Diana C. Ponsky, MD, assistant professor of otolaryngology-facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio, went to medical school wanting to be a pediatrician. She happened upon otolaryngology “by accident, by scrubbing into a very fascinating cancer case. I was hooked,” she now recalls.
When a person walks into an otolaryngologist’s office with pain in the head and neck area, the challenge to correctly identify the cause and treat appropriately is a large one and one that otolaryngologists face daily.
PHOENIX-The speciality of head and neck surgery has come a long way. But, along with huge advances in the types of treatments available and the technologies used, the profession is facing challenges-such as the recruitment of good candidates into the field and issues related to the regionalization and globalization of care.
PHOENIX-Laryngology is enjoying a resurgence in the world of endoscopy and the future of the field is promising, outgoing American Laryngological Association (ALA) President Roger L. Crumley, MD, MBA, said in his presidential address at the 130th annual meeting of the association, an address that touched on the discipline’s past as well as challenges it is facing.
PHOENIX-When faced with sticky ethical issues-such as a colleague who periodically shows up to work smelling of alcohol, or getting complaints from staff about inappropriate behavior from another doctor-what should be done?