Research

The Resident Research Review Committee has the responsibility of preparing PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents’ for their research rotations.  The committee is comprised of faculty members active in basic science and clinical research.  The role of the committee is to establish guidelines for the submission and formulation of research proposals and to evaluate each proposal for merit. 

Several factors determine the merit of a research proposal:

• Educational value for training
  • Grant writing skills
  • Hypothesis formulation skills
  • Statistical analysis
• Scientific or clinical value
• Feasibility in the time allotted for the rotation
• Candidate background and experience
• Mentor experience and expertise in proposed project
• Budget / Mentor Funding Availability

A booklet (paper and electronic) of potential faculty mentors is available for review by PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents.  This document contains mentor names and contact information, descriptions of research projects and techniques and research funding.  Residents are expected to contact potential mentors at the end of PGY-1 / start of PGY-2.

Formal presentations are scheduled throughout the PGY-2 year promoting a step-wise process through the development of a full research proposal.  These presentations are expected to be in PowerPoint format and developed in conjunction with the faculty mentor.  The schedule of presentations and deadlines is as follows:

• Spring 2012                        PGY-1 Residents select Research Mentors

• Early-August                      PGY-2 Resident research application due

• Mid-August                         Resident Research Committee meets to discuss applications

• Late-August                        PGY-2 Residents receive Research Committee comments/concerns

• Late-September                  PGY-2 Residents present revised proposal to Resident Research

                             Committee

• Early-November                  Resident present research to all faculty and residents

           (20 minute presentation, 10 minute questions/discussion)

• Early-December                 CORE grant budgets due for review

• Mid-December                    AAO-HNS Grant Letter of Intent due

• Mid-December                    CORE grant applications due to Chairman for pre-submission

                                                    review

• Mid-January                       CORE grant applications due

Research rotations start in the PGY-3 year.  This year consists of three months protected research time and two months of research time with limited call and clinical responsibilities.  Through the PGY-1 and PGY-2 year process, it is expected that all necessary equipment, reagents or clinical study mechanisms will be available immediately at the start of the rotation.  It is the responsibility of the mentor to oversee the progress and quality of the research unless an additional mentor has been assigned by the Resident Research Review Committee.  It is vital for the resident and faculty mentor to continually communicate during the rotation and assess the progress of the project.  The resident will be expected to present his/her results following the rotation at a designated time within the research curriculum on a Monday morning.  It is encouraged that the results of the project be submitted for presentation at a national meeting along with submission of a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal.  Residents performing their research rotation in the otolaryngology basic science laboratories will be expected to present their progress weekly at Tuesday lab meetings.  In addition, residents will give a formal presentation to the lab at the outset of their rotation (research plan) and at the conclusion of their rotation (research conclusions).

In the past year, our residents have traveled and presented their research at many different venues, including:

• The Triological Society – Combined Sections Meeting, Scottsdale, AZ, January 24-26, 2013. Evaluation of safety and efficacy of doxycycline sclerotherapy following treatment of vascular malformations with OK-432, oral presentation by Brent Nichols, MD
• Wisconsin Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Annual Meeting, Wisconsin Dells, WI, October 13-14, 2012. Modeling nasal physiology changes due to septal perforation – oral presentation by Daniel Cannon, MD.
• American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, September 9-12, 2012. Quality of surgical field during endoscopic sinus surgery: a systematic review of the effect of total intravenous anesthesia compared to inhaled oral anesthesia – oral presentation by Elizabeth Kelly, MD. Modeling nasal physiology changes due to septal perforation – oral presentation by Daniel Cannon, MD. Maxillary sinus septation causing chronic sinusitis – poster presentation by Corbin Sullivan, MD.
• Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings (COSM), San Diego, CA, April 18-22, 2012. Management of a tertiary bronchiole foreign body with combined rigid and flexible bronchoscopy* – oral presentation by Corbin Sullivan, MD. Rose of virtual surgery in pre-operative planning: assessing the individual components of functional nasal airway surgery – oral presentation by Daniel Cannon, MD. Botulinum Toxin Injection for the treatment of upper esophageal sphincter dysfunction: patient series and review of the literature – oral presentation by Elizabeth Kelly, MD. History of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology using a major meeting program to show the trends of an otolaryngology subspecialty – poster presentation by Matthew Sitton, MD.
• Society for Ear, Nose and Throat Advances in Children (SENTAC) Annual Meeting, Kansas City, MO, December 1-4, 2011. Endoscopic cricopharyngeal myotomy for management of cricopharyngeal achalasia in a child – oral presentation by Matthew Sitton, MD. Novel use of  coblation for resection of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma – poster presentation by Daniel Cannon, MD.

*recipient of the 2012 Presidential Citation Foreign Body Award from the American Broncho-Esophagological Association (ABEA)