Karla O'Dell, MD

Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

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Overview

Karla O’Dell, MD, specializes in laryngeal, voice, airway and swallowing disorders. She is the Co-Director of the USC Airway Intervention and Reconstruction Center. Her clinical interests include voice disorders in professional and non-professional voice users, swallowing disorders including endoscopic treatments of upper airway disorders and in-office laser procedures.

Dr. O’Dell completed her fellowship in Laryngology and Care of the Professional Voice at Oregon Health Sciences University. Prior to her fellowship, Dr. O’Dell completed residency training in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Southern California. She also obtained her medical degree from the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. She received her bachelors of science degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and graduated with honors.

Dr. O’Dell is currently practicing at Keck Medical Center of USC and USC Verdugo Hills Hospital in the San Gabriel Valley.

https://keck.usc.edu/otolaryngology/

Publications

  • Elevated BMI Is Not Associated With Adverse Outcomes in Open Airway Reconstruction. Laryngoscope. 2026 Oct; 136(10):4219-4233.. View in PubMed
  • Transient Loss of Esophageal Striated Muscle Contractility After Cricopharyngeal Botulinum Toxin Injection for Retrograde Cricopharyngeal Dysfunction. Gastro Hep Adv. 2026; 5(5):100925.. View in PubMed
  • Transverse Cordotomy With Medial Arytenoidectomy Effectively Treats Bilateral Vocal Fold Immobility. Laryngoscope. 2026 07; 136(7):3039-3045.. View in PubMed
  • Evaluation of Off-Label Postoperative Inhaled Steroid Use in Tracheal and Cricotracheal Resection. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2026 Feb; 174(2):473-478.. View in PubMed
  • Prospective Short-Term Outcomes of Allograft Adipose Matrix (AAM) for Vocal Fold Augmentation. Laryngoscope. 2026 04; 136(4):1808-1814.. View in PubMed
  • Randomized Crossover Comparison of the Airway-Exchange Broncholaryngoscope and Aintree Catheter. Laryngoscope. 2026 01; 136(1):126-133.. View in PubMed
  • Engineering B cells to Express Fully Customizable Antibodies with Enhanced Fc Functions. bioRxiv. 2025 Jul 27.. View in PubMed
  • Size Matters: Endotracheal Tube Sizes and Glottic Stenosis Familiarity Among Intubating Physicians. Laryngoscope Investig Otolaryngol. 2025 Jun; 10(3):e70140.. View in PubMed
  • A National Survey on Retrograde Cricopharyngeus Dysfunction Practice Patterns Among Laryngologists. Laryngoscope. 2025 08; 135(8):2838-2845.. View in PubMed
  • Safety of open airway reconstruction in high-risk post-COVID patients: A case-matched control study. Am J Otolaryngol. 2025 Jan-Feb; 46(1):104540.. View in PubMed