Important Announcements

Nondiscrimination Statement Update

Boston Medical Center Health System complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency and primary language), religion, culture, physical or mental disabilities, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression. BMCHS provides free aids and services to people with disabilities and free language services to people whose primary language is not English.

To see our full nondiscrimination statement, click here.

Campus Construction Update

Starting September 14, we’re closing the Menino building lobby entrance. This, along with the ongoing Yawkey building entrance closure, will help us bring you an even better campus experience that matches the exceptional care you've come to expect. Please enter the Menino and Yawkey buildings through the Moakley building, and make sure to leave extra time to get to your appointment. Thank you for your patience. 

Click here to learn more about our campus redesign. 

Head and Neck Photos taken 11/21

The department evaluates approximately 13,000 patients per year in the otolaryngology outpatient clinics and performs nearly 1,700 hospital-based surgical procedures annually. The Department of Otolaryngology provides care for patients with problems involving the ears, sinuses, oral cavity, nose, throat, neck (ENT) including sinus conditions, allergy, sleep disorders, and snoring.

"Dr. Grillone is such a class act! Very accommodating and helpful! Saw him 8 years prior and he remembered me. I am happy he's right around the corner from my office. And he brings in fellow docs he can trust and will help make your case top priority."

~ Anonymous

The department also specializes in swallowing disorders, voice problems, dizziness and balance disorders, and hearing loss, cancers of the head and neck and the division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery offers cosmetic surgery and management of facial deformities and facial fractures.

Our physicians are making headlines in local news.

Contact Us

617.638.8124

Fax: 617.414.4953

Monday-Friday - 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Specialty Clinics

Conditions We Treat

Treatments & Services

Our Team

Otolaryngologists - Head and Neck Surgeons

Marianella Paz-Lansberg, MD

Attending Surgeon, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgeon, Division of Rhinology, Skull Base Surgery and Allergy

Speech-Language Pathologists

Samantha Ashinoff, MS, CCC-SLP

Kim Boscodoss, MS, CCC-SLP

Anna Lifvergren, CCC-SLP

Elona Meziu, CCC-SLP-CF 2024-2025

Keri Miloro, CCC-SLP

Kelly Morgan, MS, CCC-SLP

Chloe Thorburn, MS, CCC-SLP

Audiologists

Nurses and PAs

Marsela Demo, RN

Mckenzie Dollosa, RN

Susan Griever, NP

Brandy Kenner Keefe, FNP

Jennifer Lauver, RN

Sarietha Mathieu, NP

Opal Mitchell, NP

Jessica Overlan, NP

Ann Poulsen, RN

Emily Sjogren, PA

Allie Torrence, PA

 

Researchers and Instructors

Gintas Krisciunas, MPH, MA

 

Patient Resources

Additional Information

Otolaryngology Education

Many education and training opportunities exist for both existing medical professionals and medical students through the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Please visit the sections below to learn more.

Medical Students

Students who are considering or intend to pursue a career in Otolaryngology are strongly encouraged to apply for the four week elective clerkship during their fourth year. To apply for this elective, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine students should contact the Otolaryngology Education Coordinator, Janine Lipsky 617-638-7066 janine.lipsky@bmc.org and students from schools other than the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine should apply for the month long elective through the AAMC’s Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS®) (https://www.aamc.org/students/medstudents/vsas/).

Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine 4th year students who wish to learn about Otolaryngology, but are not intending to pursue Otolaryngology as a career, can do a two week Surgical Subspecialty Otolaryngology elective clerkship during their fourth year General Surgery sub-i elective clerkship. A new innovative individualized curriculum is being developed to afford students coming to Otolaryngology for two weeks a customized learning experience that attempts to match their exposure to learning experiences with their intended career path. To sign up for the two week elective in Otolaryngology, contact Ms. Lana Ketlere at Lana.Ketlere@bmc.org.

FEES Course This Course is not currently being offered

The Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) was developed by Dr. Susan Langmore in 1988. Alongside the modified barium swallow (MBS) study, FEES has become a globally recognized gold standard for evaluating oropharyngeal dysphagia and for assessing swallowing function.

Read more and sign up

Department News

Research Overview

Cancer Clinical Trials

Please visit the external Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Cancer Clinical Trials website for information on current research studies in head and neck oncology.

Center for Innovative Technology and Clinical Outcomes Research

The Center for Innovative Technology & Clinical Outcomes Research is located on the 5th floor of the BCD Building.  The research in this center can be grouped into three major areas of work; 1) development and testing of novel imaging technology that enhances clinical care, 2) evaluating the efficacy of clinical interventions, and 3) designing, refining, and testing patient outcome measurement tools.  This center involves a multidisciplinary group of clinicians and researchers who specialize in areas such as head and neck cancer, laryngology, speech language pathology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, pathology, bioengineering and biostatistics.  

Current projects include the following:

1.    ESS R01
2.    ARF R01
3.    Validation of BRACS
4.    3D endoscope development
5.    PAS scale assessment
6.    Variation in dysphagia care
7.    Qualitative Dysphagia Assessment 
8.    Amitriptyline / CLH – assessing efficacy of this med 
 

Early diagnosis of oral cancer using spectroscopic techniques

Early detection of oral cancer is critical for successful treatment and improvement of the survival rate. However, current detection is usually done by visual screening and biopsies. It presents a major challenge for even experienced clinicians. 

Our findings from animal models and patient studies are very encouraging. Now, we are continuing to work on this study to develop new tri-modal spectroscope (a combination of three spectroscopic techniques) and scattering imaging techniques. We expect that our new study will further improve the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis. We will also explore the feasibility of using these new technologies for intraoperative guidance of tumor surgery and for prediction of the treatment efficacy with cancer chemoprevention.

New chemoprevention strategy for head and neck cancers

Oral cancer is one of the most common neoplasms, and it is estimated that close to 40,000 Americans will be diagnosed with oral or pharyngeal cancer this year and it will cause will cause over 8,000 deaths. Its slow and cumulative process strongly supports the rationale for its prevention. Chemoprevention is a promising strategy, but its widespread use has been hampered by its significant toxic side effects. Anti-angiogenesis has been established as one of the cornerstones of chemoprevention.

Our previous studies have indicated the effectiveness of selective microvascular targeting with a 585 pulsed dye laser (PDL) for tumor inhibition with no damage to neighboring tissue. Importantly, PDL is capable of providing a synergic effect with some routine chemopreventive agents (i.e., retinoic acid) via its ability to selectively destroy existing microvasculature in targeted tissue. In our preliminary studies, a combination of PDL and chemoprevention called laser “photo-chemoprevention,” enabled us to significantly reduce the dose of the chemical agent without sacrificing its efficacy for inhibition of tumor growth. We also are testing a new approach for cancer chemoprevention with less systemic toxicity by topically delivering the agent with polymer “biofilm.” Our long-term goal is to develop new and effective treatment with fewer side effects for chemoprevention or early treatment of cancers.

Novel and less invasive approach for head neck surgery

Our group has been working on testing new laser or other techniques for more than 10 years to develop less invasive surgery or selective targeting therapy for head and neck diseases. Currently, our studies include (1) laser photothermolysis of vocal cord scarring. We are using an antibody-targeted laser photolysis to avoid or reduce hypertrophic scar growth in vocal cords. This method will allow us to apply highly-selective targeting while sparing neighboring tissue from collateral damage with diode laser surgery; and (2) less invasive laser surgery for laryngeal papilloma and vascular lesions. We will use a pulsed dye laser to selectively destroy the lesions while preserving the voice function.

Center for Voice and Swallowing Research

The Center for Voice and Swallowing Research is located on the 5th Floor of the BCD Building 800 Harrison Avenue, with a clinic in the 1st Floor of 830 Harrison Avenue at Boston Medical Center. For more information on this research, please visit the Center for Voice and Swallowing website.

Residency and Fellowship Information

We are extraordinarily proud of our residency program and we would be delighted to hear from you if you have any questions or we can provide for you additional information about our program so don't hesitate to get in touch with us.

Learn more about our Residency Program