Training & Education
Clinical residency
Our department offers stellar training programs. Our largest educational program is the ACGME-accredited residency in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Most graduating residents continue on with subspecialty fellowships. The surgical training here is quite strong, with residents having an early and frequent exposure to the operating theater. Surgical case volumes are substantial every year in training, and our residents feel comfortable handling every potential issue by the time they graduate. The faculty teach surgical principles to the residents in every hospital we staff, with a one-on-one mentoring approach and open dialog about each step in the surgical procedure as it is happening. We recognize that this kind of teaching improves patient care.
Residents spend most of their time at the Keck Medical Center and the Los Angeles General Medical Center. At Los Angeles General Medical Center, residents are assigned their own panel of patients and care for them (under close faculty supervision) throughout their residency, providing a wonderful long-term follow-up experience.
Clinician-Scientist Training Program (CSTP) research residency track
The USC Otolaryngology Clinician-Scientist Training Program is a 7-year track which begins with a two-year research block during the first two years of residency training, with additional research time throughout the following five years of clinical residency training. This track gives residents the opportunity to build a foundation of meaningful research experiences with simultaneous clinical activity to train academic surgeon scientists who are capable of extending the reach of medicine. This track is supported by an R25 grant.
During the first two years, the CSTP resident will spend 80% of their time performing research in the lab of their PI mentor and 20% of their time in clinical training in the OR and clinic at the Keck Medical Center.
Clinical fellowships
We currently have one-year fellowship training programs in Laryngology and Sleep, and a two-year ACGME-accredited Neurotology Fellowship program. We hope to expand our fellowship programs to include Facial Plastics, Rhinology, and Head and Neck Surgery. These fellowships do not detract from the resident training experience. Our case volume is so large that many cases go uncovered by our residents. Advanced trainees in the non-ACGME fellowships are given a USC faculty-level appointment of Instructor. This permits them to staff a comprehensive otolaryngology clinic 0.5-1 day per week so that they gain experience in independent practice.
Clinical training fellowships are also offered in Audiology and Speech and Language Pathology. These are one year fellowships. Pediatric training programs take place at the USC Caruso Family Center for Childhood Communication and adult training programs take place at the Keck Medical Center.
Research graduate and post-graduate training
Research training is also offered. Our Department has a T32 training grant funded by the NIH – NIDCD. This supports the Hearing & Communication Neuroscience Training Program, which funds graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and physician-scientists. Every lab also trains additional undergraduate students, graduate students, medical students, post-doctoral fellows, research associates, and residents depending upon their mutual needs.
