The year 2024 was another exciting time for the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Driven by a passion and commitment to research, innovation, and patient care, the Department has produced multiple studies shaping our understanding of respiratory disease, language pathology, hearing loss and balance, and cancer.

One study is giving much needed insight into a possible link between perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals,” and thyroid cancer. Led by Maaike van Gerwen, MD, PhD, the study found that exposure to a PFAS called perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) was associated with a 56 percent increased risk for thyroid cancer.

Supported by the Innovation Award from the American Lung Association, a new study led by Alison May, PhD, investigates how macrophages (immune system cells) could be involved with guiding the development of respiratory submucosal glands (SMGs). The findings could help us understand why the glands fail to protect patients with certain diseases from infection, with a goal to develop treatments and therapeutics that could help them.

In the realm of speech language pathology, a study led by Ümit Daşdöğen, PhD, CCC-SLP, uses immersive virtual reality in voice therapy to bring real-world situations into clinical settings to improve therapeutic efficiency, and in the area of hearing and balance, a study co-led by Maura Cosetti, MD, investigates how dual tasking may lead to falls among older adults with untreated bilateral hearing loss.

Also in 2024, the Department continued to make strides in education. The Jorge N. Buxton, MD, and Douglas F. Buxton, MD, Microsurgical Education Center underwent an exciting upgrade, with 10 of 16 training stations within the wet lab environment receiving ZEISS EXTARO 300 microscopes with high-resolution video cameras. The technology allows faculty to view practice sessions on a screen in real time or later from a remote monitor.

We are also pleased to announce the new Surgeon-Scientist Training Program. Made possible by generous philanthropic support, the program will help fund the research-training period for ENT students, residents, and fellows pursuing this vital field at Mount Sinai.

We invite you to explore our 2025 Specialty Report to learn more about our commitment to research, innovation, and patient care. On behalf of our faculty, researchers, and trainees, we thank you for taking time to read about these discoveries, and wish you and yours a healthy and prosperous 2025.