Laryngology and Performance Voice

The Division of Laryngology through the Eugen Grabscheid MD Voice and Swallowing Center offers one year of advanced training and research opportunities for residents seeking further experience in the management of patients with voice, airway, and swallowing disorders. The fellowship director, Mark Courey, MD, has more than 20 years of experience in mentoring fellows in laryngology and into academic medical practice. Fellows actively participate in interdisciplinary voice and swallowing clinics staffed by experienced clinicians, a vast variety of surgical procedures, and national journal clubs.

The Surgical and Clinical Experience 

The fellow participates in all interdisciplinary laryngology outpatient office settings, office-based surgeries, and all major laryngological surgical cases, both endoscopic and open. In the office setting, the fellow will also work directly with Speech-Language Pathologists to understand therapy options for laryngeal diseases. The fellow will perform and interpret laryngeal stroboscopy, utilize instrumental evaluation of swallowing, evaluate modified barium swallow testing, and perform procedures such as injection laryngoplasty, KTP laser ablation, laryngeal electromyography, percutaneous steroid injections and injection of botulinum toxin. Operative experiences include endoscopic resection of cancer, microflap excision of lesions, gender-affirmation voice surgeries, all forms of laryngeal framework surgeries, tracheal resections, Zenker’s diverticulum and cricopharyngeal myotomy.

The fellow will have graduated surgical experience in endoscopic and open techniques for the management of patients with benign laryngeal lesions, respiratory papillomatosis, vocal fold motion impairment, airway stenosis and laryngeal cancer. In addition, graduated experience with the performance of awake, unsedated procedures, including vocal fold injection (augmentation and therapeutic), laryngeal biopsy, and laser ablation of lesions is an ongoing part of the one-year experience. Each year, fellows will see approximately 1,500 to 2,000 patients in the clinic and perform 250 operative procedures. Specific clinical scope includes:

• Professional voice use
• Non-neoplastic laryngeal disorders such as nodules, polyps, and cysts
• Laryngeal and tracheal papillomatosis
• Laryngeal cancer, endoscopic and open
• Vocal fold paralysis/paresis
• Laryngeal and tracheal stenosis, endoscopic and open
• Laryngeal Framework Surgeries
• Gender Affirming Surgeries for voice
• Spasmodic dysphonia
• Motor neuron disease
• Parkinson’s diseases

The Educational Program

Fellows participate in a variety of conferences on a regional and national level. They are responsible for preparing presentations and literature reviews for the Laryngology Education Curriculum, the Extramural Laryngology Rounds, and Multi-institutional case presentation rounds. In addition, the fellow, with the director, plans the bimonthly Mount Sinai Laryngology Didactic program. The fellow identifies topics of interest and work with the director to find speakers who have known expertise on the topic.

The Service Contribution

Fellows staff a ½ day, weekly Laryngology clinic. Operative cases generated from the clinic are performed with supervision from division faculty. Call responsibilities include 1 day per week of daytime consult coverage at Mount Sinai Hospital and 4-5 weeks of weekday evening and weekend call at Elmhurst Hospital Center per year.

The Monthly Rotation

Fellows will rotate monthly between two Laryngology attendings: 

Courey

Woo

Postgraduate Fellow Placement

Dr. Courey has participated in fellowship training since 1994 and has participated in the training of over 50 fellows nationally and international. Since the change in the MSHS fellow program leadership in 2017, MSHS laryngology fellows have held academic appointments at Harvard, EVMS, and Georgetown.