History of the Division

David A. Dolowitz, M.D.

Dr. Dolowitz , who had completed his training at Johns Hopkins University, presented lectures to the third-year medical students and supervised clinical instruction for fourth-year medical students with the help of community otolaryngologists.

Dr. Dolowitz then started the residency program in 1963, with the first resident completing training in 1967. Since that time, 70 residents have completed the program, and there are currently fourteen residents in training.

In the past eight years, twelve residents have completed fellowships in head and neck oncologic surgery (5), facial plastic and reconstructive surgery (4), otology/neurotology (2), and rhinology and sinus surgery (1).

The Dolowitz Lectureship in Otolaryngology was established in 1987 by contributions from former patients, colleagues, and Dr. Dolowitz. Dr. C. Charles Hetzel, Jr. practiced otolaryngology in Ogden, Utah, and established the C. Charles Hetzel, Jr., M.D. and Alice Barker Hetzel Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology in 1986. This endowed chair has been held by Dr. James L. Parkin and by Dr. Steven D. Gray. The current chair is Dr. Clough Shelton.

DIVISION CHIEFS

The full-time faculty of the division has steadily grown from the single member, Dr. Dolowitz, to the current full-time faculty of eleven attendings, one M.D. who works part time, and one Ph.D., who serves as director of research. Dr. Dolowitz served as chief of the division until 1967, when Dr. Gary Thomas became chief and recruited Dr. James L. Parkin to make a two-member faculty. Dr. Parkin became Chief in 1974 when Dr. Thomas entered private practice, and served in that position until 1992 when he became acting chairman and later chairman of the Department of Surgery at the University of Utah. Dr. R. Kim Davis, who had joined the division in 1983 as the first fellowship trained head and neck surgeon, became chief in 1992. In May 2004, Dr. Clough Shelton, who had joined the division in 1994 after completing a neurotology fellowship at the House Ear Clinic and practicing there as a partner, became the current division chief.

Until Dr. Davis came in 1983, the division members practiced general otolaryngology, although Dr. Parkin, who had completed a fellowship in auditory neurophysiology, concentrated on otology. Dr. Michael H. Stevens, who trained at Utah, joined the division in 1974 and became a tenured professor before he entered private practice in 1989. Dr. Leland P. Johnson joined Dr. Parkin and Dr. Stevens as the third faculty member in 1976 when he completed the residency at Utah. Dr. Steven D. Gray joined the division in 1990 as the first fellowship trained pediatric otolaryngologist and developed the pediatric otolaryngology resident rotation at Primary Children’s Medical Center when the new hospital was relocated adjacent to the University Hospital in 1990. Dr. Gray’s death due to Wegener’s disease in 2002 was a loss to the division and the pediatric community.

Dr. John F. Hoffmann completed the residency at Utah in 1989. He then finished two fellowships in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery before joining the division in 1991. After developing the facial plastic and reconstructive surgery presence in the division, he entered private practice in 2001. Dr. Clough Shelton, the current division chief, joined the faculty in 1994. His efforts established the first temporal bone laboratory at the University of Utah. Dr Jeffrey R. Haller, who completed fellowship training in head and neck oncology and microvascular surgery, brought his talents for free-flap reconstruction to the division in 1995. Dr. Haller entered private practice in 2001. The second fellowship trained pediatric otolaryngologist to join the division was Dr. Steven M. Kelly, who joined Dr. Steven Gray in 1995 at Primary Children’s Medical Center. Dr. Kelly is a graduate of the residency at Utah and completed the fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Kelly entered private practice in 2002. Dr. Marshall E. Smith, the third fellowship trained pediatric otolaryngologist in the division, joined Drs. Gray and Kelly in 1997. Dr. Smith and Dr. Gray shared an interest in laryngology, and Dr. Smith now concentrates his practice on adult laryngology and airway disorders.

Two new faculty members joined the division in 2000. Dr. Harlan R. Muntz came to Utah after several years at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. He became the head of the pediatric otolaryngology section with Drs. Kelly and Smith and has developed a presence in cleft lip and palate surgery. Dr. Richard R. Orlandi also joined the faculty in 2000 after completing a fellowship in rhinology and serving as co-director of the rhinology and skull base surgery section in the OTO-HNS department at Michigan. In 2001, Dr. Dean W. Gray, Dr. Steven Gray's father, retired from his practice and joined the division to work part-time in the general otolaryngology clinic. Dr. Susan L. Thibeault , who has a Ph.D. in communicative disorders and a minor in molecular biology, joined the faculty in 2001 to work with Dr. Steven Gray in his research related to the molecular biology of vocal fold disorders. She later served as director of research for the division.

The facial plastic and reconstructive surgery coverage in the division is now provided by Dr. Steven R. Mobley, who joined the faculty in 2002 after completing a fellowship in that subspecialty. Dr. Mobley has developed the cosmetic aspects of facial plastic surgery in addition to the other areas included in the subspecialty. Dr. Albert H. Park also joined the faculty in 2002 as the third pediatric otolaryngologist to work with Drs. Muntz and Smith at Primary Children's Medical Center. In 2003, the number of head and neck oncologists in the division was increased to three with the addition of Dr. Brandon G. Bentz, who joined Drs. Davis and Sharma. Dr. Todd A. Hillman, who completed the residency at Utah followed by a fellowship in neurotology, joined the faculty in 2003 to work with Dr. Clough Shelton. In 2004, Dr. Davis entered private practice. In 2005, Dr. Hillman entered private practice and Dr. J. Fredrik Grimmer joined the faculty after completing a fellowship in pediatric otolaryngology. In 2006, Drs. Jason P. Hunt and Frank M. Warren, head and neck oncologic surgeon and neurotology surgeon respectively, finished their fellowship training and joined the division, and Dr. Susan L. Thibeault, took a position as director of research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Division of Otolaryngology. Dr. Pramod Sharma went into private practice in 2007, and Yong Wang, PhD, joined the faculty as Director of Research. In 2008, the division welcomed Dr. Luke O. Buchmann as our third head and neck oncologic surgeon.

DIVISION RESEARCH HISTORY

Dr. Dolowitz conducted research in vestibular physiology, the use of corticosteroids in otolaryngology , and the genetics of sensorineural hearing loss. He also detailed the kindred of local families with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

A multichannel cochlear implant program at the University of Utah was started in l972 by Dr. James Parkin as a joint venture with Dr. Derald Brackmann of the House Ear Clinic. Dr. Brackmann performed the first multichannel cochlear implant at the University of Utah in 1975. The multichannel cochlear implant used in that surgery was developed by the Artificial Organs division of the University of Utah. The cochlear implant program continues under the direction of Dr. Clough Shelton.

Dr. Michael Stevens conducted research at the Salt Lake Veteran's Administration Medical Center research laboratories into carcinogenic agents related to squamous cell carcinoma.

Dr. John A. Dixon was a general surgeon who became dean of the medical school at the University of Utah and later the Vice President for Health Sciences. Dr. Dixon pioneered the surgical application of lasers in non-ophthalmologic surgery in Utah. Surgical laser development in Utah started in 1976 when Dr. Dixon collaborated with engineers to develop a prototype argon/neodymium:YAG laser for clinical use. The OTO-HNS division was involved early with the University of Utah Laser Institute that Dr. Dixon established in 1985. Dr. Parkin and Dr. Dixon used the early argon laser for treatment of the mucosal and cutaneous telangiectasias in patients with hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia. The first CO2 laser at the University of Utah was obtained by Dr. Dixon and led to its use by the OTO-HNS division. Dr. R. Kim Davis was an early proponent for the use of lasers in head and neck malignancy and has done extensive research and compiled clinical series on endoscopic resection of cancer of the larynx. He has also conducted research in the use of photosensitizers combined with laser treatment of head and neck malignancies. Dr. Davis also served as director of the University of Utah Laser Institute.

Dr. Steve Gray had conducted research into vocal fold ultrastructue and molecular biology of vocal fold pathologies and voice disorders. He extended his research to the molecular biology of aging and was awarded several NIH grants for his work which is now continued by Drs. Thibeault and Smith.

Drs. Clough Shelton and Richard Norman of the Bioengineering department at the University of Utah are conducting research into the use of implantable, multiple array electrodes for stimulation of the cochlear nerve.