The Advanced Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery Fellowship Program at the Mount Sinai Health System is an intensive one-year program dedicated to the training and education of advanced rhinology and skull base techniques. The program consists of faculty from the departments of Otolaryngology and Neurosurgery who are committed to education and fellow training. The program is designed to prepare a participant for a career in academic rhinology and achieve proficiency in the outpatient and surgical management of paranasal sinus and skull base pathology. The fellow will be exposed to groundbreaking and innovative research and understand the skills needed to pursue a career in academic medicine. It is our commitment to create an environment that fosters professional and personal growth within the field of rhinology and skull base surgery.
The Surgical Training Experience
The fellow will be exposed to a comprehensive surgical case mix consisting of inflammatory and neoplastic pathology involving the paranasal sinuses, skull base and orbit. The fellow will operate in multiple clinical settings, primarily Mount Sinai Hospital, a tertiary hospital, and The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, a specialty hospital. Fellows will learn multiple approaches to surgical management of paranasal sinus disease as the fellowship faculty is comprised of individuals who have trained at various prestigious endoscopic skull base fellowships. The fellow will be proficient in primary and revision sinus cases, as well as endoscopic and open approaches to the skull base, since the division has a close relationship with the Department of Neurosurgery. The surgical case volume includes:
- Extended approaches to the frontal, maxillary and sphenoid sinus
- Benign and malignant tumor resections
- Cerebrospinal fluid leaks, encephaloceles, benign skull base tumors such as pituitary lesions, craniopharyngiomas, and meningiomas, and malignant lesions involving the skull base
- Skull base surgery repair - orbital tumors, surgical management of the lacrimal system, transorbital approached to the skull base
As the division is equipped with office navigation systems and state-of-the-art equipment,
the fellow will gain experience in the setup and performance of office-based rhinology procedures including:
- Paranasal sinus balloon sinuplasty
- Eustachian tube dilation
- Cryoablation
- Radiofrequency
- Office sinus surgery
The Educational Program
The Mount Sinai Health System has a large residency program, training 6 residents per year. The fellow will be active as a mentor for the residents and serve as a clinical instructor, participating in resident didactic sessions as well as with clinical teaching. In addition, the fellow will have the opportunity to participate in at least three citywide advanced rhinology and sinus surgery courses. The fellow will not only lecture at these courses but will also serve a proctor during the laboratory portions.
A monthly skullbase tumor board is comprised of faculty from otolaryngology, neuroradiology, neuro-ophthalmology, oculoplastics, neurosurgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and pathology. Cases are discussed and treatment plans formulated and distributed to all attendees.
The fellow actively participates in weekly rhinology/skull base research meetings, which involve rhinology and neurosurgery faculty, research fellows, medical students and residents. This is moderated by our research fellow and dedicated to rhinology and neuro-rhinology.
The Service Contribution
Fellows staff a ½ day, weekly Rhinology 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 Weekly Schedule
Each week, the Associate Fellowship Director and the fellow review the case mix for the upcoming week, and the fellow is assigned to office days and operative cases that will be the most educational and rewarding for the fellow. One half day per week is dedicated to research endeavors. In the second half of the fellowship, the fellow is assigned to subspecialty rotations in the following areas:
- Allergy and Immunology
- The National Jewish Respiratory Institute
- Oculoplastic Surgery