Laryngology Fellowship

Program Director:
Gregory N. Postma, M.D.

History

The Center for Voice, Airway and Swallowing disorders was established in 2006 with the recruitment of Dr. Gregory Postma. The Center works in a multidisciplinary fashion, utilizing the expertise of otolaryngologists, speech and language pathologists, gastroenterologists, neurologists, pulmonologists, and gastrointestinal surgeons. The use of cutting edge technology such as transnasal esophagoscopy, high-resolution manometry and unsedated in office laser surgery has resulted in an ever-increasing patient volume and a natural extension of this was to establish a laryngology fellowship. We participate in the match system organized via the NRMP.

Duration

The laryngology fellowship is a one-year fellowship with a tentative start date of July 1, each year.

Prerequisite Training/Selection Criteria

Applicants with one of the following qualifications are eligible for appointment to the Medical College of Georgia Laryngology Fellowship:
Board eligible/Board certified Otolaryngologists in the United States.
Graduates of Otolaryngology residency programs outside the United States and Canada who have received a current, valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.

Fellows will be selected based on their aptitude, knowledge, and academic interests within the field of Laryngology. There is specifically no discrimination on the basis of age, gender, ethnic background, religious beliefs, or sexual orientation. Because of the unique and challenging academic opportunities available at MCG, individuals with a proven track record of excellence in scholarly pursuits are particularly encouraged to apply. All applications received by MCG are independently reviewed by at least two faculty members, and decisions regarding interviews are made by consensus.

Interested applicants should contact:

Gregory Postma, MD
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Augusta University
1120 Fifteenth Street
Augusta, Georgia 30912-4060
Phone: (706) 721-6100
Fax: (706) 721-0112
Email: gpostma@augusta.edu

Goals and Objectives

The objective of this one-year fellowship is to provide a broad experience in all clinical and research aspects of training within the field of Laryngology. This will include professional voice, routine voice care, evaluation and treatment of dysphagia and aspiration, laryngeal dystonia treatment, interpretation of high resolution manometry in office surgical procedures, as well as the full spectrum of surgical laryngology. This includes endoscopic microflap surgery, laryngoplasty and arytenoid adduction, endoscopic and open treatment of airway stenosis, endoscopic cancer surgery and sophisticated dysphagia procedures. The diagnosis and treatment of laryngopharyngeal reflux as well as laryngeal electromyography, specifically, will be emphasized.

It is the intent of the fellowship program to enable the fellows to establish and build a sophisticated laryngology center of their own in the academic or private practice arenas.

For fellows with a strong interest in research, there is ample opportunity to explore independent projects.

Program Certifications

The Laryngology Fellowship is a non-accredited program affiliated with the Department of Otolaryngology at the Medical College of Georgia and its accredited residency program. As of today, there are no ACGME-accredited Laryngology fellowship programs in the United States.

Resources

Teaching Staff
Gregory Postma, MD,
Professor
Voice, Airway and Swallowing Center, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery,
Medical College of Georgia

Stephanie Reyes MS, CCC-SLP,
Speech-Language Pathology
Augusta University Medical Center

Elizabeth Sekul, MD,
Associate Professor,
Department of Neurology,
Medical College of Georgia.

Amol Sharma, MD,
Associate Professor
Department of Gastroenterology,
Medical College of Georgia.

Facilities

The fellow will spend time in three hospitals:

Augusta University Medical Center

As the teaching hospital of the Medical College of Georgia, the Augusta University Medical Center includes a 520-bed hospital, Ambulatory Care Center with over 80 outpatient clinics in one convenient setting, Specialized Care Center housing a 13-county regional trauma center, Comprehensive Cancer Program, Emergency and Express Care Services.

Children's Hospital of Georgia

The Children's Hospital of Georgia has 149-beds, including one of five Neonatal Intensive Care Units in the state.

Veterans Administration Medical Center

The Augusta VAMC primary service area includes 17 counties in Georgia and seven counties in South Carolina; but as a member of the Atlanta Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN7), veterans who live as far away as Alabama may be cared for in the Augusta VAMC. The Downtown Division adjacent to the Medical College of Georgia has 155 beds (52 medicine, 37 surgery, six neurology, and 60 spinal cord injury).

Education Program

Clinical

The fellow will participate in all Laryngology office hours and surgery. For the first three months the Fellow's clinical schedule will mirror that of Dr. Postma's. This will involve two and a half days of clinic and one to one and a half days of surgery in the main operating room. Following the initial three months the Fellow will also run a concurrent Laryngology office hours along with Dr. Postma. The fellows are clinically involved in call from home in the standard faculty call rotation.

Research

The fellowship provides a number of opportunities for both clinical and basic science research. Fellows are encouraged to develop research proposals under the direction of the Faculty with full department funding available to support travel to all the major academic meetings. In addition, the Fellow will participate in various didactic and hands on CME courses.

Fellow Supervision

Close supervision will be provided during the first quarter of the Fellowship. As the Fellow's skills develop, independence in patient care will be expanded but, still remain under the supervision of the Fellowship Director. Upon the completion of the Fellowship, the Fellow will be able to independently evaluate, diagnose and treat patients with laryngology disorders and diseases.

Fellow patient care responsibilities:

See and evaluate laryngology patients in the office.
Supervise the preparation process for patients requiring laryngologic surgery.
Participate in laryngology cases in the operating room.
Supervise otolaryngology residents on the laryngology rotation.
Participate in the care of laryngologic emergencies.

Evaluations

Fellow Evaluation

The Fellow will be evaluated on the following items using a scale from 1 to 5, 1 being the lowest or very poor performance and 5 being the highest or excellent performance (PDF available as a link):

Patient care - compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health
Medical knowledge - established and evolving biomedical, clinical, and cognate (e.g., epidemiological and social-behavioral) sciences and the application of this knowledge to patient care
Practice-based learning and improvement - involves investigation and evaluation of their own patient care, appraisal and assimilation of scientific evidence, and improvements in patient care
Interpersonal and communication skills - that result in effective information exchange and teaming with patients, their families, and other health professionals
Professionalism - as manifested through a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities, adherence to ethical principles, and sensitivity to a diverse patient population
Systems-based practice - as manifested by actions that demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of health care and the ability to effectively call on system resources to provide care that is of optimal value

Faculty Evaluation

The Fellow will provide verbal and/or written meaningful feedback to the Director of the Fellowship regarding ways of improving the quality and effectiveness of the Fellowship.

LARYNGOLOGY FELLOWS

2007-2008	Neil Chheda MD	University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
2008-2009	Jason McChesney MD	West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
2010-2011	Michele Morrison MD	Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth, VA
2010-2011	Paul Weinberger MD	Louisiana State University, Shreveport, LA
2011-2012	Ashli O’Rourke MD	Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC
2012-2013	Nancy Solowski MD	Private Practice, Bel Air, MD
2013-2014	Rebecca Howell MD	University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH
2013-2014	Christopher Johnson	Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, CA
2015-2016	Marsha Reuther MD	Private Practice, San Diego, CA
2016-2017	Mark Fritz MD	University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
2017-2018	Abdulmalik Alsaied MD	Saudi Arabia
2018-2019	Stephanie Teng MD	Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA
2019-2020	Zao Yang MD	UT Health, San Antonio