April 2009

Scientist at School of Medicine receives $1.66 Million grant from NIH for otoprotection research.

Qing Yin Zheng has been awarded his fourth major NIH grant for research involving Usher Syndrome (USH) accounting for 50% of the deaf- blind population to study mechanisms to preserve hearing.

Qing Yin Zheng, MD, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Genetics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been awarded funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Project Grant Program (R01). With a clear translational goal, expertise of his research team and a very strong publication record, Dr. Zheng won this award for the next five years to carry out this study. This study has potential to uncover new therapeutic approaches to treat hearing loss in Usher syndrome.

Current status of June 2009 graduates

Congratulations to all of them!

Kia Sheykholeslami, MD, PhD is practicing at:
OSF Specialty Clinic Guilford Square
698 Featherstone Rd.
Rockford, IL 61107-6303

Andrea Jarchow, MD is doing a Plastic Surgery Fellowship with Dr. Calvin Johnson at:
Hedgewood Surgical Center
2427 St. Charles Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70130

Anca Barbu, MD matched to laryngology/voice surgery fellowship with Dr. Steven Zeitels at:
the Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital program in Boston (July 2009).

December 2008

Aaron Lidsay, 3rd year medical student doing his thesis research in Dr. Alagramam’s lab received a $500 Travel Award to present the work at ARO 2009 meeting in Baltimore, Maryland. Congratulations to Aaron!

October 2008

Congratulations to Dr. Alagramam!

Dr. Kumar N. Alagramam was awarded the Anthony J. Maniglia, M.D. Chair in Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery for Research and Education.

September 2008

Ruishuang Geng, Postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Alagramam, was invited to give a talk at the 3rd “Mouse as an Instrument in Ear Research” meeting September 19th -21st , at The Jackson Laboratory, ME. Congratulations to Ruishuang!

Aaron Lidsay, 3rd year medical student doing his thesis research in Dr. Alagramam’s lab received a $500 Travel Award to present the work on mouse auditory proteomics at the 3rd “Mouse as an Instrument in Ear Research” meeting September 19th -21st, at The Jackson Laboratory, ME. Congratulations to Aaron!

August 2008

Devendrajit Kaur, graduate student in the Ph.D. program from the Department of Genetics, is doing her thesis research in the laboratory of Brian McDermott in our Department. Kaur passed her Ph.D. qualifying exam in August. Congratulations to Devendrajit!

July 2008

Congratulations to Dr. Megerian!

Longtime UH board member Richard W. Pogue and his wife Patricia made a gift commitment of $1.5 million to UH to establish The Richard W. and Patricia R. Pogue Chair in Auditory Surgery and Hearing Sciences in recognition of Cliff Megerian, M.D., Director of Otology and Neurotology. The Richard W. and Patricia R. Pogue Chair in Auditory Surgery and Hearing Sciences will always be held by a leading specialist in otology and neurotology, ensuring the continued success of the Department of Otolaryngology in providing advanced, compassionate patient care and opening new doors in the field through research and physician and patient education.”

June 2008

Congratulations to our 2007 graduates who are now Board-Certified Otolaryngologists:

Samantha Anne, MD completed a Pediatric Fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh; now at Cleveland Clinic.

Nitin Pagedar, MD completed a Fellowship in Head & Neck Surgery, University of Toronto; now at the University of Iowa.

Maroun Semaan, MD in a Fellowship in Otolaryngology/Neurotology at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles, CA; will be returning to UH next year.

Our June 2008 Graduates:

Freedom Johnson, MD has a Fellowship in Head & Neck Surgery at Vanderbilt University.

Richard Lee, MD entered private practice at Central Oregon ENT, LLC.

Jairo Torres, MD joined the Children’s Hospital, Central California.

May 2008

CONGRATULATIONS! Cliff Megerian (PI) and Kumar Alagramam (Co-I) received a grant from the American Otological Society to study a mouse model of endolymphatic hydrops.

Amount $50,000
Duration: 1-year
Start date: July 1, 2008.

CONGRATULATIONS to the resident presenters at the Northeast Ohio Otolaryngology Society, Cleveland, OH, May 21, 2008. They received a monetary award from the Society and represented us well.

First place: Mark Weidenbacher, M.D.
Talk title: Fabrication of a Neotrachea Using Engineered Cartilage

Third place: Kianoush Sheykholeslami, M.D., PhD
Talk title: Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials in Normal Mice and Phex Mice with Spontaneous Endolymphatic Hydrops

Fourth place:
Richard Lee, M.D.
Talk title: Photodynamic Therapy of Induced Papillomas in a SCID Xenograft System

CONGRATULATIONS!
Dr. Joeseph Carter (Co-PI) with Joel Peerless at MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, received a grant from the American Geriatric Society to develop a curriculum and educate residents re: geriatric issues.

"American Geriatric Society / John A. Hartford Foundation Project: Geriatrics for Specialists Initiative: Geriatrics Education for Specialty Residents Program-Dissemination Grant" for $25,000 for one year.

March 2008

Mark Weidenbecher’s presentation “Tissue Engineered Trachea” at the U. Pittsburgh*

He was awarded FIRST PRIZE!

Mark carried out his research in the laboratory of James Dennis, Ph.D. in the department of Orthopedics. Dr. Dennis holds a secondary appointment in our department. Congratulations to Mark!

*Alumni Day ENT Refresher Course, hosted by the U. Pittsburgh Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery Department, March 28-29, 2008.

February 2008

Active participation by members of our department at the ARO 2008!

• Members of our department presented six posters and one podium talk at the ARO 2008.

• Dr. Kumar Alagramam, along with Rickie Davis from NIOSH, organized a workshop on otoprotection

• Faculty members from our department were invited to become members of the ARO council for various activities.
  • Cliff Megerian - Govt. and Media Relation
  • Brian – Education Committee
  • Kumar Alagramam -Animal Welfare Committee

January 2008

Faculty member Brian McDermott received the “Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Research Award” a grant from the March of Dimes Foundation. This is a two year, $150,000 grant.  This grant will focus on "Elucidating the Molecular Basis of Heritable Deafness using a Functional Genomics Approach".  Congratulations to Brian!

Anca Barbu, MD PGY 4 Resident, presented a poster at the Middle Section Triological Society meeting in Chicago on Jan 18-21.

Title: Development of a Nano-Composite of a Biomimetic Bone Substitute Material: A Biocompatibility Study Using the Rat Subdermal Model.

Kianoush Sheykholeslami, MD, PhD, PGY 4 was awarded a travel grant to attend the “Sixth Annual Masters Skull Base Surgery Course” presented by Osman Microsurgery Laboratory at the University of South Florida , January 31-February 3, 2008.