Otolaryngology Residency Program at the Icahn School of Medicine of Mount Sinai

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai/New York Eye and Ear Infirmary houses a distinguished residency training program in otolaryngology. As the largest program in the country with six residents per training year, it represents a combination of two previously independent programs with complementary strengths.  

Our extensive faculty includes multiple fellowship-trained surgeons in each subspecialty (otology-neurotology, rhinology, facial plastics, head and neck surgery, laryngology, pediatrics, and sleep), many of whom are nationally and internationally renowned experts.  In addition to traditional surgical techniques, residents are exposed to advanced technology, such as virtual/augmented reality and robotics.  We also maintain an active clinical research program with access to a large variety of research projects during training. In fact, the Head and Neck Cancer Research Program is the leading global resource for dormant tumor cell research.

The resident community is a cohesive group of ambitious and innovative young physicians who collaborate not only in delivering patient care and accomplishing pioneering research, but also in providing guidance for continual growth and improvement of the training program.  Located in New York City and drawing from patient populations near and far, the surgical training and opportunity for advanced education in subspecialty otolaryngology is exceptional.

Our training hospitals enrich the medical learning experience while fostering continuity of care and encouraging the development of interpersonal skills, professionalism, and system-based practice.

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Our program includes classes, Annual Head and Neck Dissection course, regular sub-specialty conferences, robust wellness curriculum, practice building seminars, journal clubs and Grand Rounds.

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Our rotations offer comprehensive instruction in all the areas of subspecialty otolaryngology, utilizing resources from the entire health system.

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We offer housing, insurance and competitive salaries and benefits.

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Applications should be submitted online via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) from the Association of American Medical Colleges.

PGY 5 (Class of 2025)

Sida Chen, MD

Dr. Chen was born in China, came to New York soon after, and never left. She studied visual art and biology at Columbia University, then graduated from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Her personal interests include Comic illustration, portrait painting, and traveling.

Sunder Gidumal, MD

Dr. Gidumal grew up in Manhattan and attended Dartmouth College, majoring in neuroscience. He attended Mount Sinai for medical school. As an MS3, Sunder was one of two medical students selected nationally for the MD Scholar Fellowship at the Boston Consulting Group. Sunder spent two years in BCG's healthcare practice in San Francisco, pursuing quality improvement projects for hospitals, research institutes, and pharmaceutical companies before returning to Mount Sinai for his fourth year of medical school. His interest in quality improvement research has continued in residency. His personal interests include skiing, brewing beer, and learning how to surf.

Alexandra Hamberis, MD

Dr. Hamberis was born and raised in South Carolina. She graduated from the Honors Program at the University of North Carolina with a double major in Biology and Spanish Literature and a minor in Chemistry. She attended the Medical University of South Carolina where she served as President of her class. During medical school, she completed a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Her research interests include dysphagia, pharyngeal manometry, and pediatric hearing loss in various congenital syndromes. Her personal interests include singing, running, Greek and Lebanese cooking.

Catharine Kappauf, MD

Dr. Kappauf was born in New Jersey before moving with her family to Connecticut and then North Carolina. She attended college at Duke University, where she double majored in Biology and Spanish and spent her free time working in a microbiology lab and dancing. After graduating, she worked as a research assistant at Memorial Sloan Kettering before enrolling at Mount Sinai for medical school. During medical school, she was involved in various research projects, including assessing opioid prescribing practices after sinus surgery and studying the multidisciplinary care of primary thyroid lymphoma. In her spare time, Catherine enjoys dance (primarily hip-hop), food and travel. 

David Z. Liao, MD

Dr. David Z. Liao was born in Utah and raised in suburban Maryland. He received his undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University where he studied biomedical engineering. Afterwards he moved to the Bronx, NYC to attend the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. There, he pursued a research year to investigate head and neck cancer treatment delay, bedside tracheotomies, surgical simulation, and cost-effectiveness in head and neck surgery. David also has research interests in robotics, 3D printing, and video game-integrated therapy. David enjoys basketball (unwavering Washington Wizards fan), working out, and food (exploring restaurants and learning to cook).

Ann Powers, MD

Dr. Powers graduated from Northwestern University prior to matriculating to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. During medical school, Ann completed a year of research in Dr. Richard Wong's laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering where she developed a novel mouse model for studying perineural invasion, the process by which cancer cells invade nerves. Ann's clinical research interests are principally focused on oncology including head and neck cancer outcomes and the epidemiology of thyroid cancer. Ann loves running, ceramics, and listening to live music.

PGY 4 (Class of 2026)

Chris Choi, MD

Dr. Chris Choi grew up in New Jersey, received his undergraduate degree from The College of New Jersey and his medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in the accelerated 7- year BS/MD program. Prior to attending medical school, he also conducted research in the Netherlands at Utrecht University on the use of induced pluripotent stem cells in different animal models for infarcted tissue. His academic interests include head and neck cancer outcomes, disparities in healthcare, and medical education. His personal interests include soccer, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, hiking, camping, and traveling. 

Katherine Liu, MD

Dr. Kathy Liu grew up in Westchester, New York and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania where she studied the Biological Basis of Behavior. Prior to medical school, she worked as a healthcare consultant, developing digital health strategies for Global Fortune 500 pharmaceutical companies. She attended medical school at Stony Brook University. During medical school, she completed the The Steven Sacks, MD and Carole Sacks Research Fellowship in Mount Sinai's Department of Otolaryngology, with a focus on projects using virtual reality and augmented reality to improve patient experience during otolaryngologic office procedures, as well as to augment resident education and surgical planning. Her personal interests include jazz piano, hiking with her two mini dachshunds, and watching scary movies.

Maria Mavrommatis, MD

Dr. Mavrommatis grew up in Westchester, New York and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Neuroscience and Behavior from Columbia University. She then took the long journey across Central Park to pursue her medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, graduating with a Distinction in Research. She now works as a resident-physician in the Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Department of Mount Sinai, and her research interests include the ever-expanding indications for cochlear implantation. Her personal interests include visiting her family in Cyprus, watching scary movies, and designing nail art.

Juan Nogues, MD

Dr. Nogues was born in Havana, Cuba and raised in Miami, FL. He received his undergraduate degree from The Florida State University and attended medical school at George Washington University. His clinical interests are in head and neck oncology and reconstructive surgery. Outside of medicine, he enjoys fishing, scuba diving and is a college football aficionado.

Aisosa Omorogbe, MD

Dr. Omorogbe was born and raised in Nigeria before moving to Chicago with his family. He attended Loyola University Chicago where he obtained a BS in molecular biology. After graduating he worked as a physical therapy technician for a year before moving to NYC for medical school at ISMMS. During medical school, he was involved in various research projects and did a yearlong MPH program studying disparities in access to care and cost-effectiveness of care in cancer patients.

Ahmed Toure, MD

Dr. Toure was born and raised in New York City. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in biology. He then returned to New York to attend Weill Cornell Medicine for medical school. Ahmed has a strong interest in research. He spent two years studying immune responses to cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering. In medical school, he pursued a research year at the Rockefeller University to investigate the biomechanics of inner ear hair cell proteins involved in sound transduction. In his free time, Ahmed enjoys discovering music, trying new restaurants and long distance running.

PGY 3 (Class of 2027)

Brian Deutsch, MD

Dr. Deutsch was born in Southern California and attended college at Stanford University, where he graduated with honors in Biology with a minor in the Classics. After graduating, he continued working at Stanford doing research on tumor immune microenvironment using 3D organoid modelling. He attended his first three years of medical school at Mount Sinai before being accepted as an NIH TL1 predoctoral fellow at Washington University in St. Louis, where he validated a clinical tool to predict ototoxicity in head and neck cancer patients while receiving a master’s degree in clinical investigation. After returning to New York to complete medical school, Brian spent one year as a preliminary resident in the department of general surgery at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. When not in the hospital, you can find him playing basketball or cooking a new recipe.  

Ryan Huang, MD

Dr. Ryan Huang grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and graduated from Harvard University with a major in Neurobiology. He then attended the Duke University School of Medicine, where he took a research year to earn a Master of Health Sciences degree in Clinical Research. During his research year, he completed several research projects with the divisions of Rhinology and Otology & Neurotology at Duke. In his spare time, he enjoys running, basketball, and going to concerts.

Daniel Kraft, MD

Dr. Daniel Kraft grew up outside of Boston, MA and graduated Magna Cum Laude with Honors from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Molecular Biology. He worked in consulting and research before matriculating at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. During medical school, he served as a member of the Rhode Island Hospital ethics committee and was awarded the Joukowsky Family Award for Scholarly Excellence and the Barbara Rosen Endowment for the Enhancement of Humanistic Patient Care. He was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honor society upon graduation. Outside of medicine, he enjoys backpacking, fly-fishing, cooking, and the Boston Celtics.

Harrison Smith, MD

Dr. Smith was born in Pittsburgh before moving to the suburbs of Boston where he grew up. He pursued his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Los Angeles and majored in Biochemistry. After his undergraduate work, he returned to Boston to work at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute before matriculating at New York Medical College for his undergraduate medical training. During his training, he was awarded a T32 grant to pursue dedicated research at the Washington University in St. Louis. There, he completed coursework for his Master’s in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) and published on clinical outcomes and decision making for vestibular schwannoma. Outside of the hospital, you may find Dr. Smith skiing down the mountains of New England, enjoying hot pot in Flushing, or singing along to his favorite songs at a local karaoke establishment.

Torin Thielhelm, MD

Dr. Thielhelm was born in Florida and attended Duke University, where he majored in Biology. During his free time, he was working in a microbiology lab and playing soccer. After graduating, he worked as a clinical research associate at the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development before matriculating to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. During medical school, he was involved in several research projects, including basic science research on radiation resistance in vestibular schwannoma and clinical research on quality of life in HPV+ head and neck cancer patients. His personal interests include water and snow skiing, cooking, and Duke basketball. 

Nathan Wallace, MD

Prior to studying medicine at Boston University, Dr. Nathan Wallace graduated with honors in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida. During his undergraduate studies, he worked with cancer patients and their families in rural Florida, as well as conducted biomedical engineering research in ophthalmic drug delivery. These efforts furthered influenced his research throughout his medical education—healthcare access and federal policy, and its impact on thyroid and pituitary cancers. The results of his research have been published in multiple journals and presented at various international medical conferences. While in Boston, Dr. Wallace emphasized the importance of mentorship in medical education and was inducted into the medical honors society Alpha Omega Alpha. In his free time, he enjoys listening to music, playing various sports, and hiking with his dog.

PGY 2 (Class of 2028)

Joy Chen, MD

Joy Chen grew up in San Jose, California and graduated from UC Davis with a degree in Clinical Nutrition. Afterwards, she completed her training as a registered dietitian at Johns Hopkins and worked at Stanford Hospital prior to returning to UC Davis for medical school. Her research interests include sarcopenia and the impact of malnutrition on surgical outcomes. In her free time she enjoys running, exploring farmers markets, and cooking.

Peter Cooke, MD

Dr. Cooke was born and raised in Baltimore, MD. He graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa from the Honors Program at UNC Chapel Hill where he majored in Asian Studies and led work with local Arab refugees. After graduating, he spent an additional year in Chapel Hill researching intracellular G-protein signaling. At ISMMS, his research focused on surgical outcomes in vascular surgery and otolaryngology. In his free time, he enjoys road biking, playing poker, and attempting to surf.

Matthew Brady Ekman, MD

Brady grew up in Louisville, KY. A lifelong musician, he  trained in classical voice from an early age. This led to a natural interest in otolaryngology. When not in the hospital, Brady enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends and exploring New York. In his free time he enjoys reading, singing and music.

Shazeb Hasan, MD

Shahzeb Hasan was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2019 with a degree in Bioinformatics. He recieved his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine. His academic interests include medical education, cancer genomics, and clinical outcomes in head and neck cancer and rhinology.  In his free time Shahzeb enjoys playing soccer, watching movies, and exploring the NYC food scene. He is a fan of Arsenal FC and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Vibhav Prakasam, MD

Dr. Vib Prakasam grew up in East Lyme, CT, not far from the home of Lyme disease, before moving to the greater Boston area to pursue undergraduate studies at Tufts, where he double-majored in Biology and Cognitive & Brain Sciences. He then remained in Boston for medical school, also at Tufts. While a medical student, he engaged in research pertaining to pediatric otolaryngology and craniofacial surgery. Now as a resident, he is looking to expand his clinical interests to head and neck oncology and endocrine surgery, as well as medical education and community disparities. In his free time he can likely be found at his PlayStation, reasing or watching science ficition, lifting at the local NYSC, learning songs on his keyboard, or accumulating restaurants on Beli.

Neha Reddy, MD

Dr. Reddy was raised in South Florida and graduated from Harvard University with a degree in molecular and cellular biology. She then attended UCLA for medical school as a Geffen Scholar. Neha's research has spanned a variety of fields, including qualitative research on goals of care and palliative care. Within otolaryngology, she is interested in the physiology of voice and swallow. Neha's work on 3D reconstruction of vocal fold vibratory motion and on understanding the perceptual significance of vocal fold vibratory asymmetry has been recognized twice with the Casselberry Award from the American Laryngological Association. In her free time she enjoys playing tennis, listning to music, and exploring new Indian/Japanese restaurants.

PGY 1 (Class of 2029)

Aisha Aden, MD

Aisha Aden grew up in the Bay Area, CA, and Phoenix, AZ. She majored in Biology with a concentration in Neuroscience at Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University. She then went on to pursue her medical degree at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in Rochester, MN. Her research interests include idiopathic and GPA-associated subglottic stenosis. In her free time, she enjoys thrifting/vintage shopping, film photography, and reading.

Samuel Ding, MD

Dr. Ding was born in LA and grew up in Boston. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from Tufts University with a degree in Biopsychology. He stayed in Boston for medical school at Tufts University School of Medicine, where he served as the director of the student-run clinic, The Sharewood Project. His research interests include healthcare disparities in otolaryngology and medical education. Outside of medicine, he enjoys playing tennis and pickleball, making the perfect espresso, and playing open-world strategy games.

Sul Gi "Sarah" Kim, MD

Sarah was born in Ulsan, South Korea. Before entering the field of medicine, she pursued a career in piano performance, attending world-renowned music conservatories for high school and college. Working as a nurse assistant for a year was a pivotal experience that inspired her to pursue medicine. She then transferred to UNC-Chapel Hill, where she double-majored in biology and chemistry, graduating with highest distinction. Sarah continued at UNC-Chapel Hill for medical school, where she participated in a one-year research fellowship in ENT, which sparked her interest in the field. In her free time you can find her taking naps, listening to classical and jazz music, exercising, and entertaining friends and family.

Sonia Scaria, MD, PhD

Sonia Scaria was born and raised in the Boston area and moved into the city to complete her undergraduate studies at MIT in Bioengineering. She then headed out west to San Francisco, to complete her MD and PhD which was focused on stem cell and regeneration biology, with her dissertation concentrated on the mechanisms of scar-free repair. Within otolaryngology, she's interested in how we can solve the problems of chronic wounding and scarring that affects both function and aesthetics when it comes to the ear, nose, and throat and thus how we can improve outcomes in this area for patients.  Outside of the hospital, she loves running around Central Park, perfecting her chocolate chip cookie recipe, watching the Boston Celtics, and exploring all the food and fun New York has to offer!

Sarah Sutton, MD

Dr. Sutton was born and raised in Nevada. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Nevada, Reno and her medical degree from the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine in an accelerated 7- year BS-MD program. She served as the President of her class in medical school for 3 years before stepping down to complete an otolaryngology research fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina. Her research interests include HPV-related head and neck cancer and medical education. In her free time she enjoys running, playing tennis, alpine skiing and spending time with friends and family.  

Do Hyun "Daniel" Yun, MD

Do Hyun "Daniel" Yun was born and raised in South Korea, but he also grew up in England, Jordan, and the USA. He graduated fromThe University of Kentucky, served in the Republic of Korean Army as a medic, and worked in healthcare for 2 years before entering medical school. His academic interests include optimizing clinical outcomes and addressing health disparities. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies, exploring for good food, and making sick beats on FL studio.

 

Our residents gain exceptional experience at the Otolaryngology Program. Learn more about the ENT-operated COVID-19 ICU at Elmhurst Hospital.