Researchers at Indiana University School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery contribute regularly to the creation of new knowledge, understanding and treatments surrounding diseases of the ear, nose and throat. Faculty members in this department study various challenges in this area of medicine, such as understanding how hearing loss affects a child’s developing brain, or how cachexia or unintentional weight loss affects cancer patients.
An area of research affecting both adults and children, otolaryngology provides wide and varied research interests. Scientists in this department are currently researching regenerative medicine, cancer cachexia, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks, inner ear disorders, neurofibromatosis, pediatric airway abnormalities, pediatric cochlear implants, and peripheral nerve regeneration.
Department researchers are employing innovative methods, such as using stem cells to create 3D organoids containing functional inner ear hair cells to better understand the common pathways that lead to hair cell degeneration and potentially find ways to prevent degeneration and hearing loss in the future.
Our department currently ranks 16th in the country for National Institutes of Health funding, and our faculty published 70 peer-reviewed papers in the last academic year.
