The Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery/Audiology at Mayo Clinic's campus in Arizona includes a diverse group of specialists in the field of otolaryngology and head and neck surgery. The department handles more than 16,000 outpatient visits a year and performs approximately 9,500 procedures, in addition to 1,200 hospital-based operations. The department performs all of its own reconstructive surgery.

The department includes experts in these specialties:

• Otology and neurotology
• Audiology
• Head and neck cancer surgery
• Microvascular reconstructive surgery
• Facial plastic and reconstructive surgery
• Rhinology and endoscopic skull base surgery
• General otolaryngology
• Facial trauma
• Sleep medicine
• Pediatric otolaryngology
• Speech-language pathology

Faculty members from the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery/Audiology collaborate with other specialists in audiology, speech and swallowing therapy, ophthalmology, pediatrics, neurosurgery, dermatology, allergy and immunology, pulmonary medicine, endocrinology, radiation oncology, and radiology. Through this collaboration, the department offers comprehensive and excellent care for patients with disorders involving the head and neck.

From the department chair

Welcome to the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. We welcome the opportunity to get to know you and to share more about us.

Steeped in the history of Mayo Clinic, our department is creating the future by defining excellence in all aspects of otolaryngology. We strive to envision new possibilities and champion new outcomes to create paradigm shifts that transform the care of patients world-wide.

The core principle guides all we do and is evident in our three shields: Patient Care, Education, and Research.

Our clinical department encompasses all aspects of otolaryngology and is led by world-leaders in their respective fields. As a tertiary referral center, we care for the most complex patients from all over the world. Our faculty includes two Mayo Clinic Distinguished Clinicians, the highest award given for excellence in clinical care. Further, our faculty are active leaders in many professional societies and host numerous international conferences each year. 

We lead robust research activities, ranging from clinical trials to bench science. Faculty and scientists are involved in both investigator and industry-initiated clinical trials. We have initiated the largest clinical trial of laryngotrachael transplantation. Our research laboratories include the Aerospace Medicine Lab and the Head and Neck Regenerative Medicine Lab. The activities from those labs have resulted in significant funding sources such as the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense, multiple patents, and first-in-human clinical applications.

Education is one of our passions. Our department includes two Mayo Clinic Distinguished Educators, the highest award given for excellence in education, and numerous recipients of the Teacher of the Year Award. Our faculty are leaders in education, and many have joint faculty appointments in Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Science.

Our residency program is at the center of our passion for education. We have a devout commitment to your success. We will not define that success for you. That is up to each of you to decide. We will train you to become excellent surgeons and clinicians, invest in you as individuals, and give you the tools to one day define excellence for the next generation.

David Lott, M.D.
Chair, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Arizona
Professor of Otolaryngology

Faculty

In addition to caring for patients in clinical practice, Mayo Clinic's faculty is committed to teaching and facilitating the growth of medical knowledge. Many of our faculty members have published and lectured extensively and are highly regarded in their fields. You work closely with these individuals throughout the training program.

Visiting professors

The department invites two or three prominent guest lecturers each year to present. Guest professors also are frequently invited to participate in departmental courses.