Honors and Education: Triological Society Combined Section Meeting 2024

Once a year, the four sections of the Triological Society gather to learn about new research, exchange ideas, and network with others in the specialty. This year’s Combined Sections Meeting took place on Jan. 25–27 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla.

During the meeting, awards were given, and otolaryngologists were honored for their career achievements. Here, you’ll meet the honorees and special guests and view the Speed Networking Event, which brought together experienced and new otolaryngologists to share ideas on a variety of topics. Next month’s issue will feature a look at some of the new research and panel presentations from the meeting.

2024 Thesis Award with Distinction: Taher S. Valika, MD, Chicago, Ill.

Thesis: “Fluoroscopic Assisted Tongue Suspension: Advancement and Innovation in the Management of Complex Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea”

Eastern Section Citation Awardees: Barry L. Wenig, MD, MPH, MBA, Chicago, Ill.

Dr. Wenig is the Mario D. Mansueto, MD, Professor and chair of the department of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. He treats patients with malignant and benign head and neck tumors, with the goal of eradicating cancer while maintaining quality of life. He’s a Diplomate of the American Board of Otolaryngology and has been an active leader in professional organizations, including the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and the American Head and Neck Society.

Peak Woo, MD, New York, N.Y.

Dr. Woo is a clinical professor of otolaryngology at the Icahn School of Medicine. Since 2008, he has been in clinical practice with academic appointment as clinical professor and co-director of the laryngology fellowship training program at the Icahn School. He’s a past president of the American Broncho-Esophaglogical Association and the American Laryngological Association. His main clinical and research interests are in the medical and surgical treatment of laryngeal diseases, and he has lectured extensively on diagnosis and management of voice disorders. He has participated in laryngology fellowship training of international and national fellows since 1996.

Donald A. Leopold, MD (posthumous)

A stalwart of modern rhinology, Dr. Leopold passed away on June 11, 2022. He was focused on patient care, education, and research during his internationally recognized career in olfaction and rhinology. He was a leader within otolaryngology for decades, serving as president of the American Rhinologic Society and chair of otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and the University of Nebraska. He trained hundreds of students, residents, and fellows over his almost 40-year career at SUNY Upstate, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Nebraska, and the University of Vermont.

Eastern Section Guest of Honor: Warren Schubert, MD, St. Paul, Minn.

Dr. Schubert is a general plastic surgeon who has been based at Regions Hospital, the main Level 1 Trauma Hospital for the University of Minnesota Plastic Surgery residency training program, for 33 years. He’s the immediate past chair of the AO Craniomaxillofacial (AOCMF) International Board, past president of the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, and has been a board member of the AOCMF (AO Craniomaxillofacial) International Board, the AOCMF (AO Craniomaxillofacial) North American Board, the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons, and the American Association for Hand Surgery, among others. His primary interests are maxillofacial trauma and reconstruction, hand surgery, work in developing countries, and teaching.

Southern Section Citation Awardees: Jeffrey P. Harris, MD, PhD, La Jolla, Calif.

Dr. Harris is one of the longest serving chairs of otolaryngology, now in his 38th year. He is a tenured, distinguished professor of otolaryngology and neurological surgery at the University of California San Diego. His clinical practice covers neurotology, but his special focus has been immune causes of hearing loss, AIED, Meniere’s disease, and surgery for otosclerosis. He is the past president of the American Otological Society and the Association for Research in Otolaryngology. He was awarded the Shambaugh Prize by the Collegium Oto-Rhino-Laryngologicum Amicitiae Sacrum in Rome, Italy, and the Award of Merit from the AOS. He also received the Triological Society’s Citation Award for the Western Section.

Fred J. Stucker, MD, Shreveport, La.

Dr. Stucker is an emeritus professor at LSU Health Shreveport. Following his submarine and diving duty in the U.S. Navy, he served his residency in otolaryngology at the Oakland Naval Hospital, then was assigned to the Yokosuka Naval Hospital in Japan as chief of ophthalmology and otolaryngology, with additional duties as the medical officer for the Submarine Flotilla Seven and the medical diving officer for the Far East. Following his military career, he became professor and chair of the department of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at LSU Medical School, guiding the program for 29 years. Dr. Stucker has been president of four national societies and has received numerous awards from both the military

and academia.

Southern Section Guest of Honor: Jennifer R. Grandis, MD, San Francisco, Calif.

Dr. Grandis is interested in the impact of gender on career development in medicine and science. In her institutional roles at the University of Pittsburgh and since 2015, at UCSF, she has facilitated collaborations between clinicians and investigators with an emphasis of developing a robust research infrastructure to support clinical and translational cancer studies. Her cancer research is focused on elucidating and targeting key signaling pathways and genomic alterations in head and neck cancer with the goal of enabling precision medicine studies. Dr. Grandis is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and the National Academy of Medicine.

Western Section Citation Awardees: Dinesh K. Chhetri, MD, Los Angeles, Calif.

Dr. Chhetri is professor of head and neck surgery and vice chair of the department of head and neck surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His academic practice is focused on laryngology and head and neck surgery. He currently serves as director of the UCLA Swallowing Disorders Program, Head and Neck Cancer Survivorship Program, and the Laryngology Fellowship Program. He’s also the current president of the American Laryngological Association and is the associate editor for laryngology for The Laryngoscope. Additionally, he is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Head and

Neck Society.

Cherie-Ann Nathan, MD, Shreveport, La.

Dr. Nathan is the Jack Pou Endowed Professor and chair of the department of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at LSU–Health. She is also director of Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery and Research at the Feist-Weiller Cancer Center. She maintains a busy practice treating head and neck cancer, thyroid, parathyroid, and salivary gland tumors, and skin cancer, and she leads an active research team. She is recognized nationally and internationally for her seminal work on molecular analysis of surgical margins. Dr. Nathan is the immediate past president of the Association of Academic Depts. of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, the past president of the American Head and Neck Society, and the current vice president of the Southern Section.

Western Section Guest of Honor/Recipient, 11th Annual Patrick E. Brookhouser, MD, Award of Excellence: Gerald S. Berke, MD, Los Angeles, Calif.

Currently professor and chair emeritus in the UCLA Department of Head and Neck Surgery and director of the UCLA Voice Center for Medicine and the Arts, which he founded, Dr. Berke is considered by his peers to be an international authority on laryngeal physiology. Dr. Berke has authored over 175 papers in print and 30 grants based on laryngeal physiology and voice disorders in addition to mentoring numerous research fellows. He was on the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Advisory Council for six years. He performed the first functioning larynx transplant in animals and developed the only surgical treatment for adductor spasmodic dysphonia. He pioneered many of the techniques now used by laryngologists to treat patients in an office setting.

Middle Section Citation Awardees: Andrew Georgilis, Cincinnati, Ohio

Georgilis graduated from Indiana University with a BS degree in paleobotany. After working for over 20 years in medical sales, including pharmaceuticals, capital equipment, and medical devices, he founded his own company, Bryan Medical. He initially worked as a distributor, selling tracheostomy tubes, instruments, and otolaryngology furniture. In 2014 he designed his first medical device; a silicone tracheostomy tube followed by a balloon dilatation catheter for the airway. He has since developed several other niche products focusing on the head and neck.

Dana M. Thompson, MD, Chicago, Ill.

Dr. Thompson serves as the Lauren D. Holinger Professor and chair of pediatric otolaryngology at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Her clinical interests include infant apnea, airway and extraesophageal manifestations of GERD, aerodigestive manifestations of eosinophilic esophagitis, oropharyngeal swallowing, airway protection, neurolaryngology, and innovative care access and delivery models. She is considered one of the world’s authorities on the surgical and medical management of laryngomalacia. She received the Mosher Award from the Triological Society, currently serves as the society’s assistant executive vice president, and was the previous chair of the thesis committee and vice president of the Middle Section.

Middle Section Guest of Honor: Claire K. Miller, PhD, MHA, Cincinnati, Ohio

Dr. Miller is the senior clinical director of the division of speech–language pathology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. She holds an adjunct assistant professor appointment in the department of communication sciences and disorders at the University of Cincinnati and as

field service associate professor–affiliate, department of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery. Her research and clinical interests are in pediatric dysphagia, with a focus on instrumental swallowing assessment and the clinical management of medically fragile infants and children with congenital and acquired airway and digestive anomalies. She has authored numerous publications and presented nationally and internationally on aspects of pediatric dysphagia.

Middle Section George Adams, MD, Young Faculty Award: Victoria S. Lee, MD, Chicago, Ill.

Dr. Lee is currently an assistant professor in rhinology, sinus, and skull base surgery at the University of Illinois, Chicago. As a specialist in sinonasal disease, her areas of expertise include nasal obstruction, allergy, sinusitis, nasal polyps, and sinonasal tumors. She specializes in minimally invasive endoscopic approaches to treat sinonasal, skull base, and orbital pathology. She’s also actively involved in rhinologic outcomes research, exploring the effects of social and environmental factors on sinonasal disease. She has received both peer-reviewed and industry funding for her research, including a Triological Society Career Development Award.

Binderup Prize: Michael G. Stewart, MD, MPH, New York, N.Y.

Michael G Stewart, MD, MPH, is professor and chairman of the department of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell, and senior associate dean for international affairs and affiliations at Weill Cornell. He has received three Distinguished Service Awards from the AAO-HNS and Presidential or Vice-Presidential Citations from four national societies. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of The Laryngoscope and a past president of the American Board of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. He currently serves as executive vice president of the American Rhinologic Society.  

Amy E. Hamaker is the editor of ENTtoday.