The OTO ObserverThe Newsletter of the Department of Otolaryngology

Medical College of Georgia

Inside This Issue

Message from the ChairNew Phone Numbers and Web

Site Address

Faculty NewsFred Klippert HonoredMCG on the Air and in Print

Staff Highlights

Department NewsBeverly Hills Meets AugustaSinus Program Gets a New

LeaderRecord Number of MCG

Students Match intoOtolaryngology/Head &Neck Surgery

Major Renovations Under WayVisiting Professor Program

Revitalized50th Cochlear Implant

PerformedEstablishment of the Georgia

Sinus and Allergy CenterOral Screening Program

Successful

Research & PublicationsDepartmental Research

ActivitiesPresentation and Publication

List

Resident & Alumni UpdateHail and FarewellNews from Our Alumni

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Welcome to the new Department ofOtolaryngology at the Medical Collegeof Georgia. We are pleased to introduce

our members, share some news, and invite yourparticipation in our teaching programs.

It gives us particular pride to enumerate some ofthe dramatic changes taking place in Augusta,made possible by the visionary leaders of theinstitution (Don Snell, Hospital President; DanRahn, MCG President; and David Stern, Dean, School of Medicine). TheHealth System is witnessing a far-reaching metamorphosis made possiblein part by the recruitment of ambitious leaders and clinician-scientistsfrom every region of the country. Universities such as Harvard, Duke,and Yale have provided the ingredients for a reinvigorated enterprise-wide approach to academic medicine.

In this issue of the MCG OTO Observer, we highlight some of the fruits ofour own intense recruiting efforts this past fall, a number of honorsbestowed upon our faculty members, and our expectations for the comingacademic year.

We look forward to working with our colleagues across Georgia and thenation to advance the practice of Otolaryngology, provide the finest inresident instruction and maximize our research endeavors.

David J. Terris, M.D., F.A.C.S.Porubsky Professor and Chairman

New Phone Numbers and Web Site Address

Please make note that our contact numbers have changed:Appointments: (706) 721-4400Academic Office: (706) 721-6100Fax: (706) 721-0112

To learn more about recent events in the department, visit ourwebsite at www.mcg.edu/otolaryngology

Volume 1, Issue I June 2003

FACULTY NEWS JUNE 2003

Fred Klippert Honored

By Kenneth W. Brace

Dr. Frederick N. Klippert,assistant professor in theDepartment of Otolaryngologyand head of the Section ofOtolaryngology at theDepartment of Veterans AffairsMedical Center in Augusta, hasbeen honored for his teachingwith the Gerald S. GussackMemorial Award from theGeorgia Society of

Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery. The award honors an outstanding teacher ofotolaryngology/head and neck surgery who hastaught for at least 10 years in Georgia.

“Fred has been a tireless teacher of the residents ofMCG for more than 12 years,” Dr. David J. Terris,chairman of the MCG Department of Otolaryngology,said in nominating Dr. Klippert for the award. “As arelative newcomer to Georgia, I have been impressedwith the degree of influence he has, not only on theresidents’ training, but their personal development aswell.” Dr. Klippert is a 1966 graduate of Ohio StateUniversity College of Medicine and completed hisotolaryngology residency at the University ofMichigan Medical Center. He is a charter memberand former president of the Walter P. Work Society.

Dr. Klippert’s teaching award will be presentedduring the July 24-27 annual meeting of the GeorgiaSociety of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgeryat the Cloister Resort at Sea Island, Georgia.

MCG on the Air and In PrintBy Kenneth W. Brace

A number of members of our Department havefound themselves featured on radio, television or innewspapers.

Dr. Alan Johnson performed his 50th CochlearImplant (see story this issue), and this was publishedas a press release from MCG. Additionally, Dr. AlanJohnson and Dr. Gloria Garner were featured on theWGAC morning radio show on May 5, 2003 todiscuss cochlear implants.

Dr. Christine Gourin and Dr. David Terris appearedtogether on the WGAC morning radio show withKeith Beckum on April 21, 2003 to discuss the newlyfounded Head and Neck Tumor Board.

Nurse Barbara Carter’s stewardship of the MCGDepartment of Otolaryngology’s participation in theOral Cancer Awareness Week (see story this issue)was highlighted in the Augusta Chronicle on April10, 2003.

Dr. Mitchell Austin was on the evening news ofWRDW on November 26, 2002 for his novel approachutilizing the Harmonic Scalpel for a child withlaryngomalacia. He also contributed to a story thatcame out on February 24, 2003 in the AugustaChronicle on pediatric otolaryngology issues.

On November 8, 2002, Dr. Terris appeared in aWRDW television spotlight of his patient whounderwent endoscopic stapling of a Zenker’sdiverticulum.

Staff Highlights

By Kenneth W. Brace

Barbara P. Carter, RNC, joined us in December 2002as the Otolaryngology Practice Site Coordinator. Shereceived her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from theUniversity of South Carolina at Aiken. She is activelyinvolved in the Pi Lambda Chapter of the SigmaTheta Tau Nursing Honor Society where she alsoserved as Vice President for one term. She comeswith greater than 10 years of supervisory nursingexperience. She lives in Williston, SC with her

husband and has two college-age daughters. Herinterests include church choir, ensemble, handbells,travel, reading and the beach.

Congratulations, Mary Alice! Mary Alice Hunter,Patient Care Assistant inthe OtolaryngologyPractice Site, recentlyreceived the Departmentof OtolaryngologyDistinguished ServiceAward for her idea toimprove clinicaloperations.

Beverly Hills Meets AugustaBy Kenneth W. Brace

A Beverly Hills-trained facial plasticsurgeon will join the faculty of theMedical College of Georgia in July.Dr. Achih Chen, Fellow at theUCLA-affiliated Lasky Clinic inBeverly Hills, has been named theDirector of Facial Plastic andReconstructive Surgery in theDepartment of Otolaryngology aftercompletion of a nationwide search.“Dr. Chen is a rising star in the field of facial plasticsurgery,” said Dr. David Terris, Chairman ofOtolaryngology. “He has a track record of successnot only as a talented plastic surgeon, but also as ahighly-published academician. The skills and talentshe brings from his experience treating celebritypatients at the world-famous Lasky Clinic willbenefit not only the Medical College of Georgia, butthe citizens of Georgia and South Carolina, as well.”A 1995 graduate of the University of Iowa College ofMedicine, Dr. Chen is a recipient of the McCabeResearch Award. He was recruited to the prestigiousresidency program in Otolaryngology at theUniversity of Iowa, and completed a post-doctoralfellowship in research during his residency. He has14 publications in peer-reviewed journals, and is co-author of three book chapters.Dr. Chen moves to Augusta with his wife, Dr. MaryChen, a fellow graduate of the University of IowaCollege of Medicine, and currently a faculty memberin the Department of Medicine at the University ofSouthern California.

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Sinus Program Gets a New LeaderBy Kenneth W. Brace

Dr. Stilianos Kountakis wasrecruited to join the faculty at MCGeffective July 1, 2003 as Professor andVice-Chairman of the Department ofOtolaryngology and as the Directorof Rhinology/Sinus Surgery. Dr.Kountakis received his medicaldegree from the University of Texas-Houston Medical School and servedhis residencies in general surgeryand in otolaryngology-head andneck surgery at the University of

Texas affiliated hospitals. He subsequently receivedhis Ph.D. in Medicine from the University of Crete

JUNE 2003 DEPARTMENT NEWS

Medical School. Dr. Kountakis has served on thefaculty at the University of Texas-Houston MedicalSchool and the University of Virginia in Charlottesvillewhere he was the Director of Rhinology-Sinus Surgery.Dr. Kountakis’ research interests include clinical,physiological, genetic and immune parameters ofchronic rhinosinusitis and medical-surgical outcomes.He has focused on the presence of cysteinylleukotrienes in chronic hyperplastic sinusitis.Dr. Kountakis serves on the editorial board or is areviewer of four major journals in the field ofOtolaryngology. He is a 2002 recipient of theAmerican Academy of Otolaryngology-Head andNeck Surgery’s Service Honor Award. He wasselected as a Daiichi Scholar of the Academy, which isa Clinical Scholars Program in Evidence-BasedMedical Research and he has served as a GuestExaminer for the oral examination of the AmericanBoard of Otolaryngology. Dr. Kountakis serves on theBoard of Directors of the American Rhinologic Society.

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Record Number of MCG StudentsMatch into Otolaryngology/Head &Neck SurgeryBy Christine G. Gourin, M.D.A record number of medical students from the class of2003 at the Medical College of Georgia are pursuingcareers in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.Nine students successfully matched in Otolaryngologythis year at programs all over the country.“2003 saw an extraordinary number of MCG studentsboth applying to and matching in Otolaryngology”,said Frederick N. Klippert, M.D., Assistant Professor ofOtolaryngology and the coordinator for residentrecruitment at MCG. “These numbers speak stronglyto the positive influence of both our faculty andresidents on student career choice”. Some of theinstitutions that successfully recruited our studentsinclude the University of Virginia, the University ofUtah and Emory University. Congratulations to ourfuture colleagues!

Achih Chen

StilianosKountakis

Major Renovations Under WayBy Kenneth W. Brace

The Department of Otolaryngology-Head and NeckSurgery recently embarked on a major renovation ofits academic space. The remodeling will involve theconstruction of a new departmental library andconference room and additional faculty office spacefor the expanding program. Facilities Management,in coordination with Cleveland Construction Co. and2KM Architects, has been working hard to bring ourvision to reality. One of the greatest challenges facedby the team was to develop a departmental footprintthat transverses three buildings (the Children’sMedical Center, the Ambulatory Care Center, and theSpecialized Care Center). The first phase of therenovation, the Library and Conference Room, will becomplete in July. The entire project will be finishedby the end of 2003.

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Visiting Professor Program RevitalizedBy Alan Johnson, M.D.

The visiting professor program has been re-invigorated, with regional and national speakersaddressing a variety of topics, ranging fromendoscopic otology to laryngeal preservation surgery.

In April, J. David Osguthorpe, M.D., Professor ofOtolaryngology at the Medical University of SouthCarolina, delivered a comprehensive lecture onAllergic Rhinosinusitis (see photograph). The comingacademic year will feature the Management ofVascular Skin Lesions and topics in the fields ofPediatric Otolaryngology, Rhinology and ThyroidSurgery.

Grand Rounds are held in the OtolaryngologyConference Room on the first Tuesday of each monthat 6:00 pm. Category 1 CME is available, and catereddinner is provided. For details call (706) 721-6100.

50th Cochlear Implant PerformedBy Gloria Garner, Au.D.

In April, Dr. Alan Johnson performed his 50thcochlear implant surgery. This milestone will becelebrated with a reception for all cochlear implanteesand their families.

We have implanted patients as young as 15 monthsand adults well into their senior years. It has beengratifying to be a part of the remarkable journey withour patients as they move out of a world of silenceand into the hearing world again (or for the very firsttime!).

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Establishment of the Georgia Sinus andAllergy CenterThe Department of Otolaryngology and the Divisionof Rhinology of the Department are planning thecreation of a new center dedicated to all patientssuffering from allergy and sinus problems. Thepurpose of the center will be to dramatically improvethe medical care of sinus and allergy patients amongthe citizens of the State of Georgia and our marketarea. This endeavor will integrate the knowledge ofspecialists with basic and applied research and state-of-the-art technology to deliver active trainingopportunities to physicians, nurses, and othercaregivers who impact dramatically on the positiveoutcomes of patient care. Additionally, tools willevolve to enhance patient education in theunderstanding and management of their diseaseprocess.

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Oral Screening Program Successful

By Barbara Carter, R.N.

On Friday, April 11, 2003, in honor of National OralCancer Week, the Department of Otolaryngologysponsored a free screening clinic. This was advertised inthe local newspaper as well as within the MCG system.Many people took advantage of this free screening andwe intend to make this an annual event.

DEPARTMENT NEWS JUNE 2003

Dr. David Osguthorpe of MUSC makes ProfessorRounds with the Residents.

JUNE 2003 RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONSDepartmental Research ActivitiesBy Christine G. Gourin, M.D.

Current research projects in the department focus on avariety of clinical and basic science areas ofotolaryngology:• Systemic connexin levels and the development of

sensorineural hearing loss in childhood• Use of the harmonic scalpel for supraglottoplasty in

pediatric patients with laryngomalacia • The effect of tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in

obese children with sleep apnea on body massindex (BMI)

• The effect of alcohol consumption on sensorineuralhearing

• The efficacy of endoscopic thyroid surgery in anexperimental model

• The use of surgical robots in various experimentalmodels

The Department of Otolaryngology is activelyrecruiting patients for several national andinstitutional clinical trials:• The Department participated in a Phase III

multicenter, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety ofcevimeline in the treatment of xerostomiasecondary to radiation therapy for cancer in thehead and neck region. (Protocol Number 2011A-PRT004)

• The Department is currently participating in amulticenter clinical trial sponsored by the AmericanCollege of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG),which is investigating the utility of lymphaticmapping and sentinel node lymphadenectomy forpatients with T1 or T2 clinically N0 oral cavitysquamous cell carcinoma. (Protocol Number Z0360)

• An institutional clinical trial within the Departmentof Otolaryngology assessing the efficacy ofendoscopic neck surgery for resection of enlargedlymph nodes, benign cervical cysts, andsubmandibular gland resection is currentlyrecruiting patients.

• An institutional Phase III randomized, blinded,placebo-controlled clinical trial to determine theefficacy of novel agents in chemoprevention of oralpremalignant lesions is recruiting patients.

• Future areas of clinical trial development in theDepartment will focus on surgical applications ofrobotic technology and early detection of head andneck squamous cell cancer.

Resident Research:

Residents participating in research rotations for 2003-2004 have selected projects focusing on otologicsurgery in an experimental model.R. Tyson Deal, M.D. and Charles Mixson, M.D. will bestudying the outcome of Alloderm myringoplasty andfasciaform tympanoplasty, respectively, in a chinchillamodel.

Presentation and Publication ListPresentations:Porubsky, EA, Gourin, CG. Surgical management ofacquired tracheocele. Presented at the annual meetingof the AAOHNS in September 2002.Wood B, and Austin MB. Sagittal sinus thrombosis asa complication of otitis media. Presented at the annualmeeting of the AAOHNS in September 2002.Thomas AJ, Chavoya M, Terris DJ. Prospective,randomized trial of tongue base surgery for sleepapnea. Presented at the AAOHNS in September 2002.Terris DJ, Monfared A, Saenz Y, Brucker D.Endoscopic Neck Surgery: Successful resection of thesubmandibular gland in a porcine model. Presentedat the Annual Meeting of the AAOHNS in September2002.Monfared A, Saenz Y, Terris DJ. Selective neckdissection in a porcine model. Presented at theAnnual Meeting of the AAOHNS in September 2002.Austin MB, Caveney SW, et al. Prospectivecomparison of tonsillectomy using electrocautery vs.harmonic scalpel. Presented at the Southern SectionMeeting of the Triological Society in January 2003.Tucker A, Gourin CG, et al. ‘Push’ versus ‘pull’percutaneous gastrostomy tube placement. Presentedat the Eastern Section Meeting of the TriologicalSociety in January 2003.Lin HS, Wang D, Fee WE, Goode RL, Terris DJ.Airway management after maxillectomy: Routinetracheostomy is unnecessary. Presented at the MiddleSection Meeting of the Triological Society, 2003.Haus B, Le D, Kambham N, Gourin C, Moll F, TerrisDJ. Surgical robots in otolaryngology: Experiencewith the daVinci surgical system. Presented at theSouthern Section Meeting of the Triological Society,2003.Terris DJ, Haus B, Saenz Y, Gourin C. Endoscopic necksurgery: Resection of the submandibular gland in acadaver model. Presented at the Southern SectionMeeting of the Triological Society, 2003.

RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS JUNE 2003

Publications:Lane JE, Bowman PH, Austin MB Sangueza OP.Pathology quiz case 1. Alveolar soft part sarcoma(ASPS) of the tongue. Arch Otolaryngol Head NeckSurg 129(4):485, 487, 2003.Gourin CG, Johnson JT. Complications of thyroid andparathyroid surgery. Surgery of the Thyroid andParathyroid Glands Gregory W. Randolph, Ed., WBSaunders, Philadelphia PA 433-443, 2003.Gourin CG, Kaper B, Abdu WA, Donegan JO. Non-traumatic atlanto-axial subluxation followingretropharyngeal cellulitis: Grisel's syndrome. Amer JOtolaryngology 23:60-65, 2002.Kang T, Vrabec JT, Giddings N, Terris DJ. Facial nervegrading systems (1985-2002): beyond the House-Brackmann scale. Otol Neurotol 23(5):767-71, 2002.Lin HS, Samy RN, Lum J, Dorie MJ, Terris DJ. Effectof blood transfusion in an experimental sarcomamodel. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 128(3):308-312, 2002.Terris DJ, et al. Estimating DNA repair by sequentialevaluation of head and neck tumor radiationsensitivity using the comet assay. Arch OtolaryngolHead Neck Surg 128(6):698-702, 2002.Terris DJ, Coker JF, Thomas AJ, Chavoya M. Preliminaryfindings from a prospective, randomized trial of twopalatal operations for sleep-disordered breathing.Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 127(4):315-23, 2002

Terris DJ, Kunda LD, Gonella MC. Minimally invasivetongue base surgery for obstructive sleep apnea. JLaryngol Otol 116(9):716-721, 2002.Thomas A, Terris DJ. Techniques for salvaging palatalsurgery failures. Op Techn Otolaryngol Head NeckSurg 13(2):166-169, 2002.Monfared A, Saenz Y, Terris DJ. Endoscopic resectionof the submandibular gland in a porcine model.Laryngoscope 112(6):1089-1093, 2002.Monfared A, Terris DJ. Harmonic scalpeltonsillectomy: Technical considerations. Op TechnOtolaryngol Head Neck Surg 13(2):155-157, 2002.Lee KJ, Fee WE Jr, Terris DJ. The efficacy ofcorticosteroids in postparotidectomy facial nerveparesis. Laryngoscope 112(11):1958-63, 2002.Terris DJ, Haus B. Endoscopic and robotic surgery inthe neck: Experimental and clinical applications. OpTechn Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 13(3)231-238, 2002.Vaseghi M, Tarin TT, Levin PS, Terris DJ. Minimallyinvasive orbital decompression for Graves’ophthalmopathy. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 112(1):57-62, 2003. Le QT, Sutphin PD, Raychaudhuri S, Yu SC, Terris DJ,Lin HS, Lum B, Pinto HA, Koong AC, Giaccia AJ.Identification of osteopontin as a prognostic plasmamarker for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.Clin Cancer Res 9(1):59-67, 2003.

Picture from the Archives

In 1990, the Otolaryngology "Cut Throats" were the MCG Intramural Basketball Champions. This year’sCut Throat squad made the playoffs. Word on the street is that Dr. Ed Porubsky, Professor Emeritus, stillhas a mean jump shot.

News From Our AlumniNewton Coker, M.D., (‘81) Professor ofOtolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at BaylorMedical Center, Houston, TX, served as President ofthe American Neurotology Society (5/00 - 5/03).He was awarded the George Davey HowellsMemorial Prize from the University of London forthe most outstanding publication (worldwide) inOtolaryngology in 2001 for his “Atlas of OtologicSurgery.”

Former MCG resident and faculty member, JohnBent, M.D. (‘95), continues his practice with a three-member private pediatric otolaryngology group inNew York City. He has academic appointments atAlbert Einstein School of Medicine, CornellUniversity Medical Center and New YorkUniversity Hospital.

To share your news with the other alumni, please send updates to Donna Black atdonnab@mcg.edu or call 706-721-6100.

As July of 2003 approaches, it is timeto hail the incoming PGY-1’s andcongratulate them, as they completetheir internship in Surgery. Onbehalf of the Department ofOtolaryngology, we welcome Drs.Lana Jackson and David Walters asthey commence their Otolaryngologytraining. Dr. Jackson is originallyfrom Meridian, Mississippi. Whileserving our country in the AirNational Guard, Dr. Jackson received herundergraduate education at the University ofMississippi. Subsequently, she obtained dual degrees(M.D., Pharm.D.), also from the University ofMississippi.

Dr. Walters is from Dallas, Texas. Hereceived his undergraduate degreefrom Baylor University. After hegraduated, he worked in computerprogramming and softwaredevelopment before deciding topursue a career in medicine. Hesubsequently matriculated at TexasTech medical school. Along with his

wife, Kristi and his two children, Alliand Grayson, Dr. Walters relocated to Augusta,

Georgia in July of 2002 We look forward to having Dr.Jackson and Dr. Walters on the Otolaryngologyservice.

To make room for these incoming residents, we willneed to offer congratulations and farewell to ourcurrent chief residents, Drs. Scott Caveney and AllenButler. Dr. Caveney is originally from Wheeling, WestVirginia. He earned three degrees from West VirginiaUniversity; he received a B.A. in biology and thencompleted the M.D./Ph.D. program in 1998.Following completion of residency at MCG, he and hiswife Caroline will be moving to Marietta, GA to jointhe practice of two former MCG graduates, Drs.Michael Vick and David Parks.

Dr. Butler grew up in Orlando, Florida. He attendedEmory University in Atlanta, Georgia for hisundergraduate education. He enrolled in the MedicalCollege of Georgia for medical school and remained inAugusta for his Otolaryngology residency. Uponcompletion of this training, Dr. Butler will enterprivate practice. He and his wife, Dr. Heather Butler, apediatrician, will be joining Dr. Richard Hebert andDr. Charice Hebert (MCG alumni in Otolaryngologyand Pediatrics, respectively) in their ENT/Pediatricpractice. Dr. Butler, his wife and two childrenMadeline and Reed will be moving to Eunice,Louisiana in July.

JUNE 2003 RESIDENT AND ALUMNI UPDATE

Hail and Farewell:Incoming Residents and Graduating Residents

By Dr. Kevin C. McMains

Lana Jackson

David Walters

As part of the American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery Foundation 2002 AnnualMeeting in San Diego, California, a reception for the MCG Department of Otolaryngology was held onTuesday, September 24, 2002. The event was attended by over 40 current and previous faculty, residents, otherAugusta area Otolaryngologists, and their spouses.

JJ 1079 5/03

Department of OtolaryngologyMedical College of Georgia1120 Fifteenth StreetAugusta, Georgia 30912-4060

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