2023 year in review
breakthroughs in RESEARCH & DISCOVERy


​The Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is committed to training the future leaders of our specialties, investigating causes, developing innovative treatments and promoting the health of our patients. Check out some of the top achievements and breakthroughs by the Northwestern Medicine Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery team over the past year.

CLINICAL UPDATES AND ADVANCES

Advances in Laryngological Head and Neck Surgery at Northwestern Medicine 
James A. Burns, MD, chief of the Laryngology Division of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Northwestern Medicine, discusses advances in surgical techniques to treat various vocal issues. He underscores the crucial relationship between precision and voice, highlighting the evolution of surgery to better understand vocal fold vibration and improve surgical outcomes.
Advanced Training in Open and Endoscopic Surgery: A Hands-on Skull Base CME Program
This comprehensive three-day CME course offered a unique opportunity to collaborate and learn complex surgical techniques from some of the top experts in the field of skull base pathologies, and to take advantage of the leading-edge technologies and cadaver dissection available in our lab. The Northwestern Medicine Skull Base Lab team instructs via didactic presentation, 3D and virtual reality anatomy demonstration, and guided cadaveric dissection. Participating surgeons get hands-on dissection experience using specimens to practice several complex approaches in both open and endoscopic cranial base surgery.

Research news and discoveries

First Wearable Device for Vocal Fatigue Senses When Your Voice Needs a Break 
​Northwestern Medicine scientists have developed the first smart wearable device to continuously track how much people use their voices, alerting them to overuse before vocal fatigue and potential injury set in.
Investigating Protein’s Role in Hearing Loss
The fast motor kinetics of prestin, a protein found in the inner ear, is essential for hearing high-frequency sounds, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Understanding How Aggressive Thyroid Cancer Evolves
Northwestern Medicine scientists have made significant strides in understanding the transformation of anaplastic thyroid cancer from slow-growing to aggressive, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

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AWARDS, HONORS AND RECOGNITIONS

Nancy M. Young, MD Gives the 2023 Howard P. House, MD Memorial Lecture for Advances in Otology
Pediatric cochlear implantation is Dr. Young’s primary academic focus. She is currently engaged in research to forecast language after implantation based on brain structure and function. 
Medical School Faculty Named AAAS Fellows
Northwestern University professor Murali Prakriya, PhD, has been selected as a 2022 fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the largest general scientific society in the world.
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