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It is a hugely exciting time for the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Washington. We are embarking on a new phase of growth and expansion based upon our solid foundation of clinical care, research, and teaching.
The cornerstones of our mission are:
1. To provide comprehensive and state of the art care to a broad patient population with disorders in all aspects of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery.
2. To comprehensively train resident physicians, fellows, medical students, and graduate students.
3. To maintain and further develop our preeminence in research in the broad areas of disorders affecting the organs of communication.
4. To provide consultation and be a resource for the community and the region.
5. To further develop, promote, and advance the specialty of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery by aligning ourselves with the missions and goals of UW Medicine and collaborative efforts locally, nationally, and internationally.
Activity at our four sites of practice – University of Washington Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Children’s Regional Hospital and Medical Center, and the Veterans Administration Medical Center continue to thrive. In the coming year we will be doubling our clinic space at UWMC, opening a multi-disciplinary Sleep Medicine and Surgery Center at HMC, and additional expanding of our present clinical space to serve our core patient population. CHRMC activity continues to flourish and will be an essential component of the new site in Bellevue, WA. We will also be opening a head and neck oncology clinic at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance South Lake Union Building to meet the multi-disciplinary needs of our head and neck patients.
Our department is heavily committed to research and is regularly ranked among the leaders in our specialty in NIH support. The $15 million dollar endowment which supports the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center, under the direction of Jay Rubinstein, MD, PhD and Ed Rubel, PhD, continues to grow and allows us to be a leader in basic clinical and translational research regarding the hearing sciences. Our departmental outcomes research group led by Ed Weaver, MD has now graduated seven residents with MPH degrees and our health services research group is robust especially in the areas of auditory rehabilitation, nasal obstruction and sleep disorders, and head and neck cancer outcomes. This latter activity and basic science research on oral cancer, molecular profiles, and clinical outcomes is based at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center under the leadership of Chu Chen, PhD and Eduardo Mendez, MD. This essential program in head and neck cancer genetics provides an outstanding environment for a variety of research and clinical specialties to move this area of focus forward.
Our training mission fosters the development of residents and fellows in their academic careers along with medical students and graduate students. We continue to attract the best and brightest to the University of Washington Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and work to create a cohesive and collaborative academic environment to train a new generation of leaders in our specialty. Few programs have the culture of collaboration and cooperation among the varied interests to allow our trainees to achieve their maximum potential.
UW Medicine leadership, under the direction of Dean Paul Ramsey, has made a strong and demonstrable commitment to our department. I am tremendously optimistic about a successful future for us all. Every individual associated with our department is a member of the team and we will move forward together.
Neal D. Futran , MD, DMD
Allison T. Wanamaker Professor and Chair
Director of Head and Neck Surgery
Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
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