Research Opportunities

Otolaryngology Faculty

Gerald Berke, MD
Professor
Email: [email protected]
Primary Interests: Laryngology, Voice disorders, Oncology

Brief Summary of Project(s):

My projects include reperfusion studies of human laryngeal transplant donors. Natural history of patients with laryngeal papillomatosis. Development of an objective measure of severity in spasmodic dysphonia patients using video laryngoscopy in conjunction with AI. Grant to study severity of laryngeal dystonia using machine learning with Dr. Zhang. Study of Gender Affirming Care selection choices with UCLA MS 3. 

Daniel Beswick, MD
Associate Professor-in-Residence
Email: [email protected] 
Primary Interests: Sinus, Rhinology and Olfaction Outcomes Research
Primary contact: Marlene Florian, lead research coordinator
Email: [email protected]

Brief Summary of Project(s):

Our group studies cystic fibrosis and sinonasal cancer.

Many people with cystic fibrosis (CF) have sinusitis and olfactory dysfunction. The landscape of clinical care for people with CF is evolving with the expansion of disease-modifying therapies, such as modulator therapy. Our research group investigates the impact of new CF therapies on sinusitis/olfaction, effects of sinus surgery in this population, and whether early intervention mitigates disease complications. Patient-reported outcome measures, olfactory testing, biospecimens, and CT/MRI scans are employed in these longitudinal, prospective studies.

Sinonasal cancer is an understudied, rare disease comprised of heterogenous tumor types. Partnering with other centers across the U.S., our research team participates in a multi-institutional, prospective, database to study sinonasal cancers, incorporating both quality of life and oncologic outcomes, as well as molecular studies.   
 
Please review articles on PubMed and study descriptions on clinicaltrials.gov for further details for the CF and cancer projects listed above. The above work has been supported by the NIH/NHLBI, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, International Society for Allergy and Inflammation of the Nose, and American Academy of Otolaryngology CORE grant program. 

Certain opportunities for mentored participation in research exist for trainees who can commit at least 6 months to the project. Our group works with undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, as well as residents and fellows. Please email Marlene Florian [email protected] or Dr. Beswick [email protected] with your interest, including a cover letter, statement of duration and availability, and CV.   

Dinesh Chhetri, MD
Professor
Interim Department Chair
Email:   [email protected]
Primary Interests: Voice, Airway, and Swallowing Disorders

Brief Summary of Project(s):

Akira Ishiyama, MD
Professor
Email: [email protected]
Primary Interest: Neurotology

Brief Summary of Projects(s):

Eric J. Kezirian, MD, MPH
Professor-in-Residence 
Email: [email protected]
Primary Interests: Sleep Surgery (Sleep Apnea, Snoring)

Brief Summary of Project(s):

We are focused on improving the surgical evaluation and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. We are committed to conducting scientific examination of innovative approaches to procedure selection as we identify the promise and limitations of current approaches while also looking to develop novel treatment strategies.

Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy (DISE)
There are many procedures available to treat patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Successful surgical treatment is based on accurately identifying the physical cause of obstructive sleep apnea. This can guide the selection from among these procedures, enabling targeted, effective treatment. During DISE, surgeons look inside the throat with a flexible fiberoptic endoscope while a patient is sedated in the operating room. We have led multicenter cohort studies demonstrating DISE findings that are associated with outcomes of upper airway surgery, including hypoglossal nerve stimulation.

Combining Surgery and Medications to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Anatomical blockage of breathing is the most important cause of obstructive sleep apnea. Surgery addresses anatomy by removing and/or repositioning tissue to open the airway. However, some patients with obstructive sleep apnea continue to have this condition even after surgery that normalizes their anatomy. Research over the past two decades has shown that there are non-anatomic causes of obstructive sleep apnea. With funding from the National Institutes of Health, we are examining how we select patients for surgery, how surgery improves anatomy, and whether we can use medications to treat these non-anatomic causes to improve obstructive sleep apnea if patient do not do well with surgery. 

Irene A Kim, MD
Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor
Email: [email protected]
Primary Interests: Facial reanimation after facial paralysis, facial plastic surgery, microvascular reconstructive surgery, facial trauma, Mohs reconstruction

Brief Summary of Project(s):

Jivianne Lee, MD
Health Sciences Clinical Professor
Email: [email protected]
Primary Interests: Nasal and Sinus disease, Endoscopic skull base surgery

Brief Summary of Project(s):

Dr. Lee’s translational laboratory research primarily focuses on investigating novel treatments and underlying pathomechanisms of chronic rhinosinusitis, particularly the role of innate immunity, the sinonasal microbiome, and airborne pollutant and toxicant exposures. In vitro and in vivo experimental models are utilized in tandem with clinical studies involving biospecimen collection.  For her work as Principal Investigator, Dr. Lee has been awarded an American Rhinologic Society Friends in Research Grant as well as a Department of Defense Grant, studying the effects of inhalant chemical and particulate exposures on the sinonasal cavity. 

Research Interests:  Rhinology

• Impact of Environmental Pollutants and Toxicants on the Nose and Sinuses
• Sinonasal Microbiome
• Role of Innate Immunity in Chronic Rhinosinusitis
• Intrinsic Antimicrobial Factors of Sinonasal Epithelia
• Minimally Invasive Surgery for Sinonasal and Skull Base Tumors
• Technologic Innovations in Office-Based Rhinologic Procedures
• Novel Treatments for Recalcitrant Chronic Rhinosinusitis with and without Nasal Polyposis
• Drug-Eluting Biomaterial and Topical Medical Therapies for Chronic Rhinosinusitis

Jennifer Long, MD, PhD
Professor
Vice Chair, Research
Primary Interests: Voice, Airway, Swallowing disorders
Email: [email protected]
 

Brief Summary of Project(s):

Regenerative medicine in otolaryngology.

The overarching goal of this lab is to develop innovative and cell-based therapies to improve voice and swallowing. Many patients develop difficulties in these quality-of-life domains after treatment for head and neck cancer. The lab uses in vivo models to implant cell-based replacements in the vocal folds. Data from vocalizations, microscopy, and molecular analysis are then analyzed.

Andrew A. McCall, MD
Health Sciences Associate Clinical Professor
Vice Chair, Education
Primary Interests: Outcomes research in Otology/Neurotology, Innovations in medical education in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
Email: [email protected] 

Brief Summary of Project(s):

Jeffrey Suh, MD
Professor of Clinical Head & Neck Surgery
Email:   [email protected]
Primary Interest:   Nasal and sinus disease, Head and Neck Oncology

Brief Summary of Project(s):

Marilene Wang, MD
Professor-in-Residence
Email:   [email protected]
Primary Interest:   Head and Neck Oncology, Rhinology and Skull Base Disease

Brief Summary of Project(s):

Project 1: An exploratory study to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of APG-157 as an adjuvant therapy for patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) of the oral cavity. Funding: Aveta Biomics, Inc.

Phase II has been completed, the FDA has approved our Phase III multi-center trial, where we will enroll  oral/oropharyngeal cancer patients who are scheduled to undergo surgery.   They will receive APG-157 (200 mg) TID for a 4-week course prior to their surgery.   Blood and saliva are collected prior to and each week during treatment, as well as one week after treatment.   At the time of surgery, tumor specimen is harvested.   Blood, saliva, and tumor tissue will be analyzed for cytokines (GM-CSF, TNFα, interferons, and interleukins) to look for changes after APG-157 treatment.  

Project 2: Detection of HPV in saliva and plasma of patients with oropharyngeal cancer

Human papilloma virus (HPV) is the leading cause of oropharyngeal cancer.  While these cancers can be treated effectively with combinations of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, prognosis is poor for advanced or recurrent disease.  In this project we will perform quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect HPV type and protein expression in saliva and plasma samples of patients with oropharyngeal cancer to correlate with development of recurrent disease after treatment.   Early detection of HPV in saliva and plasma may allow initiation of prompt treatment of recurrent cancer, with potential improvement in outcomes.

Project 3: Outcomes research in endoscopic skull base surgery

We have been performing anterior endoscopic skull base surgery with the neurosurgery department for over 16 years and have accumulated a database of over 1500 patients.   Previous projects using this database have analyzed outcomes, complications, quality of life issues, and cost of care, resulting in numerous publications which have had a positive impact on algorithms for clinical care.   We continue to analyze information as the database grows, and this will yield valuable information for future treatment and quality improvement.  

David Berry, PhD
Professor-in-Residence
Director, Laryngeal Dynamics Laboratory
Email: [email protected]
Primary Interests: Larygeal dynamics and high-speed imaging

Brief Summary of Project(s):

Qian-Jie Fu, PhD
Professor-in-Residence
Director, Signal Processing and Auditory Research Laboratory
Email:   [email protected]
Primary Interest:

Brief Summary of Project(s):

UCLA SPAPL Projects

Lab Research Mission:

• To understand the mechanisms involved in speech pattern recognition by the electrically stimulated auditory system, and further, the plasticity of the auditory cortex.
• To provide innovative speech software to people with hearing problems based on the state-of-art speech technology and recent research findings in cochlear implants, hearing aid, speech and hearing science, language development, and auditory plasticity.

Lab Research Projects:

One large ongoing project in the laboratory is “Speech on Speech (SOS) Masking Project�. This project is to understand how people with different hearing status, age, and music experience may perform differently when the target speech is masked by different speech in a realistic listening conditions. Several underlying auditory mechanisms will be explored, including energetic masking (EM) vs informational masking (IM), listening in spatialized noise (LiSN), contralateral ear masking (CEM), and listening in asymmetric masking (LISM). The subject groups may include normal-hearing (NH) people, cochlear implant (CI) patients, bimodal CI, bilateral CI, and patients with single-sided deafness (SSD). We will also evaluate the developmental effects of speech on speech masking by comparing the data in adult and children. Furthermore, we will evaluate whether the people with music experience can perform better in difficult listening conditions, such as speech on speech masking by comparing the speech performance between musicians and non-musicians. There are many other ongoing research projects in the laboratory, including the effects of training on the integration of mismatched acoustic and electric hearing, effects of electric stimulation on tinnitus and speech performance in SSD patients, effects of age and listening modes on spectral resolution and speech recognition in noise, benefits of binaural listening in CI patients, and the development of auditory training software for other languages, such as Spanish.

Eligibilities and Responsibilities:

• Medical students, undergraduate, or graduate students are welcome to participate in one or multiple projects;
• Scope of works includes subject recruitment, data collection, data analysis, and/or manuscript writing;
• Projects are open-ended with flexible working schedules and timelines

Marco Giovannini, MD, PhD
Professor-in-Residence
Email: [email protected]
Director, Neural Tumor Research Laboratory
Primary Interest:  Oncology, Tumor Biology and Genetics

Brief Summary of Project(s):

The long-term interest of Dr. Marco Giovannini's research laboratory is the genetics and biology of human cancer predisposition and progression. His lab has made a number of seminal contributions to the characterization of major tumor suppressors such NF1, NF2, p53, APC, and SMARCB1. Using a variety of genetically engineered mouse and pig lines to study the effects and interactions of these genes in vivo, the lab strives to develop models that faithfully replicate human tumorigenesis. These in turn are utilized for the development and testing of novel treatments and therapeutics. 

The lab's present research interests focus on the function of the NF2 tumor suppressor gene, mutated in patients with schwannomatosis with the goal of providing novel therapeutic options. Subjects who inherit a mutated allele of the NF2 gene inevitably develop schwannomas affecting particularly the superior vestibular branch of the 8th cranial nerve, usually bilaterally. Meningiomas and other benign central nervous system tumors such as ependymomas are other common features. Recent studies suggest that the NF2 protein may coordinate the processes of growth-factor receptor signaling and cell adhesion. Varying use of this organizing activity by different types of cells could provide an explanation for the unique spectrum of tumors associated with NF2 deficiency. 

The lack of satisfactory treatments for NF2-related tumors represents a significant unmet medical need. The overarching goal of Giovannini's lab is to find drugs that will improve the treatment and long-term survival of NF2-related schwannomatosis patients, and ultimately provide them with a better quality of life.

Recent Publications:

Cold Atmospheric Plasma Induces Growth Arrest and Apoptosis in Neurofibromatosis Type 1-Associated Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Cells.
Na B, Haist B, Shah SR, Sabiston G, Jonas SJ, Vitte J, Wirz RE, Giovannini M.
Biomedicines. 2024 Sep 2;12(9):1986. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines12091986.
PMID: 39335500  

Imaging as an early biomarker to predict sensitivity to everolimus for progressive NF2-related vestibular schwannoma.
Nghiemphu PL, Vitte J, Dombi E, Nguyen T, Wagle N, Ishiyama A, Sepahdari AR, Cachia D, Widemann BC, Brackmann DE, Doherty JK, Kalamarides M, Giovannini M.
J Neurooncology. 2024 Apr;167(2):339-348. doi: 10.1007/s11060-024-04596-4. Epub 2024 Feb 19.
PMID: 38372904

Cellular mechanisms of heterogeneity in NF2-mutant schwannoma.  
Chiasson-MacKenzie C, Vitte J, Liu CH, Wright EA, Flynn EA, Stott SL, Giovannini M, McClatchey AI.
Nature Commun. 2023 Mar 21;14(1):1559. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37226-0.
PMID: 36944680 

Larry Hoffman, PhD
Adjunct Professor
Email: [email protected]
Director Vestibular Neuroscience Laboratory
Primary Interest: Vestibular Neuroscience research

Brief Summary of Project(s):

The principal research focus of the Laboratory for Vestibular Neuroscience is on the coding of head movement stimuli by the peripheral vestibular epithelia, how this may be modified by altered natural and pathogenic conditions, and the cellular mechanisms by which the         epithelia adapt to such modifications.  Natural alterations in the ambient sensory environment under which the peripheral vestibular epithelia operate are very difficult to apply experimentally, making our participation in spaceflight studies (to modify the ambient gravitational field)   extremely valuable.  
Collectively, these strategies provide insight into the natural repertoire of vestibular epithelia for adaptation and sensory learning.  Ongoing   research includes investigations of the cellular and electrophysiologic underpinnings of vestibular hypofunction.  This attenuated function may be based upon alterations in synapse density and/or modifications in in afferent neurons to alter signal:noise in trains of action potentials transmitted by afferent neurons.  The research incorporates the integration of electrophysiologic and cell biology strategies and include super-resolution imaging and genetic tools.  The laboratory is also engaged in studies of new strategies for delivering therapeutics to the inner ear, which harbor a vision for application of new medicines for sensory and synaptic rehabilitation as well as otoprotection.

Research trainees are welcome to join the laboratory and become involved in a broad array of projects upon which they can build a rigorous toolbox of approaches to build a translational neuroscience resume.

https://www.uclahealth.org/departments/head-neck-surgery/research/research-labs/vestibular-neuroscience-laboratory  

Jody Kreiman, PhD
Professor-in-Residence
Email: [email protected]
Co-Director, Voice Perception Laboratory
Primary Interest: Perception and production of voice

Brief Summary of Project(s):

Ivan Lopez, PhD
Adjunct Professor
Director, Cellular and Molecular Biology of the Inner Ear Laboratory
Associate Director of the UCLA Temporal Bone Laboratory
Email: [email protected] 
Primary Interest:  Molecular Pathology of the Inner Ear 
Laboratory Faculty: Akira Ishiyama MD Temporal Bone Laboratory Director, Ivan A Lopez PhD Associate Director, Gail Ishiyama MD Associate Director.

Brief Summary of Project(s):

Our laboratories offer several opportunities for basic and clinical research in the human inner ear for Head and Neck surgical residents,     medical students and undergraduate students.  

This is a short list of different research opportunities:

1. The cellular and molecular biology of supporting cells of the human and mouse macula utricle. Supporting cells are important for hair      regeneration as well as for secreting otoconial proteins. To investigate the cellular organization we use laser confocal microscopy and    electron microscopy, we offer opportunities for research in this area.
    
2. Cellular and molecular biology of Meniere's disease. We have been investigating the effect of Meniere's disease in the vestibular sensory hair cells and supporting cells for several years. We are interested in the identification of blood labyrinthine cellular markers in the human inner ear using immunofluorescence and RNAScope techniques. We are interested in the identification of ultrastructural alterations in the microvasculature of the human macula utricle obtained from ablative surgery from patients diagnosed with Meniere's disease. For this purpose we use state of the art electron microscopic techniques and laser confocal fluorescence microscopy.
    
3. Cellular and Molecular biology of the normal and implanted human cochlea. We are investigating the effects of the cochlear implant (CI) in the different cell types of the human inner ear using immunohistochemistry and 3D reconstruction. We are investigating the presence of immunoreactive macrophages in the normal and implanted cochlea.
    
4. The blood Labyrinthine Barrier of patients diagnosed with Meniere’s disease. We are extending our studies on the microvasculature using celloidin-embedding sections from temporal bones obtained from patients diagnosed with Meniere's disease. We are investigating the neurovascular unit (NVU) in the spiral ganglia neurons from Meniere’s disease patients and to compare with age match normal subjects.  

Residents, graduate and undergraduate students interested in doing research at our laboratories please contact Dr. Ivan A. Lopez [email protected] or Dr. Akira Ishiyama [email protected] 

Zhaoyan Zhang, PhD
Professor-in-Residence
Co-Director, Speech Production Laboratory
Email:   [email protected]
Primary Interest:   Speech Production

Brief Summary of Project(s):

David Rapkin, PhD
Clinical and Health Psychologist
Founding Director, Mind-Body Medicine Group
Email:  [email protected]
Primary Interest:  Guided Imagery and Clinical Hypnosis

Brief Summary of Project(s):