News and Events

Paul Donald founded the Head and Neck Surgery and Skull Base Surgery programs at UC Davis Medical Center in 1973. Since his retirement, Paul Donald has been contributing to resident and fellow education. The guest speakers for the evening include Juan Carlos Fernandez-Miranda, M.D. and Dennis Kraus, M.D. in which they will elaborate on their expertise and experience in skull base surgery. 

On June 7, in honor of Dysphagia Awareness Month, we held our Annual Swallowing Disorders Symposium! It was so great to get back together in person!

Thank you to all of our speakers, and to everyone that made this event a success!

Swallowing Symposium Program (PDF)

Lisa Evangelista - Introduction 

Daniel Cates - Impact of Xerostomia on Swallowing

Heather Starmer - Benefits and Burdens - Feeding Tubes in Patients with Dysphagia

Brooks Kuhn and Maggie Kuhn - Perspectives of Aspiration

Steve Uliana - How Do You Move on When You Can't Get Closure

Jessica Pietrowski - Enhancing Dysphagia Therapy with Expiratory Muscle Strength Training

Rejane Wittman - Managing Respiratory Fragility and Oral Intake

Leia Chapman - Shifting Your Focus in Dysphagia Management

On October 26, 2021, medical students had the opportunity to meet and chat with our residents in an open Q & A session to learn more about the Otolaryngology Residency Program. Thanks to all who participated!

Andrew Birkeland moderated the Department Research Showcase inviting each division to present current and future research, clinical trials and IRB protocols within their sub-specialty. Last year, the Department of Otolaryngology had 132 open IRB protocols of which 55 were new, 62 clinical trials, and $5.3 in grant/trial funding, finishing the year with 77 unique publications. A faculty from each division gave a short presentation highlighting these accomplishments and briefly discussed future research projects.

Last week, August 25, 2021, the faculty in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at UC Davis Health, once again invited medical students to participate in an open forum offering them the opportunity to learn more about the Otolaryngology Residency Program.

On June 9, in honor of Dysphagia Awareness Month, we held our 6th Annual Swallowing Symposium!

A big thanks to all of our panelists, and to everyone that attended this successful event!

CE credits were not offered for this free event.

We hope that you were able to join us on Thursday, October 8, 2020 to meet and chat with our residents in an open Q and A session. Each resident briefly introduced themselves and then held small breakout groups. The evening gave students the opportunity to learn more about our program from the residents’ perspective.

Maggie Kuhn hosted the Annual Departmental Research Showcase highlighting the Department’s current and future research, clinical trials and IRB protocols. Last year, the Department “Showcase Showdown” had 119 open IRB protocols of which 49 were new, 62 clinical trials, $4.6 million in grant funding, and 47 publications. Faculty from each sub-specialty provided a short presentation highlighting these accomplishments and future research with their teams.

The faculty in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at UC Davis Health invited medical students to participate in an open forum offering them the opportunity to learn more about the Otolaryngology Residency Program. Students were divided into small groups with 1-2 faculty leading each Q & A session.

UC Davis Health, Department of Otolaryngology invited all medical students applying for a career in Otolaryngology to join a Virtual Town Hall. Participants met faculty and residents in the department and were able to participate in a Q and A session.

Shareen Pegany clutched the red cordless drill with two hands and aimed it slowly toward the synthetic skull, unsure if she was ready for the part that comes next. “This is scary,” she confessed, as the drill spun faster and whirred louder.

When Gianna Escobar was born on April 10, 2016, her parents had no advance notice that she would not be able to hear or see. They had no history of blind or hearing-impaired relatives and weren’t sure what to expect.

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William Love, DDS – Dental Health As We Age; Rodney Diaz, M.D. – My Wife Says I Never Listen To Her:  The Challenges of Hearing At An Advanced Age

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The UC Davis Center for Voice and Swallowing Newsletter welcomes team members, provides updates on research projects and more. Check out the most recent edition!

CVS Newsletter 2019 (PDF) >>

CVS Newsletter 2017 (PDF) >>

This summer, our Head and Neck team hosted free oral, head and neck cancer screenings. They provided screening to 37 participants and provided education to many more.

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The UC Davis Department of Otolaryngology is committed and dedicated to inspiring, and encouraging women otolaryngologists in training to achieve their personal and professional goals.

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The UC Davis Department of Otolaryngology is committed and dedicated to inspiring, and encouraging women otolaryngologists in training to achieve their personal and professional goals.

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Physicians from UC Davis Health not only enhance the quality of life for the Sacramento region, but also for communities around the world. Indigent families in the small Ecuadorian village of Riobamba have benefited from the expertise of UC Davis surgeons, who last year visited the small hospital there to perform free reconstructive surgeries on children and teens with craniofacial malformations.

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