University Hospitals Leaders Offer Courses in Endoscopic Ear and Temporal Bone Surgery

Innovations in Ear, Nose & Throat | Winter 2023

This July, the University Hospitals Ear, Nose & Throat Institute will offer Ohio’s first fully endoscopic ear course. The two-day CME course, entitled The UH Endoscopic Ear Surgery Symposium and Dissection Course, featuring virtual guest speakers from the United States, Italy and Brazil, and is open to otolaryngologists and residents from ENT programs nationwide and internationally. The 2023 keynote speaker will be Jacob Hunter, MD, the incoming director of the Division of Otology and Neurotology within the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

Alejandro Rivas, MD

Sarah Mowry, MD

“Part of our mission in Otology and Neurotology is to train the next generation of otolaryngologic surgeons by providing access to leading-edge techniques and technologies,” says Alejandro Rivas, MD, Division Chief of neurotology and Director of the Cochlear Implant Center within the UH Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) Institute and Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

While ear surgery has traditionally been performed using a microscope, Dr. Rivas has pioneered the use of endoscopes. “The structures in the ear are tiny, and the endoscope provides a broader surgical view,” he says. “Much of my academic efforts have been to demonstrate that endoscopic ear surgery achieves similar or superior outcomes to the microscope in appropriate cases.” 

Dr. Rivas and the division’s newest faculty member, Daniel Killeen, MD, will serve as co-directors of the course. Dr. Killeen is a board-certified neurotologist who has a special interest in endoscopic ear surgery. He comes to University Hospitals from the University of Alabama. Prior to completing a fellowship at the University of Texas Southwestern, Dr. Killeen earned his medical degree at Harvard University. 

Participating residents from medical programs and fellowship across Ohio and Pennsylvania will also be among the first to utilize the health system’s newly expanded temporal bone lab to perform cadaver bone dissections and learn novel surgical techniques. Nearly complete, phase one of the renovation project added six new lab stations. Phase two will update the 10 workspaces, for a total of 16 lab stations.

“All stations will have endoscopic towers with the capability to broadcast to large observation screens,” says Sarah Mowry, MD, FACS, program director of  CWRU/UH ENT residency training program, Vice Chair of Education and Associate Professor at CWRU School of Medicine. “They will also have state-of-the-art optics.”

Temporal Bone Course and Symposium

Last year marked the 20th anniversary of University Hospitals’ Temporal Bone Course. Held each October, the course was created by Cliff Megerian, MD, form department Chair and now CEO of University Hospitals and the Jane and Henry Meyer Distinguished Chair. Hosted by Dr. Mowry, the two-day CME course combines relevant lectures with hands-on sessions in the temporal bone lab. “We were fortunate to have Dr. Howard Francis, Chair of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences at Duke University, as our guest visiting professor in 2022,” says Dr. Mowry. “Additionally, Dr. Rivas is considered an international expert on endoscopic surgical approaches to the middle ear, and residents had the opportunity to spend time with him learning about microdissections.” 

Skull Base and Craniovertebral Surgery Courses

This September, faculty from ENT will again partner with the UH Neurological Institute and School of Medicine’s two international courses, the Congress of Neurological Surgeons Skull Base Fellows Course and Surgery of the Craniovertebral Junction. Each year, over 50 neurosurgeons come from around the world to learn leading-edge neurosurgical techniques. 

Acoustic Neuroma Symposium

On September 23rd, the UH Division of Otology and Neurotology will partner with the Acoustic Neuroma Association (ANA) to offer a national symposium to the ANA community. “This is a patient-centered event aimed at providing support and education to individuals with acoustic neuroma-related issues,” says Dr. Rivas. “We will have the opportunity to discuss the physiopathology, treatment methods, rehabilitation options and new innovations.” The interdisciplinary team hosting the symposium will include specialists from ENT, audiology, neurosurgery, radiation oncology, facial plastics and physical therapy. 

Skull Base Fellowship in Neurotology

The Division of Neurotology, recently received approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for a skull base fellowship program in neurotology. Alexandra Arambula, MD, has been selected as the inaugural fellow and will work with surgeons in the UH ENT and Neurological Institutes.

Dr. Arambula is a graduate of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and is completing her residency in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. “These are highly competitive fellowships,” says Dr. Rivas. “There are only about 17 neurotology spots throughout the country each year, and we look forward to starting the UH program in July.” 

For more information, contact Dr Alejandro Rivas at Alejandro.Rivas@uhhospitals.org and Dr. Mowry at Sarah.Mowry@UHhospitals.org.

Contributing Experts:
Alejandro Rivas, MD
Division Chief of Otology and Neurotology 
Director, UH Cochlear Implant Center and Cochlear Center of Excellence
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
UH ENT Institute
Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the Department of Neurological Surgery
Patricia R. and Richard W. Pogue Chair in Auditory Surgery and Hearing Sciences
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Sarah Mowry, MD
Vice Chair of Education
Program Director, ENT residency program
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
UH ENT Institute
Associate Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine