Dr. Thomas Balkany, Cochlear Implant Pioneer, Passes Away
The retired otolaryngology chair will be remembered by the hundreds of physicians he trained and the thousands of patients he helped worldwide.
Thomas Balkany, M.D., the chair emeritus of the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, passed away on July 29 following a long battle with cancer. During a more-than-two-decade career at the University of Miami, including 10 years as department chair, Dr. Balkany won international recognition for his pioneering work in the development and application of cochlear implants for reversing deafness.
“Tom Balkany will be remembered for many things by many people,” said Fred F. Telischi, M.E.E., M.D., chair of otolaryngology, professor of neurological surgery and biomedical engineering and the James R. Chandler Chair in Otolaryngology at the Miller School. “He trained a large number of the cochlear implant surgeons in practice today across the country and internationally. He was incredibly generous with his time as a valuable mentor to a whole generation of ear surgeons, myself included.
“Tom contributed immensely to the evolution of cochlear implantation through copious scientific presentations and peer-reviewed publications,” Dr. Telischi added. “His efforts to clarify the ethics of reversing deafness in both adults and children in the context of the deaf community during the early days of cochlear implants was courageous and forthright. Most important, he will be remembered by the thousands of patients he treated medically and surgically throughout his illustrious career.”
Dr. Balkany
Dr. Balkany, a Miami native, graduated from the University of Miami Medical School in 1972. He completed a surgical residency at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver, an otolaryngology residency at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a neurotology fellowship under William House at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles. His training was followed by a successful otology-neurotology and cochlear implant practice in Denver.
A Physician, a Scholar and a Gentleman
In 1990, with the support of then-Chair W. Jarrard Goodwin, M.D., and Dean Bernard J. Fogel, M.D., he returned to Miami as the first director of the University of Miami Ear Institute and cochlear implant program, which Dr. Goodwin had founded. The program has since treated more than 3,000 cochlear implant patients.
“To me, Tom was always the ultimate example of a physician, a scholar and a gentleman,” said Dr. Goodwin, now emeritus professor of otolaryngology. “His quiet leadership touched every aspect of the department, and his character and values inspired us all. Bringing him back to Miami was probably the single-best thing I did at the U!”
Dr. Balkany’s former colleagues, some of whom had also been his students, remember feeling that they were in the presence of greatness.
“Dr. Thomas Balkany, through his distinctive presence and leadership, inspired those around him to question the unknown, challenge the status quo, pioneer in the face of adversity and pursue excellence in patient care,” said Christine Dinh, M.D., vice chair of academic affairs, professor of otolaryngology and neurological surgery and the George Lerner University Chair in Otolaryngology. “As one of his pupils, I watched him intently and absorbed lessons from his every move, whether he was performing bold clinical innovations in the operating room or leading international research efforts in hearing preservation. His work in cochlear implantation not only restored hearing but also transformed lives, especially those of deaf children.”
“Dr. Balkany carried himself with a quiet strength, a profound depth and a warm smile,” recalled Adrien Eshraghi, M.D., professor of otolaryngology, neurosurgery and biomedical engineering at the Miller School and co-director of the University of Miami Ear Institute. “He had the rare gift of teaching complex surgical issues in a way that is both simple and remarkably easy to digest. Dr. Balkany will be remembered not only for his technical brilliance, but also for his kindness, humility and unwavering integrity. His legacy lives on in the lives he touched, as a surgeon, teacher, researcher and human being.”
International Recognition and Honors
In 2020, Dr. Balkany was the first recipient of the annual Noel L. Cohen Award for Significant Contributions to Otology and Neurotology from the American Neurotology Society (ANS). The ANS created the award to honor Dr. Cohen’s legacy and life’s work. The award’s qualifications were no stretch for Dr. Balkany, whose achievements in the field included more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, four books and 14 patents for cochlear implants.
Dr. Balkany knew Dr. Cohen, also a cochlear implantation pioneer, and considered him a close friend. They met at the first cochlear implant conference in 1982.
“I’m very happy to have received this award, but it’s really about honoring him,” Dr. Balkany said at the time. “The main purpose of the award and its main meaning to me is to honor the work of Noel Cohen, a great husband, father, physician and friend.”
Dr. Balkany was also the founder in 2012 of the non-profit Institute for Cochlear Implant Training (ICIT), which provides advanced training for neurotologists, pediatric otolaryngologists, audiologists and speech pathologists in the U.S. and a dozen other countries.
“The ICIT is one of the few and most innovative training programs for cochlear implant professionals in existence,” Dr. Telischi said.
Other honors included:
• The Hallpike-Nylen Award of the Barany Society (Uppsala, Sweden)
• The Graham Frasier Award of the Royal Society of Medicine, London
• The Fowler Award of the New York League for the Hard of Hearing
• The Health Care Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce
He was a member of the Medical Alumni Association Hall of Fame, Alpha Omega Alpha and Iron Arrow.
Tags: Department of Otolaryngology, Dr. Thomas Balkany, otolaryngology