Otolaryngology News

In Vietnam, an NYU Physician on a Mission

In NYU’s Department of
Otolaryngology, the Facial
Plastic Surgery Division
prides itself on delivering
cutting-edge techniques in
all aspects of facial plastic
and cosmetic surgery,
ranging from surgery for
facial reconstruction and
trauma to cosmetic proce-
dures such as facial rejuvena-
tion and nose and ear
reshaping. And as part of an
academic medical center, education and training
for physicians are key components of the division’s
mission. As Director of the division, Dr. Minas
Constantinides (above) has combined his passion
for patient care and the mission of education in a
unique way. For the last four years, he has led a vol-
unteer group of facial plastic surgeons to Hanoi,
Vietnam, as part of a humanitarian and educational
surgical mission. Sponsored by the American
Academy of Facial and Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery (AAFPRS), the Face to Face program pro-
vides care to children and adults suffering from
facial deformities caused by birth or trauma.
During the three- or four-day missions, Dr.
Constantinides and the other surgeons, in
partnership with the National Hospital of
Otorhinolarynogology, the largest E.N.T. hospital
in Hanoi, operate on about 50 patients. The
surgeons perform procedures for birth defects,
unformed ears, scars from trauma, nasal function
problems, and even some cosmetic procedures.
In addition to making a huge difference in the
lives of these patients, the partnership has impor-
tant benefits for the physicians in Vietnam. The
operations, which are assisted by the local sur-
geons, are filmed and telecast to other surgeons
from Vietnam. While the physicians in Vietnam are
extremely talented, the techniques can be outdat-
ed. The thirst for knowledge and their quick appli-
cation of it have led to the opening of a dedicated
wing for facial plastic surgery, both in Hanoi and in
Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), another city
participating in the Face to Face program. For Dr.
Constantinides, this is the most rewarding part of
the work: knowing that this activity benefits not
only the patients he operates on directly, but also
the patients treated by local surgeons once the
mission returns home.

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Divisions and Centers:
•Adult & Pediatric Audiology
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•General Otolaryngology and
Sleep Surgery
•Head & Neck Surgery and
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•Otology, Neurotology & Skull
Base Surgery
•Pediatric Otolaryngology
•Rhinology
•NYU Cochlear Implant Center
•NYU Voice Center
•Center for Hearing Health
 Otolaryngology Fall ’07-
Winter ‘08

News...
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
I am thrilled to update you on recent developments of our Department. Despite the small
physical area of the body Otolaryngologists specialize in, our practice spans a wide range of
clinical services, some of which you’ll read about in this issue: hearing health, head and neck
cancers, balance disorders, and facial plastic surgery. In the lab, our researchers are busy with
their diverse investigations, all seeking answers to questions that will ultimately provide
patients with better care and treatment.
You’ll meet our new faculty, an outstanding cadre of clinicians, researchers, and educators with
over 100 years of experience in Otolaryngology!
Much of our success is owed to our friends, who have contributed so generously to our
Department. You’ll learn more about just three of our esteemed supporters—the Kaplans, the
Halls, and the Spencers—in this issue. And to all our colleagues, alumni, patients, and
Inside: friends—thank you for your interest in our Department’s news and activities.

Center for
Hearing Health
Anil K. Lalwani, MD
Head and Neck Mendik Foundation Professor and Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology
Cancer Services Professor of Pediatrics, Physiology, and Neuroscience

Research
Highlights
New Faculty Center for Hearing Health Established
Reflecting NYU Medical Center’s strength
Facial Plastic in the diagnosis and treatment of hearing
Surgery disorders, the Department of
Otolaryngology has established the
Center for Hearing Health under the lead-
ership of Anil K. Lalwani, MD.
Comprehensive in scope, the new Center
coordinates the expertise of a number of
disciplines and offers some important
new clinical services.
Chief among the new services are the
enhancements in hearing loss diagnosis
and treatment available to children.
Childhood hearing loss is common in
children, with a prevalence of two to
three of every 1,000 born deaf or hard-of-
hearing, and often remains undiagnosed.
Hearing impairment can have a dramatic
impact on the child’s learning abilities,
behavior, and social development. To
address the special needs of children, a
full-time pediatric audiologist, Zhanneta
Shapiro, MS, has been recruited to
continued on next page

NYU School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology www.med.nyu.edu/ENT/

 Otolaryngology News
Center for Hearing Health Established continued from front
provide not only diagnostic services, but
for the first time dispense hearing aids to
children at NYU.
Hearing loss is also very common in
adults. In the United States, hearing diffi-
culty is reported by 25-30% of people
aged 65-70, and by nearly 50% of those
over 75 years of age. Baby boomers are
also experiencing hearing loss in ever
increasing numbers, stemming from
exposure to occupational and recreational
noise during their youth.
Hearing disorders are diagnosed at NYU
Medical Center using an array of sophisti-
cated tests that include audiograms,
Pamela Roehm, MD, PhD, immittance testing to evaluate the work-
and J. Thomas Roland, Jr, ings of the middle and inner ear, otoa-
MD, both conduct research coustic emission to assess the cochlea,
and see patients in the and auditory brainstem testing to
measure how well the neural pathways
Center for Hearing Health.
transmit sound signals. Patients diagnosed
with hearing loss, tinnitus, and other
hearing disorders are provided with state-
2 NYU School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology
of-the-art medical devices, as well as inter-
ventions and therapies in partnership
with experts in speech pathology, rehabili-
tation services, and other disciplines.
The Center for Hearing Health also pro-
vides specialized testing for the second
major function of the inner ear: balance.
Highly specialized tests such as
electronystagmography and vestibular
evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP)
testing—the newest addition to the
Department’s diagnostic tools—help pin-
point the causes of dizziness, vertigo, and
other balance disorders. Eventually, to
complement the work of the Center for
Hearing Health, the Department aims to
develop a dedicated Vestibular Center for
the diagnosis and treatment of patients
with these conditions.
Deaf and hard-of-hearing patients have
access to other high-quality, renowned
services that are part of the Center for
Hearing Health, such as the NYU
Dr. Roehm uses a microscope to
examine the ear canal and the ear
drum. Using a microscope makes
available both hands for manipu-
lating the ear so that procedures
can be performed in the office, such
as removal of cerumen (ear wax)
painlessly without traumatizing
the ear canal; myringotomy (inci-
sion of the tympanic membrane)
and placement of a ventilation
tube for serous otitis media (fluid
in the middle ear); and biopsy of
lesions. The microscope also
enhances the ability to examine the
ear drum to diagnose infections,
tumors, or vascular abnormalities.

Cochlear Implant Center—one of the
largest and most highly respected clinical
and research implant centers in the
world. An NYU Center of Excellence, the
Center has performed over 1,700
implants on children and adults of all
ages. Additional services at the Center
include bone-anchored hearing aids for
unilateral deafness and auditory brain-
stem implant for patients lacking an audi-
tory nerve.
In addition to offering comprehensive
clinical services, scientists in the
Department continue to carry out basic,
translational, and clinical research for the
new Center for Hearing Health. With
funding from the National Institutes of
Health and other agencies, investigators
are researching the causes of deafness, as
well as treatment for hearing loss, includ-
ing improving current devices and devel-
oping new technologies. Recent and
current research has led, for example, to
the discovery of genetic mutations that
cause deafness, the development of math-
ematical models to explain how the brain
decodes speech based on the stimulation
provided by cochlear implants, and the
development and design of fitting tools
and electrodes that will be part of the
next generation of auditory prostheses.
Much of this research is conducted at the
Department’s newly renovated research
space at Bellevue Hospital Center, includ-
ing the temporal bone laboratory.
The Center for Hearing Health offers clin-
ical services at various sites: Skirball
Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, the
Schwartz Health Care Center (HCC), and
the Laurence D. Fink and Lori Weider
Fink Children’s Ambulatory Care Center.
www.med.nyu.edu/ENT/
Otolaryngology News
The NYU Cochlear Implant Center is involved in many clinical
studies. Dr. Anil Lalwani is shown here with Cormac
Lawrence, who underwent simultaneous bilateral cochlear
implantation at age 13 months, as part of a bilateral cochlear
implantation study sponsored by Advanced Bionics
Corporation, a leading manufacturer of the device. While the
procedure is not yet considered standard, recent studies have
shown sound localization improvements in children with a
second device. And performing the surgery during one surgical
session may offer the patient an accelerated recovery and reha-
bilitation period. Since its inception in 1984, the NYU team of
implant surgeons has performed over 1,700 implantations in
both children and adults.
To support the research and clinical endeavors of the Cochlear
Implant Center, the Second Annual Gala for Hearing Health
was held in May, at the St. Regis Ballroom. Chaired by Mrs.
Marica Vilcek, the Gala celebrated the many achievements of
the NYU Cochlear Implant Center, honoring Rita J. and
Stanley H. Kaplan (below) for their commitment to the insti-
tution as well as
Scientist Honoree Dr.
Susan Waltzman.
Over $400,000 was
raised for the Center.
NBC’s Medical
Correspondent Dr.
Nancy Snyderman
emceed the event.
3
 Otolaryngology News
Head and Neck Cancer Patients Benefit
from Team Approach to Care
A thorough
Over 40,000 cases of head and neck
oral examination
cancers, including cancers of the larynx,
combined with
endoscopic imaging nasal passages/nose, oral cavity, pharynx,
allows Dr. Myssiorek salivary glands, and thyroid, are diagnosed
to identify a lesion each year. To help address this burden,
and capture it the NYU Cancer Institute’s dedicated head
on video in an and neck cancer team works collaborative-
office setting. ly to deliver the most effective patient
care. Led by Mark DeLacure, MD, the
team also includes David Myssiorek,
MD, and is augmented by radiation and
medical oncologists, resident physicians
To All Alumni: and fellows, subspecialty nurses, and sup-
Send Us portive services professionals.
Your News! Their practice is based at the NYU Clinical
Linda Michaels Cancer Center, a remarkable facility which
Department of opened in 2004 and that assembles nearly
Otolaryngology all NYU outpatient cancer care programs
NYU School of Medicine and diagnostic services under one roof,
Phone: minimizing the need to shuttle from one
(212) 263-6344 service location to another. Patients can
Email: either be referred by a physician or enter
Linda.Michaels@nyumc.org on their own with a suspicious lesion or
lump. Fine Needle Aspiration and surgical
4 NYU School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology
biopsies, in conjunction with endoscopic
and imaging equipment, provide patients
with a diagnosis usually within 48 hours.
Patients then begin working with the mul-
tidisciplinary team to develop a treatment
plan, which may include surgery, radia-
tion, and/or chemotherapy. As an academ-
ic medical center, NYU is uniquely
equipped to handle the most complex
and advanced stage cases, and is often the
destination for patients previously treated
at other institutions.
Most head and neck cancers, if detected
early, can be cured with surgery alone.
Whenever possible, minimally invasive
surgery—such as removal of tumors
through small incisions—is the preferred
therapy. And when more extensive and
physically disfiguring surgery is required,
advances in microsurgery and reconstruc-
tive surgery allow for the transplantation
of tissues from other areas of the body to
rebuild structures of the head and neck,
such as the jaw. Even with disfigurement,
patients can often enjoy significantly
improved form and function with the help
of NYU’s experts in reconstructive surgery
and speech and swallowing rehabilitation.
While surgery for tumors is performed in
NYU’s Tisch Hospital, the other treat-
ments are delivered within the Center.
The comprehensive radiation treatment
center—with external beam therapy,
intensity-modulated radiation therapy, and
linear accelerator—facilitates the delivery
of concurrent or combination chemo-radi-
ation therapy. In addition, brachytherapy
(seed implants) is offered in select circum-
stances. Chemotherapy treatment, often
in combination with radiation, can help
 Otolaryngology News
kill cancer cells and is often given to the key to providing the patient with the
patients to shrink tumors prior to surgery, most optimal care, the sum of all our
or to treat cancers that have spread to knowledge and professional opinions.”
other organs.
The growth of the faculty, clinical activity,
The Cancer Center also offers an array of and research program in head and neck
support services, including nutritional cancers has been accelerated by the
counseling and support. Oncology dieti- William I. Spencer Fund for Head
tians work closely with patients to custom- and Neck Cancer. Spearheaded by
design their diets and formulas and track Susan Spencer in memory of her
their progress. Since the medical treat- husband, the fund’s goal of $1 million has
ments used for head and neck cancer been nearly reached. In September, Mrs.
often result in anatomical challenges for Spencer and the Department announced
eating, the dietitians also work with the plans to broaden the scope of the initia-
medical team to help patients learn to tive to make greater strides both at the
adapt to gastric feeding tubes or other sig- bedside and in the laboratory to find the
nificant changes. Other support services cure for head and neck cancer. Dr. Anil
include social work counseling, psychiatric Lalwani commends Mrs. Spencer: “Her
support, linkage to speech and swallowing passion and commitment to improving
therapy, and information on complemen- diagnosis and treatment of head and neck
tary therapies. In partnership with the cancer is an inspiration to the NYU team.” How You
non-profit organization
Support for People with
Additional funding for the
Department is coming from
Can Help
Oral and Head and Neck NYU is uniquely equipped George and Lori Hall. A gift to the
Cancer (SPOHNC), the
to handle the most The Halls have been philan- Department of
Center is forming a patient
complex and advanced thropic supporters of the Otolaryngology is an
support group, facilitated
Medical Center since 1998, investment in the
jointly by a subspecialty stage cases, and is often when, after the sudden loss lives and futures of
nurse clinician and a social the destination for of his hearing at age 18, families, friends, and
worker who are specifically
qualified to deal with the
patients previously treated George was successfully neighbors. Your
treated by Dr. Noel Cohen, donation will help
medical and social needs of at other institutions.
Professor and former our physicians and
patients with head and
Chairman of Otolaryngology. researchers advance
neck cancers.
Their past support has their studies, apply
“The approach and structure of our team made significant contributions to the findings in patient
benefit the patient at every step of the NYU Cochlear Implant Center and the care, and share these
way—diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and research endeavors in head and neck discoveries in the
rehabilitation,” notes Dr. DeLacure. cancers. The current gift from the Halls classroom and with
“Communication between clinicians is establishes an endowed professorship: the global medical
enhanced by being physically located in the George E. Hall Chair in Head and community. For more
the same building. In the middle of a Neck Cancer Research. The Department, information on
patient’s chemo treatment, for example, working with the NYU Cancer Institute, making a gift to our
the surgeon and radiation oncologist are expects to begin recruiting for this posi- Department, please
just a few floors away and can be called if tion in the near future. call Steven Schutzer
needed. More broadly, this collaboration is at (212) 263-6521.

www.med.nyu.edu/ENT/ 5
Otolaryngology News
Research Highlights
Last year represented an important milestone for our Department: We became the highest National Institutes of
Health-funded department of otolaryngology in New York City. This is a major achievement for our Department, and
is even more impressive when we consider that that figure does not include other federal funding. Susan
Waltzman, PhD, for example, holds a major grant from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), while Paul
Hammerschlag, MD, is a subcontractor to a large multi-center federally funded study.

We are pleased to announce that Pamela Roehm, MD, PhD, has received the Maureen Hannley Research Training
award from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. Dr. Roehm is a fellow-
ship-trained neurotologist who joined the Department in 2006. In collaboration with cellular biologist Moses
Chao, PhD, she will study the pathophysiology of vestibular neuritis using cultured vestibular ganglion neurons and
herpes simplex virus 1. The one-year project has been funded with a grant of $15,000. Reviewers called Dr. Roehm’s
investigation “an elegant proposal based on solid pilot data, written by a strong candidate with an MD-PhD back-
ground with excellent mentorship.”

Mario Svirsky, PhD, has been appointed a full member of the Communication Disorders Review Committee at
the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). This committee advises the directors of the NIH and the NIDCD on programs and activities in the areas of
communication science.

Yan Li, PhD, Associate Research Scientist, has received a grant of $40,000 from the Deafness Research Foundation.
Her project, “Mouse Models of Human Syndromic Hearing Loss Linked to Mutant MYH9 Alleles,” is being conducted
in Dr. Anil Lalwani’s Laboratory of Molecular Otology and Dr. Anand Mhatre’s Laboratory of Molecular Genetics.

Milan Amin, MD, was awarded a $10,000 intramural grant from the NYU Innovations in Medical Education
Research Small Grants Program. His proposal, “Simulation-Based Training in Advanced Airway Skills,” will create a
program incorporating lectures, cadaver dissections, and simulators to teach residents emergency airway skills. His
co-investigators are Drs. Richard Lebowitz, Kenneth Schneider, and Anil Lalwani.

Congratulations to Luc Morris, MD, winner of the Department’s Resident Research award. His study, “Racial disparities
in thyroid cancer:A population-based study,” was conducted in collaboration with Otolaryngology faculty members Mark
D. DeLacure, MD, and David J. Myssiorek, MD. By reviewing health records databases and economic data, Dr. Morris
discovered a lower rate of thyroid cancer diagnosed among black Americans and looked at the relative contribution of
three factors explaining the difference: a true lower incidence of disease, a less aggressive form of disease, and an under-
diagnosis in black patients.

6 NYU School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology

 Otolaryngology News
Department Celebrates Arrival of New Faculty
Bernard A. Feigenbaum, MD, who holds a joint appointment as Clinical Assistant
Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Otolaryngology, comes to NYU after
seven years on the clinical faculty at Yale University. His research interests include aspirin
sensitive asthma and aspirin desensitization, as well as acute and chronic sinusitis. Dr.
Feigenbaum specializes in adult and pediatric allergy, asthma, and immunology.

Kenneth Harris, PhD, joins the research endeavors of the department as a Visiting
Assistant Professor. After receiving his PhD from University College London, Dr. Harris
completed a fellowship at Rutgers University, where he now conducts research in the
Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience. At NYU, Dr. Harris will continue his
research into processing of information by neural populations of the auditory cortex.

Robert Machold, PhD, has joined NYU as an Assistant Research Professor. After receiv-
ing his PhD from MIT, Dr. Machold joined the Developmental Genetics research team
at NYU’s Skirball Institute. His current research uses genetic methods to investigate the
formation and development of the cerebellum and brain stem. He is particularly inter-
ested in neurons in the embryonic neural tube that contribute to hearing and balance.

David Myssiorek, MD, Professor, comes to NYU from Albert Einstein College of
Medicine/Montefiore Hospital and Long Island Jewish Medical Center, where he was the
Section Head for Head and Neck Surgery. At NYU, he is part of the head and neck cancer
team at the Clinical Cancer Center. Dr. Myssiorek is an NYU School of Medicine alum
and also completed his otolaryngology residency here.

Pamela C. Roehm, MD, PhD, has joined the Division of Otology, Neurotology, and
Skull Base Surgery as an Assistant Professor. After graduating from Johns Hopkins, she
trained at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Iowa. Dr. Roehm’s research
and clinical interests include diseases of the ear, temporal bone, and facial nerve;
cochlear implantation; and treatment of skull base tumors.

Robert L. Smith, PhD, joins NYU as a Research Professor. As a researcher and profes-
sor for the last 35 years at Syracuse University, Dr. Smith has investigated the temporal
and dynamic properties in hearing as measured at various levels of the auditory system.
At NYU, Dr. Smith will continue to integrate this research into his related studies of
cochlear implants, with the goal of developing better implants.

Joe D. Watts, MD, returns to the department as Associate Director of Otolaryngology

at Bellevue Hospital Center, with mixed administrative and teaching/clinical responsi-
bilities. From 1978-2005, Dr. Watts practiced otolaryngology at NYU, Greenwich
Hospital, and in private practice. While at Greenwich Hospital, he served as Chairman
of the Section of Otolaryngology.

www.med.nyu.edu/ENT/ 7