UNC ENT

12/08/2025

Dr. Senior delivered the Keynote Address, “Evolution and Revolution in Chronic Rhinosinusitis and its Management,” at the 119th Annual Meeting of the Taiwan Otolaryngology Society in Tainan, Taiwan. The talk emphasized new approaches that are shaping how chronic rhinosinusitis is understood and treated.

12/05/2025

It’s National Handwashing Awareness Week — a reminder that one of the simplest actions can make the biggest impact.
Clean hands help prevent infections, protect patients, and keep our clinics and hospitals safe. 🧼💙

12/04/2025

Flu season is here, and National Influenza Vaccination Week is the perfect time to get protected. A simple shot can reduce your risk of getting sick and help keep our patients and community healthy.

12/03/2025

Dr. Matthew Miller was recently featured on the About the Face podcast!

In Episode 60, “Changes in Smile Symmetry and Perceived Emotions in Patients with Facial Synkinesis after DAO Myectomy,” Dr. Miller discusses how improvements in smile symmetry and happiness conveyed with smiling seen after DAO myectomy, a targeted smile reanimation surgery for patients with synkinesis, persist over long-term follow up. This procedure has revolutionized how patients with smile asymmetry secondary to facial synkinesis are treated over the last decade.

🔗Listen to the episode:

About the Face · Episode

12/01/2025

Dr. Senior, MD, FACS, FARS, will be a featured presenter at Rhinology Around the World – Live Dissection, an international educational event hosted by the American Rhinologic Society on December 12.

He will join international leaders in rhinology for a live-streamed cadaver dissection and discussion on advanced skull base techniques.

11/27/2025

Drs. Siddharth Sheth & Mihir Patel joined the BackTable Tumor Board Podcast to discuss the KEYNOTE-689 trial and how multidisciplinary teams are implementing immunotherapy in head and neck cancer care. A great listen for anyone interested in advancing collaborative oncology practices.
🔗 Listen to the full episode here:

Listen to the BackTable Tumor Board Podcast on Keynote-689: Implementation & Multidisciplinary Care for Immunotherapy in Head & Neck Cancer with Dr. Adam Luginbuhl, Dr. Jennifer Johnson, Dr. Mihir Patel and Dr. Siddharth Sheth. Visit BackTable.com.

11/26/2025

Resident Nick Mellot practices neurorrhaphy using Dr. Shockley’s “magic loupes” during the Nerve Repair Didactics!
Hands-on training like this helps our residents strengthen their surgical precision and deepen their understanding of complex nerve repair techniques.

11/24/2025

Meet sisters Lily and Kenzie, who participated in a research study at UNC evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the MED-EL BONEBRIDGE system in children under 12.
Thanks to this innovative bone conduction implant, both girls are hearing more clearly, and helping advance pediatric hearing care for others.

“With my old hearing aid I could hear 3 inches, and with my Bonebridge, I can hear 100 inches!” – Kenzie

Read their story: https://www.med.unc.edu/ent/cochlearimplantresearchlab/cochlear-implant-research-participant-testimonials/lily-kenzie-pediatric-bone-conduction-implant-review/

-EL

”…with my old hearing aid I could hear 3 inches and with my Bonebridge I can hear 100 inches!” Lily and Kenzie are two young research participants taking part in a study evaluating the safety and effectiveness of the MED-EL Bonebridge system in pediatric patients — specifically, children imp...

11/19/2025

Ten years ago, Tatum became UNC’s 1000th cochlear implant patient, and the first voice she ever heard was her big brother’s.
On Friday, she returned for her 10-year checkup, this time through our Cochlear Implant Mobile Unit, which brings hearing care directly to families across North Carolina so they don’t have to travel hours to Chapel Hill.
Her journey is a powerful reminder of why expanding access to pediatric cochlear implant care matters.
We’re honored to continue supporting Tatum and her family, and inspired by her dream of working in medicine one day. 💙

🔗 Read the full story https://buff.ly/hsxdCIN

At just a year old, Tatum Lanier, became the 1000th patient to get a cochlear implant at UNC.

11/18/2025

Temporal bone lab with Drs. Dedmon and Lee 🦴🔬 Residents gained hands-on experience exploring temporal bone anatomy and surgical techniques.

11/17/2025

Dr. Brown successfully implanted the first MED-EL Flex34 electrode array at the UNC Cochlear Implant Program🎉! A milestone that underscores the UNC Ear & Hearing team’s commitment to providing individualized treatment for children and adults with hearing loss. The team carefully selects the internal device that best matches each patient’s cochlear anatomy and hearing configuration to ensure optimal outcomes.

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.