OHSU otolaryngologist receives NIH grant to study clinical outcomes of the surgical management of chronic sinusitis The Oregon Health and Science University Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery has received a four-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders for the study of clinical outcomes in the surgical management of chronic sinusitis. This is the first ever outcomes study of its type funded by the National Institutes of Health. Timothy L. Smith, MD, MPH, Professor of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery and Chief of Rhinology and Sinus Surgery, is the principal investigator of the grant, titled Determinants of Surgical Outcomes in Chronic Sinusitis. Dr. Smith is the Director of the Oregon Sinus Center at OHSU. The study examines quality of life and olfactory function, and includes radiographic and endoscopic evaluation of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis before and after treatment. Chronic sinusitis is an inflammatory disease of the lining of the nose and sinuses, and is one of the most common diseases, affecting 13 percent of the population. The study is multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional and includes collaborators from Stanford University and the Medical College of Wisconsin. For more information, call ext. 4-5886 for Jess Mace, study coordinator.