Part of the Triological Society’s mission is to promote academic excellence by sponsoring educational meetings, funding research, and producing The Laryngoscope and Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology to disseminate the latest basic and clinical research results. The society takes its educational mission so seriously that to become an Active Fellow, candidates must submit a thesis in the field of otolaryngology.
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July 2023Awards for outstanding candidate theses were given out at this year’s Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings in Boston. Congratulations to this year’s recipients.
Harris P. Mosher Award
Brianne B. Roby, MD
Thesis Title: Children’s Visual Perception of Facial Scarring and Secondary Cleft Lip Deformity Using Eye Tracking Data
Purpose: This award is given in recognition of the excellence of a candidate’s thesis in clinical research.
Background: Harris P. Mosher (1867–1954), MD, attended Harvard College and the Harvard Medical School, receiving his MD in 1896. Dr. Mosher became an instructor in the department of anatomy at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and the Harvard Medical School and started the first course in sinus anatomy in the United States. In 1919, he was appointed professor of laryngology at the Harvard Medical School and chief of laryngology at the Massachusetts General Hospital. In 1932, he was appointed to the Walter Augustus LaCompte Chair of Otology at Harvard. When the American Board of Otolaryngology was formed in 1924, he was chosen as its president and served in that capacity for 25 years. He was the recipient of the Semon Medal from the Royal Society of Medicine of London, the Gold Medal from the American Laryngological Association, and a service medal from the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology. He’s known for his intranasal ethmoidectomy technique and his method for the removal of safety pins swallowed by babies.
Edmund Prince Fowler Award
Thomas J. Ow, MD, MS
Thesis Title: Capturing the Diversity of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Using Conditional Reprogramming Cell Culture Methods
Purpose: This award is given in recognition of the excellence of a candidate’s thesis in basic research.
Background: Edmund Prince Fowler, Sr., MD (1872–1966), was a prolific author and an advocate for the hard of hearing. After earning his MD from Columbia University, Dr. Fowler joined the Manhattan Eye and Ear Hospital and became a clinical professor at Columbia University. He was president of the American Otological Society in 1937, recipient of its first Award of Merit in 1952, and founder of the first hearing center in the United States. He’s attributed with the invention of the modern clinical audiometer, and found that some patients with severe or unilateral losses had suprathreshold hearing values, a condition he termed “recruitment.” This clinical finding resulted in the Alternate Binaural Loudness Balance test.
Maureen Hannley Alternative Science Award
Jose L. Mattos, MD, MPH
Thesis Title: Determinants of Patient Satisfaction after Endoscopic Sinus Surgery for Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Mixed Methods Approach
Purpose: Given to recognize thesis excellence in an alternative science category.
Background: Maureen Hannley, PhD (1942–2015), received her MA from the University of Arizona and a PhD in hearing science and biocommunication from Baylor College of Medicine. She held appointments at Louisiana State University, Kresge Hearing Research Laboratory, Stanford University School of Medicine, Duke University, Medical College of Wisconsin, and the University of Arizona. Dr. Hannley was also of chief research officer at the AAO-HNSF, and health services administrator and director of the Hearing Research Program at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. She was the society’s thesis and research grants consultant from 2006 to 2015 and was elected as an Honorary Triological Society Fellow in 2009.
Honorable Mention for Basic Science Award
Konstantina M. Stankovic, MD, PhD
Thesis Title: Immune Profiling of Secreted Factors from Human Vestibular Schwannoma Cells and Tumor Associated Macrophages
Purpose: Given to recognize the excellence of the candidate’s thesis in basic science.
Honorable Mention for Clinical Research Award
Jennifer A. Villwock, MD
Thesis Title: Olfactory Dysfunction Phenotypes as Noninvasive Biomarkers of Cognitive Status and Disease
Purpose: Given to recognize thesis excellence in clinical research.
With Distinction Award
Taher S. Valika, MD
Thesis Title: Fluoroscopic Assisted Tongue Suspension: Advancement and Innovation in the Management of Complex Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Purpose: Award is given in recognition of the excellence of a candidate’s thesis.
Amy E. Hamaker is the editor of ENTtoday.
Submitting a Thesis
Here are the steps to become an Active Fellow in the Triological Society. More information on the process is available on the society’s website at www.triological.org.
Step 1: Become a candidate. To become a candidate, two voting Fellows (Active, Senior, or Emeritus) must nominate you and agree to serve as your sponsors. Candidates must also be certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, have been in practice, teaching, or research for at least three years post-training, have published a minimum of two papers in peer-reviewed journals, and met a meetings attendance requirement.
Step 2: Take advantage of available resources. Candidates can attend a thesis seminar held annually at the Triological Combined Sections meetings. A Thesis Advisory Committee helps candidates to vet and develop topics, and several award-winning theses are available to review on the society’s website.
Step 3: Prepare your thesis and letter of intent. All candidates are asked to complete a letter of intent. Theses topics should fall into one of six main categories: Clinical Research, Basic Science Research, Health Services Research, Otolaryngology Status and Trends, Technology and Procedure Development, and Historical Perspectives. Details are available on the Triological Society’s website.
Step 4: Submit your thesis. The final thesis, reviewed and approved by the sponsors, must be submitted by August 15. Theses must be submitted to The Laryngoscope or Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology and are subject to strict peer review. More details are available on the society’s website.