Illinois Medicine

22 | S U M M E R 2 0 1 7 clinical and surgical techniques for head and neck surgery, facial plastic surgery, diagnosis of ear disease and treatment of hearing loss. "We are a small but dynamic department, one that is primarily clinically oriented, bringing together internationally recognized experts and state-of-the-art surgical techniques to provide both outstanding patient care and train- ing for our residents," says J. Regan Thomas, MD, department head and Mario D. Mansueto, MD Professor of Otolaryngology. The department of otolaryngology is at the forefront of robotic surgery for head and throat cancers. "Robotic surgery is less invasive and allows the surgeon better visualization, without putting the patients through extensive, extended procedures that require significant hospitalization and recovery time," says Barry Wenig, MD, MPH, Francis L. Lederer Professor, who was the first to perform robotic head and neck surgeries in Chicago, in 2010. "At Illinois Medicine, we are unique because we use robotic surgery for both head/neck surgeries as well as for sleep apnea. In addition, we are more likely to tackle tougher cases that involve more advanced tumors." The department is also a leader in facial plastic surgery tech- niques. Dean M. Toriumi, MD is listed as one of the top five best rhinoplasty surgeons in the world by W Magazine, while Thomas is listed as one of the best plastic surgeons by Chicago magazine. "Our depart- ment is known across the country for facial plastic surgery, ranging from cosmetic to reconstructive for skin cancer or facial scars," says Thomas. In the field of otology as the Louis J. Mayer Professor Miriam Redleaf, MD, leads the charge for improved patient care both in Illinois and abroad. Since the first child received a cochlear implant at UIC in 1991, UI Health has grown to become the largest Chicago-area institu- tion to provide children and adults with the implant—an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. "We have been using a new hybrid cochlear implant, which pre- serves native hearing in concert with a traditional model hearing aid in the same ear," says Redleaf, who heads the Otology, Neurotology and Skull Base Surgery Center. "In addition, previously patients only received implants if they could not hear in both ears. We are early adopters for implanting a cochlear implant in a deaf ear, when the patient still has hearing in the other ear." Redleaf is also instrumental in community outreach … all the way to Africa. "I've trained 15 ear, nose and throat graduates and residents in Ethiopia," says Redleaf. "This is the first year I have a cohort [of trainees] who are concentrating on ear surgery for two years." In January 2017, she launched the Otology Fellowship at St. Paul's Hospital and Millennium Medical College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with four fellows. "There are now about 20 ENT doctors for the entire country of 100 million," she says. "This program will create four teachers who will return to their institutions to care for patients and to train other ENT specialists to operate on ears." Ophthalmology: Restoring sight around the corner and around the world A NATIONAL LEADER IN VISION CARE AND RESEARCH, the de- partment of ophthalmology and visual services is ranked in the top 15 nationally for NIH funding. "We have a constellation of innovation in our approach to resident training, translational research discoveries and the use of new technologies to help us treat the most serious and compli- cated eye conditions to enhance the quality of life for our patients," says Mark Rosenblatt, MD, PhD, MBA, the Illinois Lions/Charles I. Young R O B O T I C S U R G E R Y B A R R Y W E N I G , M D , M P H M A R K R O S E N B L A T T , M D , P H D , M B A D E A N M . TO R I U M I , M D

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