Training & Education

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.

We currently have one-year fellowship training programs in Head and Neck, Laryngology, Rhinology, 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.

The Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology Program at the University of Southern California is an engaging and innovative degree program designed to provide students with academic and clinical experiences so that they can apply knowledge and skills in evidence-based, ethical, and collaborative practice. Through dynamic academic courses and an expansive array of clinical experiences, and working through the values and expectations of the university, our graduates will be prepared to serve a multicultural, urban community in a variety of interdisciplinary settings.