Overview
The Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Residency at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota, provides superior surgical and medical training that features a unique mentorship-apprenticeship system. Residents are trained in all areas of otolaryngology during this program.
ENT hospitals in the country (U.S. News & World Report, 2020-2021)
American Board of Otolaryngology pass rate
surgical cases per year

Surgical residency experience
This five-year residency prepares residents for either private practice or academic medicine by training with a board-certified staff that teaches management concepts in:
- Otology
- Rhinology
- Laryngology
- Endoscopy
- Pediatric otolaryngology
- Head and neck trauma
- Facial plastic and reconstructive surgery
- Head and neck oncology
- Sleep surgery
This residency offers a robust research experience for trainees. With dedicated mentors, protected time, and access to a wide variety of resources, opportunities to tackle projects big and small are at your fingertips.
In addition, our Clinician-Investigator Training Program gives residents the option of obtaining a master's degree in biomedical science through a year of fully funded research experience.
This residency uses a unique apprenticeship system in which residents are assigned one-to-one to a staff consultant for 10-week periods. This system allows the resident graduated responsibility and close supervision and interaction. In the final year, trainees may become chief resident associates having complete responsibility for their own clinic and operative cases.
The most rewarding part of the residency is seeing how that new knowledge or skill helps patients. I love learning something new and being able to apply the knowledge to clinical decision making.
Drew Goates, M.D.
Otolaryngology resident
Accreditation and certification
The Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Residency is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
Upon successful completion of the residency, graduates are eligible to take the otolaryngology certification examinations offered by the American Board of Otolaryngology.
Program history
The Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Residency at Mayo Clinic's campus in Rochester, Minnesota, was established in 1908 and approximately 280 residents have completed training in this program. The Otorhinolaryngology Department is proud to have graduated both the first female resident, Margaret Smith, M.D., in 1911, and the first African-American resident, Jack Clark, M.D., in 1978, at Mayo Clinic. Five trainees complete this program annually.
You can learn more about the history of otologic surgery at Mayo Clinic and the history of otorhinolaryngology through historical vignettes by Matthew Carlson, M.D. and Kerry Olsen, M.D.

Meet our trainees
Thanks to the apprenticeship model, Mayo Clinic offers an unique opportunity to learn one-on-one from the world leaders in the field. This gives us a greater opportunity to interact with patients longitudinally, spend more time with patients to give them the best quality care, and a better hands-on experience in the operating room operating directly with our teachers.
Linda Yin, M.D.
Otolaryngology resident

Meet the faculty
We offer an unparalleled didactic curriculum, plenty of patients to see with common and uncommon head and neck disorders, a strong belief in graduated resident responsibility, and many opportunities to teach and do research.
Janalee Stokken, M.D.
Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Residency program director

Choosing Mayo Clinic

Rochester, MN
