UNC ENT

11/12/2025

At this year’s AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting, UNC Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery faculty, trainees, and collaborators shared research spanning surgical innovation, nasal drug delivery, and medical education.

🔹 Early Identification of Gastrostomy Tube Candidacy in Patients Undergoing Head and Neck Surgery
Presenting Author: Makayla R. Matthews, BS
Co-Authors: Victoria I. Fonseca, BS; Jason Tasoulas, MD
Senior Author: Trevor G. Hackman, MD

🔹 Computational Analysis Investigating Intranasal Drug Delivery Following Functional Septorhinoplasty
Presenting Author: Yang U. Lee, BA
Senior Author: Dennis O. Frank-Ito, PhD

🔹 Trends in Medical Student Research Among Otolaryngology Residency Applicants: A Decade in Review (2015–2024)
Presenting Author: W. Jared Martin, BA
Co-Authors: Aurelia S. Monk, BS; Yasine Mirmozaffari, BS; Ezer Benaim, MD; Christina Dorismond, MD; Christine E. DeMason, MD; Robert A. Buckmire, MD
Senior Author: Rupali Shah, MD

Congratulations to all who contributed to these impactful studies advancing patient care and education in otolaryngology.

11/11/2025

Happy Nurse Practitioner Week! 💙
We’re celebrating the incredible nurse practitioners who bring skill, compassion, and dedication to every patient encounter. Their expertise strengthens our care teams and helps ensure patients receive high-quality, personalized care every day.

11/10/2025

Congratulations to Robert Ferris, MD, PhD, executive director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and chief of oncology clinical services for UNC Health, on his election to the National Academy of Medicine, one of the most prestigious honors in health and medicine.

Dr. Ferris was recognized for optimizing effective therapies for head and neck cancer, leading the first positive phase III trial and FDA-approval of PD-1 immunotherapy, including advancing neoadjuvant immunotherapy, and changing guidelines to permit deintensification for good prognosis, HPV+ cancer by reducing postoperative chemo- and radiotherapy after robotic surgery.

11/09/2025

A new study by UNC Otolaryngology and collaborators examined how HPV-associated cancers and vaccination are represented on TikTok.

While most videos supported HPV vaccination, few discussed its link to non-cervical cancers, such as oropharyngeal cancer, now the most common HPV-related malignancy.

In an era of accessible online medical content, it is clear that providers need to take a leading role in updating this content to keep patients informed and empowered.

Oropharyngeal Cancer and the HPV Vaccine: Analysis of Social Media Content

Authors: Makayla R. Matthews, Hasan Abdulbaki, William R. Ryan, Trevor G. Hackman, and Zainab Farzal.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a well-documented cause of cervical, oropharyngeal, vaginal, vulvar, a**l, and pe**le cancers, largely preventable with the HPV vaccine. We conducted an observational st...

11/06/2025

Our residents and faculty, Drs. DeMason, Selleck, Lin, Ebert, and Jewett, guided nearly 30 medical students through an engaging simulation lab, where participants practiced ear tube placement, nasal endoscopy, suturing, knot tying, laryngoscopy, and intubation skills 🩺

11/04/2025

Drs. Saangyoung Lee and Kevin Brown co-authored a new article exploring modern approaches to treating hearing loss in patients with vestibular schwannoma, rare tumors that affect the balance and hearing nerve. Their work highlights how cochlear implantation and other evolving therapies are improving quality of life for patients.

https://buff.ly/9WxewLn

Effective treatment for patients with hearing loss and vestibular schwannoma have evolved, improving quality of life.

11/02/2025

Our Rhinology team represented UNC at this year’s ARS Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, presenting a range of innovative research advancing the field of rhinology.

Oral Presentation – "Species-Level Characterization of the Nasal Microbiome in Chronic Rhinosinusitis utilizing Third-Generation Sequencing”

Improvement in Inferior Turbinate Submucous Resection Crusting with a Synthetic Peptide Hydrogel– Yasine Mirmozaffari, Priya Desai, Nina Westcott, W. Jared Martin, Ezer H. Benaim, Tom Raz Yarkoni, Michael Armstrong, Jackson Vuncannon, Cristine Klatt-Cromwell, Brian Thorp, Brent Senior, Adam J. Kimple, Matthew Lelegren, and Charles S. Ebert Jr.

Novel Technique to Validate Nasal Spray Characteristics observed in Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulation in the Nasal Cavity – Yasine Mirmozaffari, Haley E. Hanes, Sidh R. Lad, Uditi Patil, W. Jared Martin, and team

Highlights:
• Asha Nadabar presented “Allergic Rhinitis Quality of Life Measures in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis.”
• Inbar Fried presented “Examining the Relationship Between Ciliary Dysfunction and Brain Ventricle Dilatation.”
• 🥇 First Place Poster: Heidi Martini-Stoica for “Characterization of Neutrophils in CRS Secondary to Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia.”
• Collaborative study with Morgan State University, Johns Hopkins, and UNC on nasal airflow and balloon dilation.
• Ezer Benaim presented “Gene Expression in CRS Varies by Environmental Exposure.

11/01/2025

Our Otolaryngology team guided second-year medical students through an engaging cadaver session, exploring anatomy and clinical correlations. Inspiring the next generation of physicians, one session at a time!

10/29/2025

Dr. Sarah Russel assumed her position as Chair of the Section for Residents and Fellows-in-Training (SRF) at the AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting. She also served as a panelist on two important topics: “Improving LGBTQIA+ Patient Care in Otolaryngology” and “Strategies to Overcome Health Inequities and Improve Outcomes in At-Risk Populations.” Her leadership reflects a deep commitment to compassionate care in otolaryngology 💙

10/28/2025

Faculty in the UNC Department of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery are dedicated to advancing trainee education. Dakota Sharp, AuD, Pediatric Audiologist at the Carolina Children’s Cochlear Implant Center, served as a guest lecturer in the UNC graduate course Advanced Signal Coding. Dr. Sharp discussed mapping variables, signal coding strategies for cochlear implants, and shared clinical insights with Doctor of Audiology students.

10/26/2025

October is Health Literacy Month 📖
Understanding health information is key to better outcomes. 💙

10/24/2025

Dr. Brent Senior, MD, FACS, FARS, shares key updates and future goals for EUFOREA (The European Forum for Research and Education in Allergy and Airway Diseases) in his editorial featured in the September EUFOREAN newsletter.
From expanding patient education initiatives to launching new global partnerships, Dr. Senior highlights EUFOREA’s growing role in advancing care for chronic respiratory diseases worldwide.
🔗 Read the full issue here: https://mailchi.mp/euforea.eu/euforean-september2025-newsletter?e=00fa7340ca