Miami

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

Neurorhinology and Advanced Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery Fellowship Program
(ACGME Accredited Residency Required)

INSTITUTION & ADDRESS

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Department of Otolaryngology
1120 NW 14th Street, 5th Floor
Miami, Florida 33136
Phone: (305) 243-4756
FAX: (305) 243-2009

SF MATCH PROGRAM ID#

2864

FELLOWSHIP DIRECTOR

Roy R.Casiano, M.D., F.A.C.S
Professor and Vice Chairman
1120 NW 14th Street, 5th Floor
Miami, Florida 33136
Phone: (305) 243-4756
FAX: (305) 243-2009
[email protected]

DEPARTMENTAL MISSION STATEMENT

To educate and nurture medical students, residents and fellows, to create knowledge, and to provide service to our community and beyond. Committed to excellence and proud of the diversity of our University family, we strive to develop future leaders of our nation and the world.

OVERVIEW OF FELLOWSHIP

The University of Miami/Jackson Health System Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery Fellowship is a 12 month training program. It is designed for otololaryngologists that have completed their ACGME accredited residency and desire to advance their fund of knowledge and surgical skills in the otolaryngology subspecialty area of advanced rhinology as well as endoscopic skull base surgery.

FELLOWSHIP DESCRIPTION

Fellowship Duration

1 Year

Fellowship Term

July 1 through June 30th every year

Goals and Objectives for Training:

  • To further develop the fellow’s surgical skills, required for the performance of advanced endoscopic surgical procedures in the nose and adjacent paranasal sinuses, orbit, and skull base, in a multidisciplinary approach.
  • To develop the fellow’s expertise in the multidisciplinary treatment of common ailments afflicting the upper and lower respiratory system (asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis, allergies, and other common airway disorders).
  • To enhance the fellow's understanding about the multidisciplinary management and treatment of common inflammatory and neoplastic disorders of the nose and paranasal sinuses
  • To develop the fellow’s expertise in the diagnosis and management of allergies and immunologic disorders affecting the upper airway.
  • To enhance the fellow understanding about the appropriate workup, indications and potential adverse side-affects of pharmacotherapy versus immunotherapy, for patients with allergies (optional)
  • To develop important clinical teaching skills and experience that will prepare fellows if they choose to continue in academic practice.
  • To enable the fellow to establish a strong foundation in the use of clinical quality improvement databases, which they can choose to incorporate into their own practice in the future.

Faculty:

  • Dr. Roy R. Casiano (rhinologist with special interest in advanced sinonasal procedures and endoscopic skull base surgery)
  • Dr. Corinna G. Levine (rhinologist with special interest in advanced sinonasal procedures and endoscopic skull base surgery)
  • Dr. Aura Acosta (rhinologist with special interest in allergies and office-based procedures); OPTIONAL
  • Dr. Zoukaa B. Sargi (Head and Neck Surgery/microvascular reconstruction, endoscopic skull base surgery)
  • Dr. Jacques J. Morcos (neurosurgeon with special interest in endoscopic skull base surgery)
  • Dr. Ricardo J. Komotar (neurosurgeon with special interest in endoscopic skull base surgery)
  • Dr. Michael E. Ivan (neurosurgeon with special interest in endoscopic skull base surgery)
  • Dr. Carolina G. Benjamin (neurosurgeon with special interest in endoscopic skull base surgery)
  • Dr. Ashish H. Shah (neurosurgeon with special interest in endoscopic skull base surgery)

Hospital and Clinic Facilities:

  • UHealth Clinical Research Building (CRB): main outpatient clinic facility for UM rhinology, neurosurgery, on the medical center campus
  • University of Miami Hospital and Clinics/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMHC/SCCC) on the medical center campus
  • UHealth Tower (UHT; University Hospital) on the medical center campus
  • Sethi Medical Center Bldg on the medical center campus
  • Jackson Memorial Hospital (JMH) on the medical center campus
  • Plantation UHealth Outpatient Facility, Plantation Florida in Broward County north of the medical campus
  • Lennar UHealth Outpatient Facility in Coral Gables, Florida in the undergraduate campus south of the medical campus
  • SolaMia UHealth Outpatient Facility in North Miami Beach, Florida

Clinical/Surgical Rotations:

Rotations in the operating room are primarily with Dr’s Casiano, Levine, Sargi, Komotar, Morcos, Ivan, Benjamin, and Shah (see weekly schedule). Clinic rotations are primarily with Dr ‘s Casiano and Levine (at CRB, UHealth Plantation, and Lennar). Optional allergy rotations with Dr Acosta at the Sethi Center next to the CRB bldg.  Our UHealth facility in Plantation, Florida, in Broward County, approximately 30 minutes north from the main medical campus by downtown Miami. The Lennar facility in Coral Gables is approximately 20 minutes south of Downtown Miami and connected to the medical center by train (metrorail). 

Weekly Schedule:

  Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
AM

Allergy Clinic (Acosta)

or
Endoscopic Skull Base Cases (Neurosurgery/
Rhinology Skull Base Team)

SCCC/JMH OR
(Levine)

alternating with

Lennar Clinic
(Levine)

SCCC OR
(Casiano)

or

UHT OR
Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery
(Neurosurgery/Rhinology Skull Base Team)

UHT/JMH
Endoscopic Skull Base Cases
(Neurosurgery/Rhinology Skull Base Team)
Fellow Consult Cases

or

Research time
PM

Plantation Satellite Clinic
(Casiano)

SCCC/JMH OR
(Levine)

alternating with

Lennar Clinic
(Levine)

 

Weekly Endoscopic Skull Base Virtual Conference
5:00-7:00 PM (every week)

SCCC OR
(Casiano)

or

UHT OR
Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery
(Neurosurgery/Rhinology Skull Base Team)

UMH Endoscopic Skull Base Cases
(Neurosurgery/Rhinology Skull Base Team)

 

H&N Tumor Virtual Conference
5-7 PM (every week)

Fellow Consult Cases

or

Research time
 

 * Schedule subject to adjustments depending on rhinology team needs 

CURRICULUM

Didactics and Teaching Responsibilities:

The fellow will actively participate with the residents and faculty in the department’s weekly departmental grand rounds and pertinent monthly journal clubs. He/she participates as faculty in our annual University of Miami International Endoscopic Sinonasal and Skull Base Anatomy Course (meeting held in South Florida in the winter), as well as our annual endoscopic surgical anatomy course for the residents and fellows in the summer (All-Florida Residents/Fellows Endoscopic Surgical Anatomy Course with University of South Florida and University of Florida Residents and Fellows). Also, the fellow will be responsible for weekly presentation of future surgical skull base cases at Tuesday's Multidisciplinary Skull Base Conference and/or Thursday's H&N Tumor Conference, for discussion of the best surgical and/or nonsurgical treatment strategies. In addition, he/she practices advanced procedures, and helps teach our international “minifellows”, in our state-of-the-art endoscopic sinus surgery lab at the medical examiner’s office on campus.

The fellow will have access to the latest endoscopic skull base equipment in our C.A.N.E.S microsurgical cadaveric simulation lab at the medical school on the medical center campus to practice advanced endoscopic skull base surgical techniques on cadaveric specimens. It is here where the fellows practice their skull base drilling technique for middle cranial fossa/clival/infratemporal fossa resections on formalin-fixed or fresh specimens, further refining their understanding of the complex skull base anatomy.

Supervisory and Patient Care Responsibilities:

The degree of faculty supervision is dependent on the fellow’s previous surgical experience as a resident and skill level.  It is expected that the fellow has completed the minimal requirements for practicing Otolaryngology in the U.S. This includes having a fundamental grasp of basic endoscopic surgical skills to perform uncomplicated endoscopic ethmoidectomies, maxillary, sphenoid, and frontal sinusotomies.  To this end, the fellow is required to assist the faculty in the training of residents on basic sinus cases. He/she will help attend and supervise the residents for rhinology consults and associated operative cases. Patient care is restricted to the hospitals and outpatient clinics listed above.  As part of the rhinology and skull base team, the fellow will assist the rhinology and neurosurgery faculty on their private rhinology, endoscopic skull base, as well as pituitary cases. Fellows will be trained on the use of EPIC and CERNER electronic health records and REDCap Database entry. 

Diversity of Cases:

Advanced endoscopic rhinologic and orbital/skull base cases and management are the focus of this fellowship. This includes, but is not limited to, the care of complicated rhinologic cases and performing advanced endoscopic sinus plus endoscopic skull base procedures. This includes: extended sinusotomies (frontal, sphenoid, or maxillary), sphenopalatine and internal maxillary artery cauterizations/ligations for the control of epistaxis, orbital and/or optic nerve decompression, meningoencephalocele resection and/or CSF leak repair, resection of sellar and suprasellar lesions (craniopharyngiomas, adenomas, Rathke’s cysts, etc.), resection of benign and malignant sinonasal neoplasms of the skull base (clival chordomas, petrous apex cholesterol granulomas, infratemporal fossa,  and anterior skull base lesions),  and other endoscopic skull base procedures. 

The fellow is also actively involved in resident supervision and teaching. He/she helps the faculty in assisting the residents on a number of rhinologic procedures at our county facility on campus (Jackson Memorial Hospital). The fellow will also take 2-3 weeks of paid general ENT call with the rest of the otolaryngology faculty and other “clinical instructor” fellows in the department to maintain their general ENT skill set during the course of the year.  Opportunities to pick up additional paid ENT general call may be available.

2021-2022 Fellow's Case Log

Surgical Case Load:

Every year the fellow is expected to perform as surgeon of record on a minimum of 150-200 patients (300-400 sinonasal surgical procedures). Approximately 60% of these are advanced revision inflammatory cases, and 20% are sinonasal and/or skull base neoplasms (in addition to pituitaries). South Florida is very endemic for destructive advanced CRS polyps cases (example: AERD, AFS, eosinophilic mucin CRSwNP) in over 60% of polyp cases. This provides the fellow ample opportunity to perform advanced procedures (extended sinusotomies, etc.) even on primary chronic inflammatory surgical cases. 

Research Responsibilities:

Research projects, appropriate for presentation at one of several national otolaryngologic meetings and suitable for publication in peer-reviewed journals, are mandated. A variety of anatomic, clinical, and basic science research projects are available under faculty supervision. There will be a yearly travel stipend to meetings, where the fellow is presenting. Historically, the fellow has completed a minimum of 2 clinical research projects during his/her 12-month rotation, suitable for publication in one of the Otolaryngology peer review journals.  Opportunities for publication of book chapters, monographs, and other forms of media, will also be available. All fellows are required to take appropriate IRB mandated online courses including CITI, in order to participate in human research projects.

Administrative Responsibility:

The fellow will hold the position of the chief administrative fellow. He/she will work closely with the rhinology faculty in developing the weekly clinic and OR case assignments. This fellow will have the right of first refusal for all endoscopic skull base cases (excluding pituitaries). 

CURRENT AND PAST FELLOWS

Name Residency Fellowship Employer
Catherine Policina*   Rizal Medical Center- Department of Health, Philippines 2023 - 2024  Int'l Fellow
Shivanand Maharaj*  Trinidad 2023 - 2024  Int'l Fellow
Turki Aldrees* King Abdulaziz University Hospital/King Saud University College of Medicine, Riyadh S.A. 2022-2023 Assistant Professor, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University College of Medicine, Riyadh S.A. 
Jared Johnson Wayne State University 2022-2023 Assistant Professor Wayne State University/Oakland University Beaumont School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 
Milap Raikundalia Duke University 2021-2022 Private Practice, Kaiser Permanente, San Diego California 
Erin Reilly Thomas Jefferson University 2020-2021 Private Practice, St Alphonsus Medical Center, Boise, Idaho 
Samer Abou Rizk* American University of Beirut, Lebanon 2020-2021 Assistant Professor, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY
Rodolfo Prestinary* University of Costa Rica 2019-2020 Assistant Professor, University of Costa Rica, San Jose, Costa Rica 
Jolie Crespo* University of Panama 2019-2020 Assistant Professor, University of Panama, Panama City, Panama
Saurin Sanghvi Rutgers New Jersey Medical School 2018-2019 Private Practice affiliated with Cooper’s University, New Jersey 
Elie Alam* American University of Beirut 2017-2018 Assistant Professor, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Nivedita Sahu University of Pittsburgh 2017-2018 Private Practice Rochester Regional Health, Rochestor, NY 
Abdullah Albader* McGill University, Montreal Canada 2016-2017 Assistant Professor, Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital, Kuwait City, Kuwait 
Jarrett Walsh University of Iowa 2016-2017 Assistant Professor, University of Iowa, Department of Otolaryngology
Ghassan Alokby* Saudi Arabia 2015-2016 Assistant Professor, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center,, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Corinna Levine University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 2015-2016 Assistant Professor, University of Miami School of Medicine
Zeina Korban* American University, Beirut, Lebanon 2015-2016 Assistant Professor, American University of Beirut, Lebanon 
Shawn Allen University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN 2014-2015 Private Practice, Houston Advanced Nose & Sinus, Houston, Texas 
Arjuran Kuperan Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 2013-2014 Private Practice, Houston Advanced Nose & Sinus, Houston, Texas 
Seth M. Lieberman NYU 2012-2013 Assistant Professor, New York University
Mohammed Al-Bar* Saudi Arabia 2012-2014 Assistant Professor, Dammam University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia 
Deya N. Jourdy Columbia-Cornell 2011-2012  Assistant Professor, Rhinology & Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery, New York Medical College, ENT Faculty Practice, NY
Lori Lemonnier Temple University 2010-2011 Private Practice, Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery, Munson Medical Center, Traverse City, Michigan 
Amy Anstead Univ Illinois 2009-2010 Private Practice, Puget Sound ENT, Seattle, Washington 
Belachew Tessema NYEEI 2008-2009 ProHealth Physicians at the Connecticut Sinus Institute; Assistant Professor, University of Connecticut Medical School Dept of Otolaryngology 
Anderson Eloy Mt Sinai 2007-2008 Professor and Vice Chairman, Rutgers - New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ
Adam Folbe Wayne State 2006-2007 Vice Chair, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck surgery
Director, Rhinology and skull base surgery
Oakland University William Beaumont Hospital, Detroit, Michigan 
Zoukaa Sargi St Joseph Univ, Lebanon 2005-2006 Professor, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Dept. of Otolaryngology, Miami, Florida 
Carlos Duque* Univ Tontifidia Boliveriana, Colombia 2004-2005 Professor, Univ Antioquia, Department of Surgery, Medellin, Colombia
Wish Banhiran* Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol Univ 2003-2004 Professor, Bangkok Hospital, Department of Otolaryngology, Bangkok, Thailand
William Collins Univ Miami 2002-2003 Professor and Chair, University of Florida College of Medicine Dept of Otolaryngology, Gainesville, Florida  

*International fellows

Salary and Fringe Benefits:

The fellow’s salary and benefits commensurate with the University of Miami/Jackson Health System PGY-6 level. They must obtain a Florida license and meet all requirements for hospital privileging and credentialing as an adjunct faculty member of the University of Miami Medical Group. As clinical instructors, fellows may qualify for pre-tax loan repayment paycheck deductions during their employment. Fellows are allowed 4 weeks of vacation per year. Housing and transportation are not provided.

REQUIREMENTS FOR APPOINTMENT

  • Board-eligible/Board-certified otolaryngologist
  • Valid Florida State medical license or be elibible to obtain one
  • Interest in rhinology and rhinologic research, as demonstrated by prior experience

APPLICATION INFORMATION

\Applications are reviewed in the winter/spring for a position beginning July 1 of the subsequent (see SF Match timelines for application submission, interviews, and ranking list). Selected applicants are invited to travel to Miami for an individual interview with the faculty, and spend time with our current fellow, observing his/her surgical skills, reviewing the fellow’s case log, and interactions with the faculty, staff, and residents. The interview is a 2-day commitment . There will be ample time to address all questions the applicant may have, one on one, with the fellow and faculty. There are options for virtual interviews as well. 

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION

February 1 (see SF Match for timelines for application submission, interviews, and ranking list)

CONTACT INFORMATION

Fellowship Program Administrator
Jenine M. Dunn
[email protected]
Phone: (305) 243-6466
Fax: (305) 243-5291