Published: February 26, 2021

Spotlight: Humanitarian Efforts | Peter J. Koltai, MD

The AAO-HNSF International Affairs Program is pleased to spotlight the humanitarian efforts of Peter J. Koltai, MD, for his work with Harare Children’s Hospital, Ear Camps, and PENTAFRICA.


Peter J. Koltai, MDPeter J. Koltai, MDThe AAO-HNSF International Affairs Program is pleased to spotlight the humanitarian efforts of Peter J. Koltai, MD, for his work with Harare Children’s Hospital, Ear Camps, and PENTAFRICA.

Where do you currently practice, and what is your specialty area? 

I’m emeritus professor of otolaryngology and pediatrics at the Stanford University School of Medicine. I am a pediatric otolaryngologist and practice at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

What humanitarian organizations are you involved with?

In 2015, working in partnership with Dr. Clemence Chidziva, professor of otolaryngology at the University of Zimbabwe, we established and outfitted a pediatric otolaryngology clinic at the Harare Children’s Hospital. At outlying missions we also run Ear Camps that provide ear exams, audiograms, and hearing aids through Dr. Chidziva’s charity. Finally, we established PENTAFRICA, the first pediatric otolaryngology organization in Africa. It is similar to the other continental pediatric ENT societies around the world, such as the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, The European Society of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, Interamerican Association of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, and American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Our first conference was in 2018 at Victoria Falls, Zambia.

What got you started in committing your time and practice to humanitarian efforts?

Dr. Chidziva requested my assistance in helping to establish a pediatric otolaryngology clinic. Having 30 years of experience as a pediatric otolaryngologist and having established two divisions and two fellowship programs of pediatric otolaryngology, I found his invitation highly compelling.

Healthcare team examining a child in the operating room. Dr. Koltai (seated in center of the photo) is performing the laryngoscopy.Healthcare team examining a child in the operating room. Dr. Koltai (seated in center of the photo) is performing the laryngoscopy.How does your work impact the communities you serve and you as a person?

After my first sabbatical in Zimbabwe in 2015, I was overwhelmed with the joy of service to the warm, friendly, and appreciative patients, parents, colleagues, residents, and students I have had the opportunity care for, teach, and interact with. It has been enormously fulfilling. I feel so fortunate that late in my career, I was given this opportunity to make good use of what I had learned over a professional lifetime and add a whole new layer of experience and understanding of the world we live in. It was also an opportunity to learn about the medical resource burdens facing Zimbabwe as well as much of Africa, which have been much amplified in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What would you say to encourage others to support humanitarian efforts around the world?

I think the most cogent way to answer this is to say that the best getting is in the giving; it’s as simple as that. The feelings of inclusion, charity, empathy, and community are deeply human qualities that are well nurtured by serving others. I find it a source of joy, inspiration, and self-fulfillment akin to fatherhood. 


More from March 2021 – Vol. 40, No. 2