UHealth ENT Department Ranked Highest in South Florida by U.S. News
The Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine was ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report in its 2020-2021 “Best Hospitals” rankings. The department ranked No. 28 in the U.S. and is the highest-ranked ENT department in South Florida.
“Our research and clinical programs have reached a critical mass, and our patient outcomes are outstanding,” said Fred F. Telischi, M.D., chairman of otolaryngology, professor of neurological surgery and biomedical engineering, and the James R. Chandler Chair in Otolaryngology.
The department scored excellent for 30-day survival rates, discharging patients to their home, and patient services such as innovative programs provided at the department’s luminary UHealth Ear Institute, as well as by its head and neck cancer division with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and other renowned clinical programs including rhinology and endoscopic skull-based procedures; laryngology and professional voice; pediatric otolaryngology; sleep medicine and surgery; and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.
The department’s reputation for quality research earned a No. 17 ranking nationally for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research, as compiled by the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research in 2019. This impressive ranking stature with NIH funding is a measure of the quantity and quality of research that the department undertakes. It is also one of a select few otolaryngology programs in the country to secure the prestigious NIH T32 resident training grant.
“Being ranked among the best in the nation is an honor for our dedicated faculty and staff, including surgeons, audiologists, biomedical engineers, speech pathologists, researchers, and psychologists,” said Dr. Telischi. “We collaborate with many other Miller School programs to deliver the best possible multidisciplinary care to our adult and pediatric ear, nose, and throat patients.”
The department also had a banner year for hosting conferences competing for and being awarded two important international auditory implant meetings: the American Cochlear Implant Alliance’s CI 2019 and the 7th International Congress on Bone Conduction Hearing and Related Technologies–OSSEO 2019. Hosting and scientifically directing these conferences are testaments to the clinical, research, and educational opportunities at the University of Miami Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and the UHealth Ear Institute.
“I couldn’t be prouder to have the otolaryngology team recognized for their dedication to excellence in teaching, research, and caring for our patients,” said Dr. Simon Angeli, director of the University of Miami Ear Institute and program director for the Neurotology-Skull Base fellowship program. “We continue to expand and grow in meaningful ways, having launched the Cranial Access Neuroanatomy and ENT Surgery (appropriately called “CANES”) Lab, an important collaboration with the University of Miami Department of Neurosurgery.”
“We have one of the largest academic head-neck cancer groups in the country at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Our dynamic surgeons lead a well-established multidisciplinary oncology team, incorporating innovative techniques such as oral cancer screening, robotic technology, microvascular reconstruction, sentinel node identification, and a specialized postoperative care unit for these complex procedures,” said Dr. Donald Weed, M.D., FACS, vice chair of academics in the Department of Otolaryngology and co-director, along with Xue-Zhong Liu, M.D., Ph.D., vice-chair of research, T32 grant.
Also, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute was ranked the nation’s best in ophthalmology for the 19th time. Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, which earned National Cancer Institute designation in 2019, and neurology and neurosurgery programs at the University of Miami Hospital and Clinics were also recognized as “high performing” by the publication.
The 2020-2021 “Best Hospitals” rankings are accessible at https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings and in the U.S. News “Best Hospitals” 2021 guidebook.