Curriculum

The PGY-1 curriculum fulfills all the American Board of Otolaryngology requirements for the PGY-1 year and includes a minimum of 3 months of Otolaryngology and 3 months of off-service rotations. The rotations are selected in consultation with the individual PGY-1 resident so each person's experience may be different. 

Otolaryngology rotations take place at Buffalo General Medical Center, Sisters of Charity Hospital, Erie County Medical Center and John Oishei Children's Hospital.

Off-service rotations can include plastic surgery, oral and maxillofacial sugery, neurosurgery, trauma surgery, trauma ICU, and pediatric anesthesia.  Time spent in the sleep lab, with audiology and the cochlear implant team, and allergy is also scheduled depending on interest and feasibility.

The PGY-2 year consists of six 2-month rotations.

In the PGY-2 rotation at Oishei, residents gain a broad and deep experience into all aspects of pediatric otolaryngology and communication disorders. The resident will progress through two rotations at Oishei that will allow the resident to learn how to treat infants, children, adolescents, and adult survivors of pediatric diseases with the complete array of otolaryngologic disease in a model of family centered care. They will learn to identify, evaluate, and treat common and uncommon problems that occur in children. Including, for example, an expanded experience in hemangiomas and vascular birth marks, maxillofacial trauma, soft tissue trauma, laser surgery,cochlear and BAHA implantation. The residents also participate in the monthly pediatric otolaryngology journal club.

The primary purpose of this rotation is to expose the resident to all aspects of facial trauma care in a Level I Trauma Center. Secondarily, the resident will get further exposure to general otolaryngology and head and neck surgery in both a clinic and operating room setting.

The purpose of this rotation is to give the resident an outpatient and surgical experience in laryngology, endocrine surgery, and general otolaryngology.

The PGY-3 year consists of three 4-month rotations. In addition to clinical and didactic activities, residents are expected to develop a research plan and apply for external funding to appropriate sources related to discussion with his or her research mentor. The resident is expected to report to the resident research committee at this time and the program director to relate the project plan for the research semester.

The purpose of this rotation is to expose residents to all aspects of rhinology, facial plastic surgery, otology, and head and neck surgery, and collaboration with neurosurgery. This rotation exposes the resident to the principles of rhinology, sinusology, and maxillofacial surgery. The resident will gain enhanced knowledge of the basic sciences and clinical sciences related to facial plastic surgery, evaluate and appropriately select the patients for facial plastic surgery and gain expertise in both perioperative care and appropriate follow-up.

In this rotation the resident will gain additional experience in General Otolaryngology, with particular emphasis on certain subspecialty areas including: Geriatric Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Oncology, Head and Neck Surgery, Head and Neck Endocrinology, Rhinology and Sinusology, Maxillofacial Surgery, Facial Plastic Surgery, and Otology. The principles of advanced diagnosis and therapeutic methods and alternatives will be emphasized. Further, through participation in a variety of subspecialty approaches, the resident will be exposed to the full gamut of disorders and benign and malignant diseases of the adult and geriatric head and neck, upper aerodigestive tract, and organs of special sensation and communication, as well as surgery and other therapeutic modalities for these conditions. The resident will function as a critical member of the team caring for the head and neck patient, along with Physician Assistants, speech pathologists, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, endocrinologists, pathologists, radiologists, and head and neck surgeons. Under the direction of the faculty the resident will have primary managerial responsibility for the complex patients on this rotation.

The resident gains experience managing complex head and neck cancer patients. Roswell Park is an oncology hospital ranked in the top 20 nationally. 

During the PGY-3 year, each resident will have a 3-month structured research rotation. Prior to this research rotation, the resident will have chosen a project and worked on the plan, with appropriate protocol generation, and have it approved by the research committee. The project will have gone through the IRB for the University at Buffalo prior to the research rotation for human research or the IACUC for animal research. During the research rotation, the residents will concentrate on collecting the data projected in the research plan. If appropriate, the research project will have already been submitted for external funding. If no funding is necessary or funding is available through existing grants from another resident or faculty member, this step will not be necessary. The focus of the research rotation will be to obtain the data necessary to complete a paper sufficient for submission to a medical journal. If time permits, the resident will write the results up during the research block. If not, they will be expected to complete this during their PGY-4 and PGY-5 year. Graduation from the residency will not be acceptable until the research paper has been written and approved by the research mentor. The resident will also be expected to generate a presentation of the research data for presentation at the annual research day during the graduation process by residents in June.

The PGY-4 year consists of three 4-month rotations.

Each resident will spend 4 months during PGY-4 at a quaternary care children's hospital in order to gain a broad and deep experience into all aspects of pediatric otolaryngology and communication disorders. The resident will progress through two rotations that will allow the resident to learn how to treat infants, children, adolescents, and adult survivors of pediatric diseases with the complete array of otolaryngologic disease in a model of family centered care. They will learn to identify, evaluate, and treat common and uncommon problems that occur in children, including for example an expanded experience in hemangiomas and vascular birth marks, maxillofacial trauma, soft tissue trauma, laser surgery, cochlear and BAHA implantation.

The purpose of this rotation is to gain an intense, one on one experience in Neurotology.

RPCI is ranked in the top 20 cancer hospitals nationally. Residents participate in every aspect of head and neck cancer management.

The PGY-5 year is a chief resident year and consists of two 5-month rotations at Sisters and ECMC in which chief residents are exposed to advanced aspects of rhinology, facial plastic surgery, otology, head and neck surgery, laryngology, skull base surgery, maxillofacial trauma and collaboration with neurosurgery. Chief residents will develop administrative and managerial skills, and prepare for successful passage of the American Board of Otolaryngology certifying exam, and a career in academic or private practice.

Residents, including interns, have protected time from 6am to 9:30am on Thursday morning for didactics, and are excused from all clinical duties. Residents meet weekly for structured topic review using national curricula.

Grand Rounds are held each Thursday Morning from 7am-8am at Palmer Hall on the 5th floor of Sisters of Charity Hospital.

Each year, Dr. Eugene Kern, Emeritus Professor from Mayo Clinic in Minnesota provides a 11-week didactic lecture series on rhinoplasty and nasal reconstruction as part of the PGY-1 to PGY-3 resident teaching curriculum. Over 40 years of clinical practice and world renowned expertise lend to the unparalleled learning experienced provided to our residents by Dr. Kern. Topics covered include symptoms, physiology, surgical approaches to the septum, surgery of the valve/pyramid/turbinates, grafts and implants, trauma, and reconstructive rhinoplasty.

Upper level (PGY4 and PGY5) residents participate in an organized allergy and immunology course at Children's. This 5 week course includes lectures on rheumatology, mitochondrial disorders, pulmonary function tests, asthma, and anaphylaxis.

A temporal bone lab with operating drill and microscope is available for resident's use. The department also provides residents with funding for week-long temporal bone courses at outside institutions.

Residents have 3 months of structured research time during the PGY-3 year. Under the supervision of Dr. Ponikau, research director, residents are expected to chose, develop, complete, and write up a project sufficient for submission to a medical journal. Research opportunities are available with a variety of clinical faculty members, including but not limited to chronic rhinosinusitis and the role of eosinophils, quality improvement, improving radiologic grading schema in sinusitis, decision making in surgical patients, and outcomes after surgery. UB has a large hearing research center that offers many basic science research opportunities.

Residents take call from home, covering three hospitals (Erie County Medical Center, Oishei Children's Hospital, and Sisters of Charity Hospital). PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents take primary call every 4th night, while senior residents take backup call weekly. Facial trauma call is shared with oral surgery, and the PGY-2 resident generally takes primary trauma call. In general, new consults get called to the attending first, who must accept the consult before the resident is called. Call rooms and resident work rooms are available at all hospitals.