TBON Hosts First Academy Sinus Dissection Course at #OTOMTG24

Shannon D. Fayson, MD, founder and CEO of The Black Otolaryngologist Network

What Is The Black Otolaryngologist Network?

The Black Otolaryngologist Network is a nonprofit organization with the mission to promote Black excellence in otolaryngology through mentorship, sponsorship, community building, and advocacy. The network was founded on April 23, 2020, by the author, Shannon D. Fayson, MD, along with David J. Brown, MD, and Terrence K. Pleasant, MD.

The organization has several ongoing initiatives to further its mission, including general body meetings to foster community-building, a mentorship program, resident education sessions, and medical student outreach. Medical student outreach programming is led by Monet McCalla, DO, and me, and includes events such as residency application preparatory sessions, mock interviews, and more.

We also host an annual brunch in the spring to introduce diverse medical students to the field of otolaryngology and the organization. This year, the brunch was sponsored by Medtronic ENT to include its first hands-on skills session to teach basic sinonasal anatomy and the proper use and function of both non-powered and powered sinus instruments to diverse medical students interested in otolaryngology. The brunch is now branded as “Brunch and Skills,” a name coined by Mariel O. Watkins, MD, blog and podcast coordinator for The Black Otolaryngologist Network. The brunch plans to host over 100 medical students in 2025.

Attendees at The Black Otolaryngologist Network Spring 2024 “Brunch and Skills.”

Why Sinus Dissection?

The collaboration between The Black Otolaryngologist Network and Medtronic ENT began in October 2023. Medtronic is committed to inclusion, equity, and diversity across the company. Medtronic ENT is excited to support The Black Otolaryngologist Network and other organizations in their efforts to diversify the field of otolaryngology and beyond.

In 2023, I met with Michael Bush, Medtronic ENT’s director of physician relations, where I shared my vision for the partnership, which included sponsorship of medical student outreach events and sinus dissection courses for underrepresented minority medical students, otolaryngology trainees, and otolaryngology faculty. Medtronic ENT hosts several sinus dissection courses each year at the Nelson Surgeon Education Training Center in Jacksonville, Florida, and around the country in their mobile lab units. However, the AAO-HNSF 2024 Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO^TM was voted the best place to host the sinus dissection course to capture the biggest turnout of the intended audience. The Black Otolaryngologist Network eagerly established a partnership with the AAO-HNSF for the sinus dissection course in February of this year. We welcome all diverse medical students interested in otolaryngology to attend The Black Otolaryngologist Network's inaugural Sinus Dissection Session. The course is free, but registration is required. Keep reading for complete details about the event.  

The Black Otolaryngologist Network Sinus Dissection Course

Sponsored by Medtronic ENT
8:00 am – 1:45 pm (ET) | Sunday, September 29, 2024
Location: The course will take place in two locations within the Miami Beach Convention Center. The morning didactic session will take place in the Lincoln Road H Theater, and the two cadaveric lab dissection sessions will be in the OTO Expo hall (Booth 2649).
Cost: The course is free, but there are a limited number of seats available.
Register Now

There will be a one-hour didactic session to start the course and two cadaveric lab dissection sessions, in the morning and the afternoon. The guest speakers are AAO-HNS/F President-elect Troy D. Woodard, MD, together with J. Anderson Eloy, MD, José Gurrola II, MD, and Osarenoma (Noma) Olomu, MD. The speakers will also proctor the cadaveric lab sessions along with Jennifer Villwock, MD, and Charles Edmond, Jr., MD.

The lecture topics during the didactic session include radiographic surgical anatomy (presented by Dr. Woodard, maxillary antrostomy and total ethmoidectomy (presented by Dr. Gurrola), sphenoidotomy and frontal sinusotomy (presented by Dr. Eloy), and sphenopalatine artery (SPA) ligation and nasoseptal flap, cerebrospinal fluid leak repair, extended maxillary approaches (presented by Dr. Olomu). There will be 10 cadaveric stations available for dissection during each lab session for minority medical students, trainees (residents/fellows), and faculty.

The planned dissections for the morning lab include full functional endoscopic sinus surgery with advanced frontal techniques, SPA ligation, nasoseptal flap, and balloon sinuplasty. Planned dissections for the afternoon include CSF leak repair, pituitary approach, medial maxillectomy, endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy, orbital decompression, and more.

Guest Speakers and Lab Proctors for the Course

Troy Woodard, MD, speaker, lab proctor
President-elect, AAO-HNS
Distinguished Professor, Cleveland Clinic

Jean Anderson Eloy, MD, speaker, lab proctor
Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Director, Rhinology and Sinus Surgery

Noma Olomu, MD, speaker, lab proctor
Consultant, Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery
Assistant Professor, Mayo Clinic Florida

José Gurrola II, MD, speaker, lab proctor
Associate Professor, University of California San Francisco

Jennifer Villwock, MD, lab proctor
Associate Professor, University of Kansas
Vice Chair for Research and Innovation

Charles Edmond Jr., MD, lab proctor
Senior Partner, Proliance Ear Nose Throat and Allergy Associates

Future Directions

The Black Otolaryngologist Network and Medtronic ENT hope to expand the sinus dissection course to a larger audience in the future. “We wanted to start small for the first year to ensure it would be successful and then expand in the subsequent years,” said Dr. Pleasant. Hosting the Academy’s first sinus dissection course is a large feat, and such an exciting opportunity for everyone involved, especially medical students. We believe that increasing diversity in otolaryngology starts with attracting diverse medical students. Our Black trainees and faculty will have the opportunity to practice hands-on rhinologic procedures as well. The Black Otolaryngologist Network hopes to continue its partnership with Medtronic ENT to develop new and innovative ways to diversify otolaryngology for many years to come.