Our Mission

The mission of the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at Oregon Health & Science University is to deliver contemporary and compassionate patient care of the highest quality; to expand our knowledge from basic science and clinical research; to provide state-of-the-art education to medical students, residents, fellows, and practicing physicians; and thus provide leadership in the community and academic medicine.

Our specialists and physicians treat a wide spectrum of ear, nose and throat-related disorders, such as hoarseness, hearing loss, snoring and sinusitis. We also treat disorders related to the head and neck region, such as tumors and trauma.

By combining compassionate care with specialized, scientific treatment options, we create a caring and healing environment for both children and adults.

Message from our Chair, Dr Paul Flint

My decision to move to OHSU was based on recognition that this position provided an opportunity to join an extraordinary group of colleagues who share a strong sense of team, ownership, and a commitment to excellence.

The department is comprised of highly motivated scientists and clinicians whose expertise is respected and sought throughout the specialty. Our faculty members excel in all clinical areas and provide patient care of the highest quality treating a wide spectrum of ear, nose and throat-related disorders, such as hoarseness, hearing loss, snoring, cleft palate repair, thryoid disorders, and sinusitis. Our department delivers comprehensive multidisciplinary care for patients diagnosed with all types of tumors of the head and neck and we are home to the largest cochlear implant program in the Northwest.  By combining compassionate care with specialized, evidence-based treatment options, we create a caring and healing environment for both children and adults.

The reputation of the Oregon Hearing Research Center (OHRC) is unsurpassed, with programs in hearing loss prevention, drug and noise induced hearing loss, tinnitus, and hair cell regeneration.  The department is also home to the largest Zebra fish colony dedicated to understanding the molecular and genetic aspects of hearing and vestibular disorders. Including the OHRC, the Vollum Institute, the Portland VA’s National Center for Auditory Rehabilitative Research, and the Biomedical Engineering School at OHSU, we have assembled the nation’s largest and most productive team of basic and clinician scientists investigating the physiologic and molecular aspects of hearing and vestibular disorders. 

Building upon these many strengths, we continue to expand the scope of our research and strengthen collaboration between our clinical and research faculty at both department and institutional levels. Coordinated growth with the OHSU Knight Cancer Center, the NCRAR, and the Vollum Institute are providing new opportunities for basic and translational research in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.   As an example, the recent recruitment of Lina Reiss, PhD provides a true translational link between the cochlear implant program and the OHRC, NCRAR, and Biomedical Engineering.  Through this approach, we will continue to evolve and grow as a program dedicated to expanding our knowledge from basic science and clinical research; thus providing state-of-the-art education to medical students, residents, fellows, and practicing physicians; and, delivering the highest quality of care to our patients.

Our history

The Otolaryngology Department at the University of Oregon Medical School (now OHSU) was founded in the 1930’s by community-based physicians. Its first full time director, David DeWeese, M.D., was appointed in 1962.  The department expanded the training program to two residents per year in 1969. The hearing research program was initiated under Dr. DeWeese’s direction in the 1960s by the recruitment of Jack Vernon, Ph.D. and Mary Meikle.  Dr. Vernon was the first Director of the Kresge Hearing Research Laboratory which later became the Oregon Hearing Research Center (OHRC). Dr. Vernon retired in 1995, and Alfred Nuttall, Ph.D., was recruited from the University of Michigan Medical School to replace him as Director. Since 1996, the OHRC has grown from a faculty of 5 to 14 full-time faculty.

Alexander Schleuning, M.D., was appointed Chair of the department upon Dr. DeWeese’s retirement. From the initial community-based faculty utilized at the department’s inception, it grew to four full-time clinical faculty in 1972, seven in 1986 and seventeen currently in 2009.  Dr. Mark Richardson was appointed Chair upon Dr. Schleuning’s retirement in 2001.  As Chair, Dr. Richardson was awarded the department’s first NIH T32 training grant in 2002 and an increase of resident positions from two to three was granted by the RRC in 2003. Dr. Richardson was appointed Dean of the School of Medicine after the former Dean, Joe Robertson, M.D., M.B.A., was named President of OHSU.  Long-time Otolaryngology faculty member Ted Cook, M.D., was named Interim Chair of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery in 2006.

In March 2009, Paul W. Flint, MD was named Department Chair and charged with expanding the scope of research with emphasis on translational research through growth of the clinician scientist program.  There are currently seventeen full-time clinical faculty, including six clinician-scientists: Carol MacArthur, Tim Smith, Neil Gross, Anh Nguyen-Huynh, Mark Wax, and Nate Sautter. Recent additions to the faculty include, Maise Shindo, who joined the faculty to lead the Endocrine Surgery Division after James Cohen assumed the Chief of Otolaryngology position at the Portland VA Medical Center; and, Stephen Weber, who joined the Facial Plastics & Reconstructive Surgery Division.  The recent recruitment of Lina Reiss, PhD provides a true translational link between the Cochlear Implant Program and the OHRC, NCRAR, and Biomedical Engineering.  This program is focused on improving outcomes in cochlear implant patients by understanding and improving pitch perception, and preservation of residual hearing to enhance both electrical and acoustic auditory stimulation.  Recruitment of additional clinician-scientists in pediatrics, head & neck, and neurotology, and basic scientists in head & neck cancer and olfactory research are underway.  The department currently ranks third in the nation in NIH sponsored research among otolaryngology departments in U.S. medical schools.