The Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai demonstrates excellence in all facets of clinical care, education, and research. Internationally recognized for breakthroughs in the field, our Department continues a steady growth trajectory, expanding our faculty, services, and research activities at the Head and Neck Cancer Research Program. All of our divisions and services embrace a multidisciplinary approach and feature complication reduction programs to improve quality and patient outcomes throughout the Mount Sinai Health System.
Ever since Dr. Emil Gruening performed the first complete mastoidectomy at The Mount Sinai Hospital more than 130 years ago, we have been recognized worldwide for our expertise and innovation in the management of head, neck, and skull-base cancer and in minimally invasive and endoscopic head and neck surgery. Specifically, our Department has made significant strides in the treatment of HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancers and microvascular and reconstructive surgery techniques.
Some recent hallmarks of the Department include:
- Housing the largest Robotic Surgery Program for head and neck cancers in the country
- Leading the only HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer vaccine trial in the nation
- Discovering the ‘master switch’ gene that can program cancer cells to remain dormant
- Employing the cranial nerve 5 to 7 transfer surgical approach for Bell’s palsy patients
- Adopting the Inspire Therapy implant device for patients with obstructive sleep apnea
- Leading the technological frontier for skull base surgery, incorporating intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM), Surgical Theater 3-D navigation, and BrainLab’s IPlan software into patients’ care at the Skull Base Surgery Center
- Forging the CSF leak diagnostic technique, CT/MRI fusion, which averts the need for invasive localization studies
Our various accomplishments, multidisciplinary programs across all Divisions, and recent recruitment of faculty in the areas of otology and laryngology have positioned the Department for extraordinary growth in the future.
We are committed to our faculty, researchers, and students as we continuously pursue the goal of improving outcomes for our patients.