Observational Mini-Fellowship in Otology
Goals & Objectives
The Emory Otology Service's observational mini-fellowship is aimed at developing an increased awareness of the pathophysiology and diseases of the temporal bone and associated skull base and the medical and surgical treatments thereof. Fellows will observe patient evaluation in the outpatient clinic and learn basic and advanced history and physical examination skills for otologic disorders. They will also observe oto-microscopic evaluation for the purposes of diagnosis and intervention in the clinic setting.
The otology team in the clinic setting includes faculty physicians, otolaryngology residents, audiologists, medical students, nurses, and other ancillary personnel. The observational fellow will learn the importance of this team approach for the care of the otologic patient. Fellows may spend dedicated time with the audiology team to observe diagnostic testing, including comprehensive audiometry, VNG, and cochlear implant evaluations.
Fellows may observe multiple procedures in the clinic setting, such as myringotomy and PE tube placement and postoperative mastoid cavity debridements. Office-based procedure observation is variable depending on the cases available at the time of the fellowship.
Surgical observation will familiarize the fellow with primary and revision tympanomastoid, stapedotomy for otosclerosis, and management of benign and malignant neoplasms of the temporal bone and lateral skull base. The otology team has a busy adult implantable hearing device practice that encompasses cochlear implants and bone anchored devices, and a skull base practice that involves collaboration with neurosurgeons. The skull base program includes cerebrospinal fluid leak repair and resection of skull base tumors such as vestibular schwannoma. Fellows will become familiar with technical issues associated with these surgeries and gain insight from surgical tips provided by experienced faculty.
To aid in developing skills to treat otologic disorders, the fellow may choose an option that includes access to the surgical dissection laboratory at Emory University Hospital Midtown, which is equipped with temporal bone dissection stations and instruments that allow for cadaveric dissection at various intervals during the mini-fellowship.
The goals of the otology mini-fellowship experience are:
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To become familiar with the evaluation and treatment of patients with acute and chronic disorders of the ear and diseases of the associated skull base.
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To become familiar with the evaluation and diagnosis of hearing loss and assess candidacy for implantable hearing devices.
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To develop otologic surgical skills in the laboratory setting.
Fellow Duties
In the Emory Otology Division, fellows will function in an observational fashion when shadowing physicians as they perform patient evaluations and office procedures. While fellows will view surgical procedures in the operating room, they are prohibited from participation due to licensing issues.
Fellows that choose the optional laboratory dissection experience will be expected to develop a skill set in mastoid surgical drilling.
Fellows will not have on-call responsibilities.
Fellows are welcome to participate in new or ongoing research efforts.
Organization of the Teaching Service
Fellows will be mentored by faculty otologists Douglas Mattox, MD, and Esther Vivas, MD. They will also be exposed to the audiology team, including cochlear implant audiologists.
Conferences
Fellows have the option of attending all educational conferences sponsored by the Emory Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. These include weekly Grand Rounds (Thursday mornings), Tumor Board, and Otology and Vestibular conferences, which are held every other Wednesday morning.
Housing
While the Emory Department of Otolaryngology cannot offer room or board to visiting mini-fellows, it can assist with locating a suitable arrangement.
Fellowship Duration and Cost
The Emory Otology Observational Mini-Fellowship is generally a one-month program. A $1500 fee ($2500 if laboratory option is chosen) is applied to cover mentors' time and incidentals. The laboratory fee will be waived if the fellow enrolls in Emory Otolaryngology's five-day temporal bone surgical dissection course during the span of the mini-fellowship.
Checks may be made payable to Emory University or wired (wire transfer instructions available upon request).
Requests to extend the duration of the fellowship will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Schedule
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Monday |
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Dr. Mattox |
Ambulatory surgery |
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Dr. Vivas |
Otology clinic |
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Tuesday |
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Dr. Mattox |
Ambulatory surgery |
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Dr. Vivas |
Neurosurgery combined cases, option for surgical dissection in lab or time with audiology service |
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Wednesday |
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Dr. Mattox |
Otology clinic |
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Dr. Vivas |
Ambulatory surgery |
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Thursday |
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Dr. Mattox |
Neurosurgery combined cases |
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Dr. Vivas |
Otology clinic |
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Friday |
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Dr. Mattox |
Otology clinic |
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Dr. Vivas |
Ambulatory surgery in the afternoons (variable) |
