Meet The Faculty
The Department of Otorhinolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery at Mayo Clinic is one of the oldest and largest otorhinolaryngology specialty groups in the world. Each year, the department handles more than 80,000 patient visits and performs approximately:
- 2,000 head and neck surgical procedures
- 1,000 otologic and neurotologic surgical procedures
- 1,500 rhinologic and sinus procedures
- 900 outpatient operative procedures
The department has a long-standing strong collaboration with neurosurgery. More than 200 new patients with skull base pathologies are evaluated each year by both a rhinologist and neurosurgeon. Department members collaborate with other specialists in neurosurgery, neurology, neuroradiology, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neuro-oncology, neuro-ophthalmology, oculoplastics, neuropathology, rheumatology, and medical genetics. Through this collaboration, the department offers comprehensive care for pediatric and adult patients with disorders involving the nose, paranasal sinuses, and skull base.
From the program director
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Welcome to our Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery Fellowship program at Mayo Clinic! We are thrilled to have you join our team and embark on this journey of growth and discovery in the field of rhinology and skull base surgery.
At our institution, we pride ourselves on fostering an exceptional learning environment through a combination of academic activities, hands-on clinical experiences, and a supportive faculty. Our program is designed to provide you with the essential skills and knowledge needed to excel in your future career. You will find our world-class anatomy laboratory an incredible asset for research projects and fine-tuning your surgical skills.
We value trainee feedback as an essential component of our program's continuous improvement. Your input is not only welcomed but actively sought out, as we believe that your perspectives and insights are crucial in shaping the future direction of our training curriculum.
Additionally, we prioritize your well-being and have implemented various support systems to ensure you feel supported throughout your training. We encourage our trainees to take on leadership roles within our program and medical societies such as the American Rhinologic Society and North American Skull Base Society. We believe that by empowering our trainees to take on leadership roles, we can foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, and excellence.
Once again, welcome to our program, and we look forward to supporting you in this incredible endeavor of personal and professional growth.
Carlos Pinheiro Neto, M.D., Ph.D.
Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery Fellowship Program Director
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.
As a fellow, you will work closely with the rhinology and skull base surgery faculty in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. In addition, you will frequently collaborate with the other associated faculty in neurosurgery, head and neck surgical oncology, oculoplastic surgery, and radiation oncology.
Carlos Pinheiro Neto, M.D., Ph.D., Program Director
Dr. Carlos Pinheiro Neto is an otorhinolaryngologist who specializes in diseases of the nose, sinuses, and skull base. His extensive research is based on surgical anatomy to identify landmarks to make the surgery safer and development of innovative surgical techniques to improve outcomes.
Dr. Pinheiro Neto has pioneered many surgical techniques to minimize the resection of intra-nasal structures during the removal of intracranial tumors through the nose and to reinforce the skull base reconstruction with composite flaps in selected patients. He has developed different techniques to improve cranial base reconstruction and minimize the risk of cerebrospinal fluid leaks after endonasal cranial base surgery.
Dr. Pinheiro Neto's main research focus is to improve the quality of life of patients who undergo endoscopic sinus or endonasal skull base surgeries by minimizing surgical trauma to the nose. He recently published a book with publisher Thieme entitled: “Techniques and Key Points for Endoscopic Cranial Base Reconstruction.”
Janalee Stokken, M.D., Associate Program Director
Dr. Janalee Stokken is a board-certified otolaryngologist who is fellowship-trained and practices rhinology and skull base surgery. She attended medical school at the University of North Dakota and completed both residency and fellowship training at the Cleveland Clinic. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck, and has distinguished herself as a physician educator in the role of Residency Program Director.
Dr. Stokken’s clinical practice focuses on the surgical and medical treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis as well as the surgical management of sinus and skull base tumors. She provides transnasal, endoscopic approaches to tumors in the sinuses, skull base, and orbit. She is also an active member of the Mayo Clinic Multidisciplinary Thyroid Eye Disease Clinic and provides surgical treatment options to those patients that improve cosmesis and/or improve vision.
Dr. Stokken's research interests include orbital decompression surgery outcomes, surgical learner evaluation utilizing novel techniques, and the impact of sinus and skull base surgery on patient post-operative quality of life.
Erin O’Brien, M.D., Associate Professor of Otolaryngology
Dr. Erin O’Brien is an associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Chair of the Division of Rhinology.
She attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine before completing her otolaryngology residency at the University of Iowa. After a rhinology fellowship at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, she returned to the University of Iowa as an assistant professor in 2008. She then joined Mayo Clinic in 2012 and has grown the rhinology division to four fellowship trained rhinologists.
Dr. O'Brien was the first otolaryngology department Diversity Leader and is currently the department Academic Advancement and Promotion Committee Chair. She is a founding member of Women in Rhinology in the American Rhinologic Society and is currently the past Chair of the Rhinology and Paranasal Sinus Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Dr. O'Brien's research interests include examining the immune cell profile in nasal polyps in chronic rhinosinusitis and metabolomics of nasal mucus in CRS.