Rush Otolaryngologists treat approximately 300 adult and pediatric inpatients each year at Rush University Medical Center addressing conditions that range from head and neck cancer to severe hearing loss. The Department’s average daily inpatient census is approximately five. The outpatient otolaryngologic clinic, held four days per week on the main Rush campus, averages approximately 7,200 outpatient visits annually. Approximately 2,500 surgical procedures are performed through the department each year providing residents with extensive surgical experience. Residents gain experience in microscopic otology, head and neck oncology, head and neck reconstruction, facial plastic surgery, adult and pediatric Bronchoesophagology and treatment of patients with craniofacial anomalies and maxillofacial traumas as well as experience in head and neck laser surgery and cryosurgery.

The Department of Otolaryngology is divided into the following sections:

• Section of Head and Neck Surgery,
  Michael Friedman, M.D., Director
  
  
• Section of Head and Neck Reconstruction and Skull Base Surgery
  William R. Panje, M.D., Director
  
  
• Section of Pediatric Otolaryngology
  Paul J. Jones, M.D., Director
  
  
• Section of Communicative Disorders and Sciences
  Dianne H. Meyer, Ph.D., Director
  
  
• Cochlear Implant Program
  Thomas J. Haberkamp, M.D., Director