RESIDENT APPLICANT INFORMATION

RESIDENCY PROGRAM ACCREDITATION

Our residency program has received a full five year accreditation from the Residency Review Committee for Otolaryngology, a division of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, effective 2/2/2007. Five years is the maximum period granted and is reserved only for the strongest programs. This accomplishment is indicative of the excellent quality of our residency program, our outstanding staff, and of course, the dedication of our program's Education Administrator Mary Manasco and Program Director Dr. Christine Franzese who were responsible for representing our program to the RRC.

INCREASE IN RESIDENT COMPLEMENT GRANTED

We are delighted to announce that ACGME recently approved an increase in resident complement from 2 per year to 3 per year for every year increasing our total resident number from 10 to 15. We will be taking three residents in the match this year. The other positions will be filled via future matches.

INTRODUCTION

Exciting new developments continue in the Department of Otolaryngology and Communicative Sciences at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. An upgrade to departmental status in 2002 has resulted in rapid expansion of the program. The University of Mississippi Medical Center has committed substantial resources to the new department including up to twenty-four clinical and research faculty lines, new and well equipped outpatient clinics, physician extenders, new academic space, and expanded operating room opportunities. We now have superb faculty members in every subspecialty area. Our department has recently expanded to include both a Division of Dermatology and the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research.

The department has developed an outstanding reputation for its commitment to teaching of residents and medical students and ranks in the top 25 programs nationally in terms of NIH research funding. If you want to be part of a program that puts residents first and that will be constantly energized by growth and new discoveries, then you need to come visit us. You will not regret it. We are well on our way to having one of the finest residency programs in the United States.

Once again our residents achieved outstanding success on the Annual Otolaryngology Examination achieving in 2007 a program scaled score surpassed by only 7 of 125 programs participating as illustrated below. For the third year in a row six of our residents scored at or above the 80 th percentile within their resident group. Also, three of them scored in the top 10 percentile of all residents taking the examination.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives for the residency are to provide the trainee with a strong background in basic and clinical sciences related to otolaryngology, to assist the resident in the development of clinical and surgical expertise, and to give the trainee the opportunity to learn and practice research skills.

FACILITIES

The University of Mississippi Medical Center is a referral center for the entire Southeast and a major center for scientific research. It is the only academic medical center in the state of Mississippi. Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Health Related Professions, and Graduate Studies in the Health Sciences are present on campus.

The University Hospitals and Clinics are the teaching hospitals for all Medical Center education programs and a 665-bed diagnostic and treatment referral center for the entire state. The hospital medical staffs are appointed from the Schools of Medicine and Dentistry; inpatients total about 26,000 annually with more than 400,000 outpatient and emergency visits every year. The University Hospitals and Clinics include the University Hospital, Winfred L. Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants and the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children. The University is the only hospital in the state designated as a level 1 trauma center. We also see patients at the Methodist Rehabilitation Center hospital which is on our campus.

Exciting new developments are occurring with our facilities. The women and infants and children's hospitals are both in newly constructed modern buildings. New pediatric ORs are now operational in the children's hospital. The acute care tower housing all of the ICUs was also recently completed. The final replacement portion of the hospitals opened in November 2006; it includes the adult medical surgical floors and a new state-of-the-art outpatient surgery suite. A new comprehensive cancer center is now open. Finally, a new pediatric outpatient clinic is currently in the design phase.

The otolaryngology service sees approximately 10,000 patients a year and performs 4,000 surgical procedures each year at UMC. We see patients in a newly remodeled suite in the Pavilion outpatient area as well as the Cancer Institute. We also do some outpatient cases at a HealthSouth surgical center.

The Veteran's Affairs Medical Center is located on the same campus and provides an additional 376 beds for patient care. The otolaryngology service has an annual surgical caseload there of approximately 850 cases and has about 5,500 outpatient visits. The VA has recently constructed a new Surgery clinic, part of which is the new ENT clinic. The new ENT clinic has tripled in size and is now twelve rooms with two dedicated operative procedure rooms for local procedures in clinic.

Residents will spend approximately 75% of their time at UMC and 25% at the VA. The otolaryngology faculty covers both hospitals full time. The vast majority of resident training occurs at UMC and the VA.

An Otolaryngology resident library is available in addition to the School of Medicine Library. A new eight-station microsurgery lab has been completed for resident training, and computer access, workspace, and lockers are provided in a state-of-the-art resident work area in the hospital.

FACULTY

Chairman

Scott P. Stringer, M.D., M.S. is Professor and Chairman of the Department with special interests in head and neck oncology, rhinology, outcomes research, and economic analysis. He completed his residency at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas and obtained an M.S. in Administrative Medicine from the University of Wisconsin.

Otolaryngology

Full Time Faculty Members

Clinical

Jeffrey D. Carron, M.D. is an Assistant Professor who specializes in pediatric otolaryngology. He completed his residency at Eastern Virginia Medical School and a fellowship at the University of Washington Children's Hospital and Medical Center. Dr. Carron was instrumental in founding the cochlear implant program in Mississippi, completing over 40 successful procedures.

Thomas L. Eby, M.D. is a Professor with special interests in neurotology and otopathology. He completed his residency at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary where he also did a fellowship in otopathology. He completed his neurotology fellowship under Dr. Fisch in Zurich, Switzerland.

Christine B. Franzese, M.D. is an Assistant Professor who has completed her residency at the University of Mississippi. She is the chief of service at the VAMC and has special interests in rhinology. She is also the director of the residency program.

J. Randall Jordan, M.D. is an Associate Professor with interests in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery as well as orbital and lacrimal system surgery. He completed his residency at the University of Florida and a fellowship in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery with Dr. Gaylon McCollough.

Karen T. Pitman, M.D. is a Professor who has clinical interests in head and neck oncologic and endocrine surgery. Dr. Pitman completed a fellowship in Head and Neck Oncologic and Cranial Base Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh following her residency at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia.

J. Mark Reed, M.D. is an Associate Professor. He completed a Pediatric Otolaryngology fellowship at the Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati following his residency at the University of Mississippi.

Tammy S. Sanders, M.D. is an Assistant Professor and is on the staff at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She completed her residency at the University of Mississippi.

John M. Schweinfurth, M.D., a Professor, has clinical interest in laryngology, and his research interests are in the area of laryngeal papillomatosis. He completed his residency at Albany Medical Center and a Voice fellowship at Vanderbilt University.

Part Time Salaried Faculty Member

James R. House III, M.D. is a Clinical Assistant Professor. He completed a Neurotology fellowship at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles following his residency at the University of Mississippi.

Dermatology

Nancye K. McCowan, M.S., M.D., is Assistant Professor and Director of the Division of Dermatology. She completed her residency at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Her diverse background includes military medicine, academic medicine, and private practice experience.

Research

Jesus Monico, M.P.H. is an Instructor in Research and is our Clinical Trials Director. He is in charge of the resident research program. Jesus obtained his graduate degree from Tulane University.

K.T. Chong, Ph.D. is a Professor with research interests in virology and immunology with a particular interest as to their relationship to laryngeal papillomatosis, other head and neck neoplasms, and chronic rhinosinusitis. Dr. Chong most recently worked for Pharmacia after completing his original training in London. He graduated with Honors in Microbiology and Biochemistry from London Polytechnic and then received his Ph.D. in 1980 from the Imperial College of Science and Technology in England. His post-doctoral training was completed at King's College of the University of London.

Thomas Payne, Ph.D., a Professor, is the Associate Director of Research for The ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education & Research. His research interests are tobacco use including biobehavioral factors, genetics, cessation and interventions, and dependence; they also include psychosocial factors in cardiovascular disease and chronic disease including stress, social support, and coping. Dr. Payne received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

Wu Zhou, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor with research interests and funding in otolith function in humans and primates. Dr. Zhou completed his Ph.D. at the University of Rochester. He completed his post-doctoral work at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

Hong Zhu, Ph.D., M.D. is an Assistant Professor with research interests in vestibular neuropharmacology. She is employing molecular and neurophysiologic approaches to the study of the vestibular system in the rodent. Dr. Zhu has an M.D. degree from Beijing Union University Traditional Medicine College and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Mississippi Medical Center where she also completed her post-doctoral work.

Communicative Sciences

William D. Mustain, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor and Chief of the Division of Communicative Sciences and Director of the Communicative Disorders Department and the Clinical Vestibular Laboratory in the University Hospitals and Clinics. His advanced training in audiology was at the University of Virginia.

Audiology

Adult

James E. Peck, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor. He completed his advanced training at Vanderbilt University.

Charles Bishop, AuD, is an Assistant Professor. He completed his training in audiology at University of North Texas.

Diana Tate, MS, is an Instructor. She obtained her advanced degree from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Pediatric

Suzanne D. Roark, AuD, is an Assistant Professor and Audiology Coordinator, Cochlear Implant Team. She obtained her advanced degree from the Arizona School of Health Sciences.

Kathy Irving, AuD, is an Assistant Professor. She obtained her advanced training in audiology from the Arizona School of Health Sciences.

Mindy I. Ware, AuD, an Assistant Professor, earned her advanced degree in audiology from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, School of Audiology.

Patricia Listi, MCD, an Audiologist, obtained her advanced training in audiology from Louisiana State University at New Orleans.

Speech Language Pathology

Adult

Inpatient

Katie Elkins, M.A., an Instructor, completed her advanced degree at Louisiana Tech University.

Nancy Hale, M.A., is an Instructor who received her advanced degree from the University of Louisiana- Monroe.

Julie Rushing Luzardo, M.S., is an Instructor. She obtained her degree from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Gracie Lovell Gaspard, M.S., is an Instructor. She completed her degree at the University of Mississippi.

Josephine Duke, M.S., is an Instructor. She completetd her degree at the University of Mississippi.

Jo Alice Grimsley, M.S., an Instructor, completed her advanced degree at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.

Outpatient

Kathy Wentland, M.S., is an Instructor who received her advanced degree from the University of Buffalo. She specializes in voice evaluation.

Patricia Rush, M.C.D., is an Instructor who received her advanced degree from the University of Mississippi. She has special interest in post-laryngectomy rehabilitation and voice therapy.

Angie Brunson, M.S., is an Instructor who received her advanced degree from the University of South Alabama. She works with post head and neck cancer treatment swallowing disorders, post-laryngectomy rehabilitation, and general swallowing disorders.

Pediatric

Inpatient

Beth Eddleman, M.S., is an Instructor. Her advanced degree is from the University of Mississippi.

Susan Moak, M.S., is an Instructor who obtained her advanced degree from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Outpatient

Lara Monico, M.C.D., is an Instructor and Aural Rehabilitation Coordinator, Cochlear Implant Team. Her advanced training was at the Louisiana State University Medical Center-New Orleans.

Kara Gibson, M.A., is an Instructor. Her advanced degree is from University of Memphis.

Amy Craft, M.S., is an Instructor. She received her advanced degree from Mississippi University for Women.

Jane Malphurs, M.Ed., is an Instructor and Tutor. Her advanced training was done at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.

RECRUITMENTS

We are currently recruiting a head and neck/microvascular surgeon due to the rapid growth in this area.

RESIDENCY SIZE

ACGME has recently an increase in resident complement from 2 per year to 3 per year for every year increasing our total resident number from 10 to 15, beginning with the 2007-2008 year. In July 2007 we will have 3 PGY-1 residents and 3 PGY-2 residents; PGY-3 through PGY-5 years will remain at 2 residents per level. The other positions will be filled via future matches, reaching our full complement of 15 in July 2010.

We are currently accepting applications for three PGY-1 positions beginning in July 2008.

PROCEDURES

One of the major strengths of this program is the large volume of surgical procedures performed by each resident. Residents at the time of graduation will have performed an average of 1600 cases as surgeon including otologic, neurotologic, maxillofacial trauma, skull base, head and neck oncologic, endoscopic, facial plastic and reconstructive, laser, pediatric, and sinus surgery. This compares favorably to the latest national median of 1399 cases as surgeon. In the first year of otolaryngology, the resident performs less complicated surgical procedures and assists in major procedures. In this year, the emphasis is on the development of safe and expedient surgical techniques, learning surgical anatomy, and understanding appropriate pre-and postoperative care. During the second year of training, the resident performs more complex surgical procedures. In the final two years of the program, the trainee is expected to have developed the expertise to plan and to carry out most, if not all, of the major and minor otolaryngologic surgical procedures. Representative case lists will be provided to you if you interview here.

RESIDENT CLINICAL DUTIES

In addition to the operative experience described above, the residents are also responsible for care of patients on the wards and in the clinics. All residents are expected to see patients in the clinic along with the attending faculty. Residents also are responsible for seeing emergency room consults. Residents are actively involved in the teaching of medical students who rotate with us in both the third and fourth years.

RESEARCH

Each resident has a 3-month rotation during the five years of otolaryngology training to carry out research projects. The resident is expected to complete two basic science or clinical projects suitable for presentation and/or publication during their training. Opportunities are available in all areas of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. Our residents regularly present at major national meetings. All eight of our PGY-2 through PGY-5 residents had 10 presentations at the Triological Society Combined Section Meeting in 2007. One of the posters placed third in the competition. Five residents will be presenting this year at the Southern Section meeting of the Triological Society.

OTOLARYNGOLOGY CALL SCHEDULE

Junior level residents take first call from home at present approximately every 4^th weekday night and every 4^th weekend as well. Senior level residents rotate coverage of second call on a weekly basis which averages out to every 4^th week. In general, each resident will have the majority of three weekends free per month.

CONFERENCES

General conferences are held three times a week covering the entire spectrum of otolaryngology. These are provided by the otolaryngology faculty, residents and faculty members from appropriately related disciplines. A basic science course including anatomic head and neck cadaver dissections is conducted each year through this conference. Temporal bone, soft tissue, microvascular, and sinus dissection instruction is provided as well. Journal club is held twice a month. Performance Improvement conferences are held monthly. The Department of Otolaryngology and Communicative Sciences sponsors continuing education courses and at least two visiting professorships each year. Residents are encouraged and supported to attend national meetings. Our residency program is scoring consistently in the top 7% of all programs on the annual otolaryngology in-training examination.

GRADUATES

Resident graduates have successfully passed their boards over the last five years. Graduates have obtained highly competitive fellowships in pediatric otolaryngology, facial plastic surgery, and otology.

PGY-1 YEAR

The entire five years of residency is now in the Department of Otolaryngology and Communicative Sciences. The first year will consist of three months of Otolaryngology and one month each on Anesthesiology, Neurosurgery, Emergency Medicine, and the ICU. The remainder of the year will consist of five months of at least three of the following services: General Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic Surgery, and/or Surgical Oncology. In house call during this year varies depending on the service, but is no more than every third night. We will accept applicants via the ERAS and NRMP for the PGY-1 year. It is not necessary to submit a separate application for the PGY-1 year.

JACKSON METROPOLITAN AREA

The University of Mississippi Medical Center is located in Jackson which has a metropolitan statistical area population of over 500,000. Jackson is the capital of Mississippi and serves as the cultural, economic, and political center of the state. Jackson was named in 2004 as one of the 11 "most livable cities" in the US by the Washington D.C.-based Partners for Livable Communities. Several universities and colleges are located in the city and contribute to the academic and cultural diversity of the city. Cultural opportunities include a variety of theatrical and musical companies including the Jackson Symphony Orchestra and the New Stage Theatre. Jackson hosts the USA International Ballet competition every four years. An international art exhibit, "The Glory of Baroque Dresden", was housed at the Mississippi Museum of Art recently. The area is home to the Mississippi Braves, the Atlanta Braves' Double A baseball team. There are many outdoor opportunities available in the region. The Ross Barnett Reservoir located immediately north of the city offers outstanding fishing, sailing, and power boating opportunities. The Natchez Trace Parkway runs through the northern edge of the city. New Orleans, Memphis, and the Gulf Coast are only a two-three hour drive away. Mississippi offers a very pleasant lifestyle and Jackson provides a nice balance between amenities of a larger city without the problems associated with living in a huge metropolitan area. For more information about Mississippi, visit www.mississippibelieveit.com.

HOUSING

Housing is reasonably affordable in the Jackson metropolitan area such that most residents choose to purchase homes during their stay here. A variety of apartments and rental housing are available in reasonable proximity to the medical center as well. Traffic is relatively light compared to many other metropolitan areas.

SALARIES AND BENEFITS

The salary for interns for the 2008-2009 year is $43,040.00. A complete health insurance policy is provided for house officers at no cost; family coverage is available at additional cost. Group life insurance is available at a reduced rate. Accident protection, catastrophic illness, cancer care, intensive care, pre-paid dental plan and supplemental health insurance are also available. UMC offers residents the opportunity to purchase long-term disability insurance at a group discount, non-gender specific rate. A special tax deferred annuity plan is available as well. Residents are provided professional liability coverage at no charge for activities for or on behalf of the hospital within the scope of the residency training program. Covered parking for the house staff is free. Residents have access to the fitness center at the Norman C. Nelson Student Union building as well. Lab coats are provided by the Department. Each resident is given three weeks of vacation time and all PGY2-5 residents receive one week of educational leave per year. Extra time is available for the presentation of academic papers at recognized meetings. Presently, each resident is provided an educational fund for travel and books, and further funds are allocated for presentation of papers at conferences. The Department also provides the residents with the Home Study Course and the annual otolaryngology in-training exam.

ACCREDITATION STATUS

The residency program received continued full accreditation at the time of our last review. The next review is scheduled for 2011.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Residency programs at the University of Mississippi Medical Center require state licensure. Applicants for licensure in Mississippi must submit passing USMLE scores for Step 1 and Step 2 (both the CKA and CSA parts) to the licensure board. In order to be employed as a resident at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, an applicant without United States citizenship must have a permanent or a J-1 visa.

TECHNICAL STANDARDS

Technical standards for Otolaryngology have been established to allow the resident candidate to determine their ability to perform the required duties in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. An otolaryngology resident must have abilities and skills in five categories: observation, communication, motor, intellectual, behavioral and social. However, it is recognized that degrees of ability vary widely between individuals.

Observation: A candidate must be able to observe a patient accurately at a distance and close at hand. In detail, observation necessitates the functional use of the sense of vision and other sensory modalities. Full color vision and binocular vision are necessary for the successful performance of otolaryngologic surgery.

Communications: A candidate must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients. The focus of this communication is to elicit information, describe changes in mood, activity, and posture, and perceive nonverbal communications. Communication includes not only speech, but reading and writing. The candidate must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in oral and written formats with all members of the health care team.

Motor: Candidates must have sufficient motor function to elicit information from patients by palpation, auscultation, percussion, and other diagnostic maneuvers. A candidate must be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general care and emergency treatments to patients. Such actions require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium, and functional use of the senses of the touch and vision.

Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities: These abilities include measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, and synthesis of complex information.

Behavioral and Social Attributes: A candidate must possess the emotional health required for full utilization of his or her intellectual abilities, the exercise of good judgement, the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients, and the development of mature, sensitive, and effective relationships with patients. Candidates must be able to tolerate physically taxing workloads and to function effectively under stress. They must be able to adapt to changing environments, to display flexibility, and learn to function in the face of uncertainties inherent in the clinical problems of many patients. Compassion, integrity, interpersonal skills, interest and motivation are all personal qualities that are assessed during the selection and education process.

MATCH REGISTRATION

Otolaryngology participates in the NRMP and ERAS. You register with the NRMP via its web site http://www.nrmp.org. Register for ERAS at http://www.aamc.org/students/eras/start.htm. You do not have to write each program in order to apply to them, but you may still want to write and ask for preliminary information about their program to help you reach a decision. You may get program addresses from http://www.acgme.org (Reports: Programs by specialty) or http://www.ama-assn.org (Freida online). You will only have to apply to our program once for the entire five years.

Please abide by the guidelines of the NRMP and get your application to them on time. Interview invitations will be sent to those selected for interviews at our program beginning in October proceeding through November. Interview dates will be announced in early fall. Please do not send loose information to us directly unless it is directly requested. Send all information and updates you wish us to consider directly to the ERAS. We will request any required additional information of those students we invite for interviews. We wish you the best in your application process!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How is your program different from other programs?
We allow each resident to reach their own potential rather than attempting to mold them to our design. We have a close-knit friendly group of faculty and residents who genuinely care about their colleagues.

What qualities are you looking for among applicants?
We have a variety of personalities among our residents who originate from all over the United States. The consistent qualities we seek are a strong work ethic, cooperative attitude, and a sense of humor.
How many applications did you receive last year?
We received 131 applications and interviewed 39 students for 3 positions. This year we will once again be accepting three PGY-1 residents.