Our Mission
Our mission is to provide comprehensive training in the field of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery to generate physicians who are dedicated to delivering outstanding and compassionate patient care.
We are committed to creating new knowledge and innovations that will improve our delivery of excellent, patient-centered care. Our program provides a stimulating environment that creates lifelong learners who possess the tools needed for critical analysis and scholarly appraisal of the medical literature.
University of Iowa Health Care primarily serves the state of Iowa and the surrounding areas, and is the primary site and sponsoring institution of this program. The Otolaryngology residency program and UI Health Care share the common mission of providing superior patient care while educating the next generation of exceptional physicians.
Program Aims
- Train future physicians to be lifelong learners, committed to self-reflection, self-assessment and improvement
- Deliver a core curriculum that allows residents to gain knowledge encompassing the entire breadth of the field of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
- Generate understanding in the art of inquiry and science of discovery to improve patient care and expand our specialty
- Develop clinical reasoning and judgment skills necessary to approach complex as well as common problems that present to Otolaryngologists
- Develop the necessary skills and knowledge used in the areas of teaching, quality and safety, and scholarship
- Provide clinical experiences allowing residents to learn and practice delivering team-based care that reflects respect for patient values and preferences
- Provide opportunities and flexibility supporting individualized career plans
- Foster a learning environment that promotes progressive responsibility and graduated autonomy
- Maintain a supportive culture which prioritizes residents’ wellness and enhances camaraderie and mentorship
What makes Iowa different?
Our Research
Annually we receive over $5 million in grants from the NIH to pursue our research goals. We have two highly competitive ACGME accredited fellowships in otology/neurotology and pediatric otolaryngology and a world-class head and neck microvascular fellowship.
Our Facilities
Our institute is among the largest of its kind and is a, world-class facility housing 28 exam rooms, a surgery center, and separate reception areas for different groups of patients. Clinical research centers include: a Balance Disorders Center, a Cochlear Implant Center, and a Voice and Swallowing Center.
Our History
The Department of Otolaryngology at UI Health Care is one of the oldest departments in the United States and one of the most comprehensive in the world.
Our Faculty
U.S. News has consistently rated the department among the top otolaryngology programs in the United States since 1990. Best Doctors®, an online database of peer evaluated physicians, has consistently included members of our faculty.
First magnet hospital in Iowa
Inaugurated in February 2000, the Department of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery is located on the second floor of the Pomerantz Family Pavilion, at the Medical Center on university campus.
Covering an area of 40,000 square feet, the facility offers 29 exam rooms spread over four clinical specialty areas: Otology/Neurotology, Pediatric Otolaryngology, General Otolaryngology/Rhinology and Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Exam rooms for each of the specialty areas are specifically equipped for the needs of that specialty.
Otology/Neurotology rooms all have ceiling mounted microscopes, while Pediatric rooms are softened by the inclusion of activities and games for children. The new Facial Plastic and Reconstructive surgery clinic is designed as a "clinic with a clinic" in order to streamline the patient experience and to offer a more private waiting room area. Each exam room is equipped with an endoscopic imaging system with monitors for patient viewing.
For minor procedures patients have immediate access to our surgery center fitted with state of the art equipment. The surgery center provides the department with the flexibility it needs to perform smaller procedures and biopsies without having to arrange time in the Main Operating Room suite.
We have an additional 35,000 square feet of dedicated research space that support the research goals of our investigators–this includes the Center for Auditory Regeneration occupying the fifth-floor of the Carver Biomedical Research Building. Directed by Marlan Hansen, MD and Richard Smith, MD, the center offers a unique environment for multi-disciplinary research into new treatments for permanent inner ear diseases and disorders that cause hearing loss and deafness. This work complements UI expertise and innovation in cochlear implants, including brain stem implants and short electrodes for high frequency hearing loss.