Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

Welcome to the web site of the Division of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Southern Illinois University Medical School. Our mission is to improve the health of people afflicted by diseases of the head and neck region through teamwork designed to provide optimal patient care, make new discoveries, and educate health care workers. The information outlined on our web site covers the key components of the program, each of which is important in order to achieve our mission.
Our physicians give expert clinical care covering all aspects of the specialty. In addition, many of the faculty have completed extra training as a sub-specialist. This enables us to provide patients with comprehensive programs in hearing and balance disorders, voice and upper airway disorders, Head and Neck Surgery, and reconstructive surgery.
We are particularly proud of the world class research team based in our division.
Our investigators have made significant strides in the following areas of discovery: auditory and vestibular anatomy; pharmacology; physiology of taste and smell; Head and Neck Surgery clinical trials; tinnitis; and laryngology. In alphabetical order these are headed by Carol Bauer, MD; Kathy Campbell, PhD; Don Caspary, PhD; Robert Helfert, PhD; Larry Hughes, PhD; K. Thomas Robbins MD; Leonard Rybak, MD, PhD; and Gayle Woodson, MD.
It is also noteworthy that 12 otolaryngologists, 6 of whom are community-based, actively share their full-time practice to educate our trainees.

Collectively, this unique interaction allows us to offer one of the best hands-on training experiences in the country. We also strongly support the broader interests of medical education as well as research in medical education, an area in which our Department of Surgery and medical school are well recognized.

Gayle Woodson , M.D.
Professor and Division Chair