Welcome to the Department of Otolaryngology

Department of Otolaryngology Physician speaking with Patient about Services

The physicians, specialists and staff of the Otolaryngology Department at the University of Rochester Medical Center and Highland Hospital are dedicated to providing you with medicine of the highest order by creating a compassionate, healing environment that focuses on state-of-the-art clinical care, research and education.

URMC Department of Otolaryngology provides services to over 40,000 patients each year and is home to board-certified physicians, fellows and residents, as well as audiologists and speech-language pathologists. Our expertise include facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, pediatric ENT, cochlear implants and hearing aids, balance disorders, inhalant allergies, sinus and snoring disorders, voice and swallowing problems, treatment for cancer of the head and neck as well as post-cancer care.

Learn more about:

Meet Our New Providers

Judy Cavanaugh, NP

Judy graduated from Nazareth College with a B.S.N. and earned a M.S. degree in adult primary care from the University of Rochester School of Nursing. She has worked at Strong Memorial Hospital for nearly 25 years, first as a Surgical ICU nurse and later as a Nurse Practitioner in General Surgery, Clinical Research, Orthopaedics and Neurosurgery. In addition to being licensed as a Nurse Practitioner, Judy is certified in Critical Care Nursing and as a Registered Nurse First Assistant. She now works in the Head and Neck Oncology Clinic at the Wilmot Cancer Center and with our inpatients at Strong Memorial Hospital.

Keri Comerford, NP

Keri is a graduate of the St. John Fisher College School of Nursing, where she earned both her B.S. and M.S. in Family Nurse Practitioner degrees. She has worked as a nurse at Highland and Strong Memorial Hospitals for the past 10 years in roles associated with Obstetrics and Gynecology. Keri now works at our Clinton Woods location, facilitating care for a variety of patients

Tarek Siala, PA

Tarek received his B.S. degree from Oregon State University. He completed the Physician Assistant Program at Western Michigan University. Tarek brings two years of experience as a Physician’s Assistant from Ear, Nose and Throat Consultants in Woburn, MA. He works in the Clinton Woods office with the primary responsibility of seeing patients in the otolaryngology urgent care center

From the Newsroom

Otolaryngology Department Welcomes Three to Faculty »
November 21, 2011

Bone-Anchored Implant Offers Solution for Some with Hearing Loss »
November 02, 2010

Former Chief of Otolaryngology, Skilled Teacher, Dies at 95 »
April 30, 2010

Publications

Review our faculties’ list of recent publications.

ENTell, the Department of Otolaryngology newsletter

Honors &
Noteworthy Events

April 2012
ENT Urgent Care Opens!
Now patients or referring physicians may call URMC Department of Otolaryngology at (585) 758-5700 for a same-day appointment. The acute care model used by the clinic is designed to increase patient access, as well as avoid unnecessary emergency room visits and trips to urgent care facilities where subspecialty expertise is not available.

March 2012
URMC Men's Health blog:
Dr. Li-Xing Man discusses the appropriate use of antibiotics to treat Sinusitis.

February 2012
Gerald Healy, MD congratulating Dr Benjamin Crane
Benjamin Crane, M.D., Ph.D. pictured above with Gerald Healy , MD was awarded the Triological Clinical Scientist Development Award for his research in vestibular disorders.

January 2012
The Department of Otolaryn-gology opens new office at Highland Hospital in the Physicians Office Building (POB) at 990 South Avenue, Suite 207. Dr. Sveta Karelsky, is on staff four days a week to provide comprehensive ENT service, and consultative services for inpatients. Click here for map

January 2011
Men's Health Magazine included comments by Dr. Matthew C. Miller in a story about the after effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy used to treat oropharyngeal cancer.

July 2010
Congratulations to Dr. Timothy Doerr our Residency Program Director! Thanks to his efforts the Otolaryngology Department’s residency program received approval from the Residency Review Committee to increase the number of residents participating in our fellowship based training program over the next five years.

July 2010
The Department, in conjunction with The Center for Navigation and Communication Sciences, has been awarded a T32 training grant by the National Institute of Health, NIDCD (National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders)
to train residents, medical students, graduate students and post-doctoral trainees in vestibular and hearing-related research.

February 2010
Dr. Matthew C. Miller performed the first transoral robotic surgery in western New York. Robotic surgeries of this type were only approved by the FDA in late December 2008, and URMC is one of the few medical centers in the country to offer this type of surgery in the treatment of head and neck cancer.