Overview

The goal of the Cincinnati Neurotology Fellowship is to train the next generation of neurotologists in the full scope of adult and pediatric neurotologic care while providing opportunities to develop an academic niche. Established by Dr. Myles Pensak in 1984, the University of Cincinnati program in lateral skull base surgery has a rich history of interdisciplinary care in the management of complex lateral skull base pathologies. The 2-year ACGME-accredited fellowship was established by Dr. Ravi Samy in 2007, and currently matches one fellow every other year through the San Francisco Match.

Complex Otology

The fellow will gain extensive experience in surgical management of chronic and complex ear conditions including cholesteatoma, glomus tumors, revision stapedectomy, etc, as well as hearing rehabilitation with cochlear implants and osseointegrated devices. The fellow will take an active role on the cochlear implant team in multidisciplinary discussions related to all aspects of cochlear implant patient care, including evolving indications for cochlear implantation, revision cochlear implantation, device selection, and hearing preservation.

Lateral Skull Base

Working as part of an interdisciplinary team, the fellow will become proficient in the diagnosis and management of benign and malignant pathologies of the lateral skull base. The program provides experience in all 3 approaches for vestibular schwannoma surgery, as well as radiosurgery, which is performed by one of our program faculty. The fellow will be exposed to a diverse range of pathologies in the skull base and facial nerve, establishing a comprehensive surgical toolbox including expanded middle fossa, orbitozygomatic, transpetrosal, jugular foramen approaches, and more. The fellow will work closely with Head and Neck partners in the management of temporal bone and skull base malignancies and Facial Plastics colleagues in the contemporary management of facial nerve pathologies.

Pediatric Neurotology

The fellow will be a member of the pediatric hearing loss team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and participate in the clinical work-up of congenital hearing loss and pediatric cochlear implantation in both normal and malformed cochleae, as well as contemporary approaches to the genetic diagnosis of hearing loss. The fellow will also participate in a strong Neurofibromatosis type II program in close collaboration with pediatric neuro-oncology.

Vestibular System

The fellow will gain expertise in the contemporary and evidence-based management of vestibular disorders, including clinical vestibular testing, management of Meniere’s disease/vestibular migraine, superior canal dehiscence syndrome, etc.

Graduated Independence

During training, it is expected that the fellow will serve as an instructor-level faculty member in the Division of Neurotology, by taking an active role in managing service responsibilities while providing surgical education and mentorship to resident trainees. The fellow will take a lead in teaching residents the surgical skills for general otology cases as well as taking an active role in neurotology-related consults including facial nerve trauma, complications of otitis media, skull base malignancies, etc. The fellow will have dedicated time at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center with OR and clinic experience.

Education

The goal of the fellowship is to foster an environment of intellectual curiosity, clinical excellence, and scientific rigor. In addition to hands-on surgical training of residents, the fellow will participate in multidisciplinary case conferences, including skull base, CI, facial nerve case conferences, and others. The fellow will organize and participate in journal clubs and provide instruction during the annual temporal bone course.

Research

Academic time is structured into the fellowship and it is expected that the fellow will develop a research focus in preparation for a future academic position. While the program has established collaborations in areas of biomedical engineering, imaging, genetics, gene therapy for hearing loss, and others, the program faculty is dedicated to helping and mentoring fellows to identify opportunities that align with emerging interests or builds on existing work.

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted via San Francisco Match 

Eligibility

Candidates who have completed an ACGME accredited residency in Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery are eligible for the match.
Accreditation

The Neurotology fellowship program is ACGME accredited.

Neurotology Faculty:

Daniel Sun, MD - Associate Professor & Director, Neurotology/Otology Fellowship Training Program
Steven Gordon, MD - Assistant Professor, Associate Program Director, Neurotology/Otology Fellowship Training Program
Myles Pensak, MD - Emeritus Professor 
Daniel Choo, MD - Professor
John Greinwald, MD - Professor
Norberto Andaluz, MD - Professor, Neurosurgery
Mario Zuccarello, MD- Adjunct Professor, Neurosurgery

Current and Past Neurotology Fellows