History of the Department

The Division of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences started as one of the original divisions of the newly formed Department of Surgery of Duke University Medical School.  

The formation of the Duke Department of Surgery was partly influenced by the specialty of Otolaryngology, as Dr. Samuel Crowe, Chair of Otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins Hospital supported his colleague Dr. Darryl Hart’s decision to assume the Chair of Surgery at the newly formed Duke University School of Medicine upon completion of his surgical training at Johns Hopkins.

Two full-time Otolaryngology faculty who were added in 1961, Dr. Patrick Kenan and Dr. William Hudson, would go on to long, influential careers at Duke, including Dr. Hudson’s eventual appointment as Division Chief in 1963, a position he held until 1992.

Dr. Hudson, like Drs. Hart and Eagle, arrived at Duke after completing his training at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was responsible for training many future academic otolaryngologists and held national and international leadership roles with the American Otologic, Rhinologic, and Laryngologic Society (AKA the Triological Society) and the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

This practice was further expanded in 1981 with the addition of Dr. Samuel Fisher to the faculty. Dr. Fisher, in collaboration with other members of the Department of Surgery, investigated and improved treatment for patients with melanomas of the head and neck.

In conjunction with Medical Oncology, Plastic Surgery, and Radiation Oncology, the Division of Otolaryngology created the first multidisciplinary cancer clinic at Duke in 1984. Patients were seen by all the relevant specialties and appropriate staging procedures were recommended, after which a treatment plan was formulated.  

Dr. Richard Scher joined the division from Johns Hopkins University as well, and together with Dr. Richtsmeier helped to establish the Otolaryngology Tumor Biology Laboratory devoted to the investigation of head and neck malignancy, especially squamous cell carcinoma.

Dr. Scher and Richtsmeier further expanded the emphasis and direction of the multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Treatment program. As a result of the efforts of Dr. Richtsmeier to improve outcomes for patients with head and neck cancer, the division’s first endowed chair, the Richard H. Chaney Sr. Chair in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, was gratefully provided by one of his former patients and awarded to Bill Richtsmeier as the first recipient.

Under Dr. Richtsmeier’s leadership, further programmatic growth took place in the subspecialties of Laryngology and Neuro-otology. Dr. David Witsell joined the faculty in 1995. He expanded the Division’s research efforts by establishing the first and only national surgeon research consortium devoted to the investigation of clinical outcomes in Otolaryngology. This effort was conducted in collaboration with the Duke Clinical Research Institute and the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

In honor of his mentor Dr. Patrick Kenan, Dr. Witsell established the tradition of giving each faculty member in sequence of employment, the opportunity to invite an influential mentor as the Kenan Lecturer.

Dr. Richtsmeier left Duke, with Divisional leadership passing to Dr. Joseph Farmer. Dr. Farmer served as Division Chief and The Richard Hall Chaney, Sr. Distinguished Professor of Otolaryngology until 2005.

Dr. Liana Puscas joined the faculty to expand the Microvascular Reconstruction effort and contribute to the Maxillofacial Trauma multidisciplinary team. She was also appointed as the Residency Program Director and, over the next 10 years, led a successful expansion of the quality and size of the residency program, from two to now four residents per year.

The Duke Voice Care Center (DVCC) was established as the first center of excellence through the vision and leadership of Dr. David Witsell. The Duke Voice Care Center, honoring Dr. Kenan’s legacy, has provided comprehensive care for patients with diseases affecting the functions of speech and swallowing by utilizing a multidisciplinary approach with otolaryngologists, speech-language pathologists, and other medical specialists. The DVCC is a nationally recognized resource today and includes community outreach and education for all professionals invested in vocal health.

To expand the breadth of clinical and research activity performed by the DVCC, Dr. Seth Cohen was recruited to the faculty after specialty training in Laryngology at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Cohen has become internationally recognized for his clinical outcomes research on speech and swallowing disorders. Speech and Language Pathologists Leda Scearce and Gina Vess oversaw the growth of a skilled interprofessional team. 

This year saw a rapid expansion of research programs through the establishment of several additional centers of excellence. Drs. Farmer, Wilson, and Tucci founded the Duke Hearing Center, and Drs. Tucci and Wilson served as the Co-Directors. This center is dedicated to the care of patients with hearing and balance disorders through collaboration between Duke scientists working in the field of auditory neuroscience and clinicians who care for patients.

Dr. Walter Lee joined the faculty from the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and expanded the Division’s head and neck oncology research efforts initially in tumor immunology. Dr. Lee subsequently developed a funded research program in collaboration with Duke School of Engineering faculty and the National University of Singapore, focused on early detection of head and neck malignancies and methods to enhance pathologic diagnosis of malignancies in under-resourced countries.

After the establishment of the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI), the Head and Neck Oncology Program was established within the DCI, co-led by Dr. Lee and Dr. David Brizel of the Duke Department of Radiation Oncology.

In 2013 Dr. Lee developed the Leadership Lived Out program, an interprofessional development training program for all members of the healthcare team. Participants engage in leadership development seminars on issues such as problem-solving, decision-making, self-awareness, empathy, motivation, and empowerment.

Dr. Chip Woodard joined the faculty to lead the expansion of the Facial Plastic and Cosmetic Reconstructive Surgery Program. After the successful growth of the Duke Aesthetic Center and cranio-maxillofacial program in collaboration with Drs. Jeffery Marcus and David Powers in the Division of Plastic Surgery, he was joined by Dr. Dane Barrett in 2016.

Dr. Woodard also served as Assistant Residency Program Director and subsequent Program Director in 2017, helping expand the resident complement to four residents per year.

This endowment lectureship was established to provide support for annual lectures in the field of otolaryngology by scientists or clinicians in memory of Dr. William Hudson.

Dr. Blake Wilson, Co-Director of the Duke Hearing Center at Duke University Medical Center, was honored with the 2013 Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for his part in the development of the modern cochlear implant, a device that restores hearing to individuals with profound deafness.

Dr. Dennis Frank-Ito joined the faculty and established a research program devoted to mathematical modeling of normal and disordered upper airway function, as well as the impact of medical and surgical therapies. 

A T32 research training grant funded by the NIDCD was awarded to Dr. Debara Tucci for Training for Clinical Research in Hearing Balance and Other Communication Disorders.

The Division of Audiology and Speech Pathology became part of the Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, with the formation of a new entity, the Division of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences (HNS&CS) within the Department of Surgery. Dr. Frank DeRuyter, former Chief of the Division of Audiology and Speech Pathology, was named the new section head as a member of the HNS&CS faculty.

Other faculty members of the new section include Kimberly Irby, Dr. Harrison Jones, and Daniel King. Dr. Jones led a research program that studied the respiratory, speech, and swallowing consequences of Pompe disease and its management.

After serving 12 years as Division Chief, Dr. Esclamado retired and the Duke Department of Surgery appointed Howard W. Francis, MD, MBA, FACS, as the new Chief of the Division of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences. Dr. Francis came to Duke from Johns Hopkins University, where he served as Professor and Vice Director of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Director of the Johns Hopkins Listening Center. In collaboration with the Duke University Hospital Division of Speech and Audiology, he established a multidisciplinary pediatric cochlear implant team within the Duke Hearing Center and advocated for further growth of the Duke Skull Base Program.

The faculty continued to grow with an emphasis on developing new research programs in collaboration with other departments at Duke. The division’s commitment to addressing disparities in OHNS care grew with the recruitment of Dr. Susan Emmett, Dr. Francis’ first faculty hire, who established one of the first federally funded research programs of its kind. The program expanded to include partners in Africa, Alaska, and Appalachia and attracted the first 7-year research track resident in Otolaryngology at Duke.  

Dr. Kristal Riska joined the faculty to develop a research program in vestibular clinical sciences at the intersection with population health. She also joined the vestibular laboratory audiology team, led by Dr. Douglas Garrison.

Community-based OHNS services expanded with a new affiliation with North Carolina Eye Ears Nose and Throat in 2018.

Duke Otolaryngology (ENT) South Durham clinic opened at Duke Health Center South Durham — a state-of-the-art, multispecialty health facility, offering pediatric and adult ENT services in collaboration with experts in otology/neurotology, head and neck surgery, plastic surgery, speech pathology, and audiology.

Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences earned department status at Duke, strengthening the reputation of its programs and ability to recruit top clinicians, faculty, researchers, and trainees.

Dr. Brad Goldstein joined the new Department as a rhinologist, funded surgeon-scientist, and the inaugural Vice Chair for Research, and established a research program in olfactory neuroscience. With joint appointments in Neuroscience and the Aging Center, his collaborative research program spans the fields of cognitive neuroscience and regenerative biology.

Dr. Janet Lee joined the Division of Pediatric Otolaryngology within the new Department and co-leads efforts with Dr. Kahmke to increase exposure of medical students to our disciplines.

Dr. Tammara Watts joined the Division of Head and Neck Oncology as a funded surgeon-scientist to lead research that investigates molecular mechanisms of oncogenesis. Dr. Watts eventually expanded her studies to investigate the biological basis of racial disparities in head and neck cancer outcomes and was appointed the Associate Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Duke Cancer Institute in 2022.

Dr. Trinitia Cannon joined the Division of Head and Neck Oncology as Director of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology at Duke Raleigh Hospital. She was subsequently appointed to Associate Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Department. Drs. Debara Tucci and Blake Wilson, as Co-Directors of the Duke Hearing Center, launched the first-ever Lancet Commission on Hearing Loss, a global effort to alleviate the unremitting growth of hearing loss-related disability worldwide.

Dr. Debara Tucci left Duke to become Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on Deafness and Other Disorders.

The Richard Hall Chaney, Sr. Distinguished Professor of Otolaryngology, Dr. Howard Francis, was formally appointed inaugural Chair in December 2019.

The 7-year research training track was established for 1 out of 4 residency slots in the Otolaryngology Residency Program with the approval of the ACGME, directed by Dr. Brad Goldstein with the assistance of Dr. Susan Emmett. The first resident was matched into this program in March 2020.

Dr. Stephen Eliades joined the Department as an otologist and clinician-scientist who studies the neurophysiology of speech production in primates, bringing the first colony of marmosets to Duke. 

The Samuel R. Fisher, MD, Memorial Fund for Resident Education was established to support residents by providing equipment and unique educational experiences that directly benefit the educational and professional development of residents in our program. The fund is named in memory of Dr. Sam Fisher who had a lifelong passion for teaching and providing the highest quality of care to his patients. This fund honors Dr. Fisher’s legacy while allowing us to provide the best opportunities to our residents on their journey toward becoming exceptional surgeons.

This fund was established by Dr. Joseph Siefker in recognition of the value of innovation in the pursuit of medical education for otolaryngology residents, trainees, faculty members and other healthcare professionals. The fund supports educational activities in otolaryngology and communications sciences such as lectures, symposia, and research presentations given by experts that focus on studying and advancing professional formation of our trainees. 

With gratitude for his residency training in Otolaryngology at Duke (1983 to 1988), Dr. Siefker donated the core funds for this endowment to extend the legacy of excellence that have benefited him and the communities that he serves in the Florida Panhandle.

Dr. Brian Hughley joined the Division of Head and Neck Oncology as the second member of the Raleigh branch of the Duke Cancer Institute. Dr. Emily Commesso joined the Division of Comprehensive Otolaryngology as the first fellow-trained sleep surgeon at Duke, and the only one in North Carolina, with the goal of advancing multidisciplinary sleep care at Duke. 

Dr. Jianxin Bao joined the Department as a research scientist focused on studying synaptopathy as a mechanism of noise-induced hearing disorders in animal models and humans. Dr. Jessica West is a medical sociologist whose research addresses the psychosocial consequences of hearing loss and models for intervention. 

Dr. Rong Jiang is a genomic epidemiologist who collaborates with our faculty and trainees as a biostatistician and participates as a member of the TORCHE program in the Division of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology. Dr. Noam Bartuv joined the Division of Neurotology following fellowship training in complex otology at Duke, to primarily deliver clinical services in Wake County. 

In October 2024, Dr. Cannon and Dr. Kahmke became co-chiefs of the Head and Neck Surgical Oncology Division.

Dr. Mahendra comes to Duke to lead Speech and Language Pathology as the Co-Chief of Speech and Audiology in the Duke University Hospital, and as Co-Chief of the Communication Sciences Division. Her research interests include communication disorders in aging and cognitive decline.

Dr. Alexa Franco joined the Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Division.