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Ever since the LSU Department of Otolaryngology was established in 1931, we have maintained a steadfast commitment to Education, Patient Care, Research, Innovation and Community Service. The legacy of the Department is very rich indeed. During eighty-plus years of existence, the program has graduated over 200 resident surgeons specializing in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and has played an important role in the education and clinical training of literally thousands of medical students, as well as audiologists, speech-language pathologists, dental students, and students from many other professions.

Clinically, we have provided expert Ear, Nose and Throat care for generations of patients throughout Louisiana and from points far beyond. For many years, much of that care was rendered to uninsured and underserved patients through the state's Charity Hospital system -- a tradition that we continue to this day via the state's newly modernized public/private hospital partnerships.

More recently, LSU Otolaryngology has also become a “destination center” for patients who have rare, complex, or advanced diseases of the head and neck. We have built a reputation for providing state-of-the-art care for such patients, and have been recognized as a community resource for high-complexity surgical care, reconstruction, and rehabilitation. Our expertise and innovation have been acknowledged widely, including highest honors from US News and World Report, Best Doctors, and many others. 

These kinds of important accomplishments require not only focus and commitment; they require substantial financial resources. Even though we are a State entity, the LSU Department of Otolaryngology and the LSU School of Medicine have had to operate with resources that have been steadily diminishing over time.  The majority of the Department's funding comes through a combination of earned clinical income for patient care, other hospital services, research grants, and philanthropy.

One of our most important sources of philanthropy has been the dedication of endowed Chairs. Through the generosity of our patients, alumni, colleagues and friends, the Department has previously established endowments in the names of two of our former Chairmen, Dr. George D. Lyons and Dr. Mervin L. Trail. Funds donated to these endowed Chairs are protected in perpetuity, and they generate significant revenues each year that can be used to help pay for much of the work we do in Education, Research, Innovation and Community Service. These revenues help to offset the costs of hiring expert faculty, of conducting pilot programs in research, and of various teaching and community outreach projects.

The George D. Lyons MD Chair in Otolaryngology was dedicated in 1997 for the purpose of fostering Otolaryngology Education. The Mervin L. Trail MD Chair in Head and Neck Oncology was dedicated in 2004 for the purpose of research and education in diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancers. Both of these Chairs have been immensely successful in supporting their missions, and have helped the Department to attract some of the best and brightest physicians and scientists in the nation. The Department has changed and grown remarkably in recent years, with numerous accolades and accomplishments.  

Additionally we are now seeking to establish a new Chair in the Department: The Daniel W. Nuss MD Chair in Skull Base Surgery and will be applying to the Board of Regents for matching funds this year.  This Chair will be dedicated to education, innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration in the treatment of advanced, unusual and complex Otolaryngology diseases, especially those that involve the base of the skull.

Dr. Nuss has served as the Department Chairman since 1995, and during the twenty-five-plus years since he began, he has committed his career to the care of patients who have cancers, benign tumors, infections, injuries, deformities and other life-altering conditions of the head and neck; especially those craniofacial disorders that progress into the skull and involve the cranial nerves, the eyes, and the brain. These diseases are often devastating to patients and their families, and this demanding sub-specialty of Otolaryngology requires high-level expertise in Anatomy, Oncology, Neuroscience, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation. It also often requires that sub-specialized Otolaryngologists work collaboratively in teams with specialists in Neurosurgery, Plastic Surgery, Ophthalmology, Radiation Oncology, Medical Oncology, Dentistry, and other disciplines - for the sole purpose of achieving what is best for the patient.

In the context of providing this clinical care, Dr. Nuss has always been involved in educating young Otolaryngologists in the subspecialty of Skull Base Surgery, and in doing so, has achieved broad recognition for his teaching efforts: he was elected as President of the North American Skull Base Society in 2008; he was honored as LSU Medical Alumnus of the Year in 2012; he has been an invited speaker for Skull Base Surgery educational meetings on 5 continents; and he has received numerous teaching awards from his students and residents over the years.

This Chair would honor Dr. Nuss' legacy, and would advance the mission of the Department, by helping to promote interdisciplinary education in skull base diseases and treatments. It would also help foster research and innovation in the further study of surgical anatomy, microsurgical and endoscopic techniques, reconstruction and rehabilitation of cranial nerve paralysis, deformities and deficits that are the consequences of skull base diseases.

 

Alumni Association of the LSU Department of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery

 

Graduates of our residency program are extremely important to us, and continued involvement of alumni is one of the things that keep the residency program strong. As you may know, our department conducts a variety of very high- quality, important educational activities that are not supported by institutional funding. These activities are of significant benefit to our alumni (and their patients), our residents, our students, and to the medical community at large, and we use Alumni dues to help defray some of the associated costs.

 

 

Resident Education Fund

The Department has also established a Resident Education Fund, which helps defray costs for residents’ educational materials, including books, computer-based learning materials, and travel costs to academic and scientific meetings, where residents present papers showcasing their work in the LSU program. Our resident are very prolific in their research endeavors and often participate in oral and poster presentations as various annual conferences.