines for patient assessment and treatment.

Visit our conference website for additional information.

OTO Clinomics: Integration into the Research Platform

Jazzmyne Adams - OTO Clinomics Program Director

Through the first two years of the OTO Clinomics program, our department has made significant strides in identifying health disparities that contribute to inequitable health outcomes.
READ MORE

OTO Entrepreneurs

In 2021, Dr. Nikki Johnston was recognized for her role as co-founder and CSO of N-Zyme Biomedical, a company focused on effective medical therapy for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR), a significant unmet clinical need. READ MORE

In 2018, Dr. Christina Runge and her colleague at UWM, Dr. Yi Hu, co-founded a business called Ascending Hearing Technologies, LLC (AHT). READ MORE

Nikki Johnston, PHD
Co-founder, N-ZYME Biomedical

Christina Runge, PhD
Co-founder, Ascending Hearing Technologies, LLC (AHT)

Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Joseph Zenga

Joseph Zenga, MD
Head & Neck Surgeon

“Dr. Zenga exudes knowledge, caring (demeanor) and a high degree of professional capability.” This direct quote from a patient of Dr. Zenga, not only describes his commitment to his clinical and surgical practice, but also his dedication to his academic contributions to the Head and Neck Surgery specialty. READ MORE

Faculty Highlights

Valerie Flanary, MD designated as Director of Racial Equity and Inclusion in the MCW Office of Diversity and Inclusion. READ MORE

David Friedland, MD, PhD appointed to leadership role in the Clinical and Translational Institute of Southeast Wisconsin (CTSI). READ MORE

Cecille Sulman, MD named an Associate Chief Medical Information Officer (ACMIO) for Children’s Wisconsin. READ MORE

New Faculty: Dr. Jennifer Bruening and Dr. Karl Doerfer

Jennifer Bruening, MD joined the full-time MCW faculty in the Division of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and Reconstruction in August 2021.

Karl Doerfer, MD will return to MCW as a member of the Division of Otology and Neuro-otologic Skull Base Surgery in August 2022.

Retiring Faculty

Bruce Campbell, MD graduated from Rush Medical College in 1980, trained at MCW and MD Anderson, and then joined the faculty in 1987 when he became MCW's first fellowship-trained head and neck surgeon. His MCW otolaryngology career spanned 42 years, from his first rotation as a resident in July 1980 until his final clinics and surgical procedures in June 2022. READ MORE

Charlie Harkins, MD has decided to retire as of April 30, 2022. He wants everyone to know that there is nothing pushing this decision. READ MORE

Pictured top left: Dr. Charlie Harkins as a PGY-2 resident.

Pictured top left, 3rd in: Dr. Bruce Campbell as a PGY-5 resident.

Blatnik Endowed Chair

A generous gift from the Blatniks has established the Donald S. Blatnik, MD and Sharyn B. Blatnik Professorship of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology and Reconstruction, an endowed fund at MCW. The fund supports a faculty position in otolaryngology in support of programs involving or related to head and neck surgical oncology and reconstruction. READ MORE

Residency Updates: Complement Increase, Resident and Fellow Highlights, and Who we Are

When the prospect arose through a special Froedtert Hospital GME initiative with MCW, the otolaryngology residency applied for a complement increase and was approved for a .5 position each year (for a total of 2.5 positions in five years). READ MORE

Department Research and Teaching Awards

Lauren North, MD received the Toohill Resident Research Award for her presentation, Frequent Omission of Radiation After Flap Reconstruction of Head and Neck Cancer: Are We Dooming Patients to Failure.

Kaleigh Stabenau, MD was the recipient of the Eby Award for her paper, RNA Sequencing and Pathways Analyses of Middle Ear Epithelia from Patients with Otitis Media.

Both awards were presented during the annual department Research Day on June 11, 2021.

Teaching Awards were presented during a virtual ceremony that followed Research Day on June 11, 2021. Dr. Bruce Campbell received the Dr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Kidder Faculty Mentor Award. This is the third time Dr. Campbell has been honored with this award.

The Dr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Kidder Resident Mentor Award was presented to Mana Espahbodi, MD.

Congratulations to these esteemed educators!

View the faculty listing of the Department of Otolaryngology & Communication Sciences.
If you have questions concerning this publication, please contact alschwab@mcw.edu.

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