Pitt Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery

08/25/2026

Closing the Hearing Health Gap for Individuals with IDD

The Pittsburgh Hearing Institute has received a $1.5 million grant from the Edith L. Trees Charitable Trust to advance hearing health care for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Individuals with IDD face a disproportionately high burden of hearing loss that is often preventable and treatable. Among people with Down syndrome, one of the most common IDD conditions, up to 75% experience some degree of hearing loss, and more than half have recurrent ear infections. This funding will support efforts to improve access to care, address disparities, and help ensure individuals with IDD receive the hearing services they need to thrive.

Read more about this important initiative and its impact on hearing health: https://eyeandear.org/2026/07/new-grant-aims-to-close-hearing-health-gap-for-individuals-with-idd/
Eye & Ear Foundation of Pittsburgh

08/24/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Jeffrey Simons on receiving the 2025 Distinguished Service Award from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS)!

This recognition honors Dr. Simons' outstanding dedication, leadership, and service to the field of otolaryngology and the broader medical community. His commitment to advancing patient care, education, and the specialty continues to make a lasting impact.

08/21/2026

Genetic hearing loss isn't one condition. It's hundreds.

More than 100 genes have been linked to congenital and progressive hearing loss, creating a complex landscape of rare conditions that affect individuals and families worldwide.

“It’s essentially a bunch of rare diseases,” says Chris Cunningham, PhD, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh.

To address this challenge, Dr. Cunningham and Thanos Tzounopoulos, PhD, Director of the Pittsburgh Hearing Research Center and Professor of Auditory Physiology in the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, are working to develop a precision therapeutic approach that can be tailored to different forms of genetic hearing loss while having broad potential impact across many rare conditions.

Their work represents an exciting step toward more personalized treatments for hearing loss and a future where therapies can target the underlying genetic cause of disease.

Read more: https://www.pittmed.pitt.edu/news/precision-hearing-loss-treatment-gene-therapy-cochlea-hair-cells

08/19/2026

A major milestone for LiDIA!

LiDIA (Listening, Identification, and Immediate Amplification), the affordable, compact hearing screening and amplification tool developed by the University of Pittsburgh Department of Audiology, has achieved widespread real-world deployment across multiple healthcare settings, including primary care practices, geriatrics clinics, visiting nurse programs, and hospital admissions departments.

Even more exciting: the team recently received news that the patent related to LiDIA has been awarded.

By making hearing screening a routine part of patient care and providing immediate amplification when needed, LiDIA is helping improve communication and access to care for patients where they need it most.

Read more about this exciting achievement: https://eyeandear.org/2026/05/lidia-marks-major-milestone/

LiDIA – the affordable, compact hearing screening and amplification tool developed by the Department of Audiology – has reached a significant milestone: widespread real-world deployment. Over the past year, LiDIA [...]Read More... from LiDIA Marks Major Milestone

08/17/2026

Congratulations to Ross Williamson, PhD, on receiving the APAN Junior Faculty Award from Advances and Perspectives in Auditory Neuroscience (APAN)!

This award recognizes outstanding early-career investigators who have established an emerging record of independent scholarship and innovation in auditory neuroscience. Selected competitively by peers in the field, award recipients are invited to deliver a featured presentation highlighting their independent research program at the annual APAN meeting.

Ross's recognition reflects a remarkable year of scientific achievement, including seven publications, multiple high-impact papers, successful grant funding, and national recognition for his research contributions. His work is helping advance our understanding of auditory neuroscience and strengthening the University of Pittsburgh Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery's leadership in hearing research.

08/13/2026

Congratulations to Thanos Tzounopoulos, PhD, Vice Chair of Basic Science Research and
Director, Pittsburgh Hearing Research Center, and his research team!

Their groundbreaking study has just been published in Science Advances https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aee9298, highlighting a promising new approach to hearing loss, tinnitus, and hyperacusis.

The research identified a neuromodulatory signaling pathway— zinc signaling in the brain—that can partially restore neural responses and perceptual thresholds following noise-induced hearing loss, while being necessary for the neural hyperactivity associated with tinnitus and hyperacusis. These findings reveal the therapeutic potential of targeting zinc transporters to promote adaptive plasticity while mitigating maladaptive changes in the auditory system.

This exciting work represents an important step toward developing new treatments for hearing disorders and improving quality of life for patients.

08/11/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Ryan Soose on his promotion to Professor of Otolaryngology in the Clinician-Investigator Pathway (Appointment Stream) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

A Pitt Otolaryngology alumnus, Dr. Soose has built an internationally recognized career in sleep medicine and sleep surgery, helping advance innovative treatments for obstructive sleep apnea while shaping one of the nation's leading sleep surgery programs. As Director of the Division of Sleep Medicine, a renowned researcher, educator, and mentor, his contributions have had a lasting impact on patients, trainees, and the field of otolaryngology.

We are grateful for Dr. Soose's dedication to advancing patient care, research, and education, and proud to celebrate this well-deserved achievement. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Soose on this milestone!

08/05/2026

When Kathy McClelland noticed a bump on the right side of her nose in January 2024, she never expected it would lead to a diagnosis of intranasal adenocarcinoma, an aggressive cancer arising from the mucin-producing cells of the nose.

The Indiana, PA resident turned to the experts at UPMC, where Shaum Sridharan, MD, Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, performed her initial surgery and coordinated her care with Christina M. Yver, MD, MBA, Director of the UPMC Facial Nerve Center, for reconstructive surgery. Reflecting on her experience, Kathy shared, “It was a blessing to be in her care.”

Kathy's journey is a testament to the power of expert, compassionate, multidisciplinary care close to home.

Read more about her story here:

In January 2024, Kathy McClelland, now 73, noticed a bump on the right side of her nose. Turns out it was an intranasal mass that was an adenocarcinoma, an aggressive [...]Read More... from Rebuilding a Nose with Exceptional Care

07/31/2026

07/30/2026

Discover the next chapter of our International Visiting Scholars Program!

This video highlights the program's enhanced application process, under the leadership of Dr. Greg Basura, with support from Sydney Baumgardner. It showcases the Department of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery's continued commitment to innovation, collaboration, and global engagement.

For more than three decades, the International Visiting Scholars Program has welcomed physicians from around the world to Pittsburgh, fostering the exchange of knowledge, advancing surgical education, and strengthening international partnerships. We are proud to continue building on this legacy while expanding opportunities for the global otolaryngology community.

https://www.otolaryngology.pitt.edu/education/international-visiting-scholars-program