Important Announcements

Nondiscrimination Statement Update

Boston Medical Center Health System complies with applicable Federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, national origin (including limited English proficiency and primary language), religion, culture, physical or mental disabilities, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity and/or expression. BMCHS provides free aids and services to people with disabilities and free language services to people whose primary language is not English.

To see our full nondiscrimination statement, click here.

Campus Construction Update

Starting September 14, we’re closing the Menino building lobby entrance. This, along with the ongoing Yawkey building entrance closure, will help us bring you an even better campus experience that matches the exceptional care you've come to expect. Please enter the Menino and Yawkey buildings through the Moakley building, and make sure to leave extra time to get to your appointment. Thank you for your patience. 

Click here to learn more about our campus redesign. 

Head and Neck Photos taken 11/21

The department evaluates approximately 13,000 patients per year in the otolaryngology outpatient clinics and performs nearly 1,700 hospital-based surgical procedures annually. The Department of Otolaryngology provides care for patients with problems involving the ears, sinuses, oral cavity, nose, throat, neck (ENT) including sinus conditions, allergy, sleep disorders, and snoring.

"Dr. Grillone is such a class act! Very accommodating and helpful! Saw him 8 years prior and he remembered me. I am happy he's right around the corner from my office. And he brings in fellow docs he can trust and will help make your case top priority."

~ Anonymous

The department also specializes in swallowing disorders, voice problems, dizziness and balance disorders, and hearing loss, cancers of the head and neck and the division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery offers cosmetic surgery and management of facial deformities and facial fractures.

Our physicians are making headlines in local news.

Contact Us

617.638.8124

Fax: 617.414.4953

Monday-Friday - 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM

Specialty Clinics

Conditions We Treat

Treatments & Services

Our Team

Otolaryngologists - Head and Neck Surgeons

Marianella Paz-Lansberg, MD

Attending Surgeon, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgeon, Division of Rhinology, Skull Base Surgery and Allergy

Speech-Language Pathologists

Samantha Ashinoff, MS, CCC-SLP

Kim Boscodoss, MS, CCC-SLP

Anna Lifvergren, CCC-SLP

Elona Meziu, CCC-SLP-CF 2024-2025

Keri Miloro, CCC-SLP

Kelly Morgan, MS, CCC-SLP

Emily O'Gorman, MS, CC-SLP

Chloe Thorburn, MS, CCC-SLP

Audiologists

Nurses and PAs

Marsela Demo, RN

Mckenzie Dollosa, RN

Susan Griever, NP

Brandy Kenner Keefe, FNP

Jennifer Lauver, RN

Sarietha Mathieu, NP

Opal Mitchell, NP

Jessica Overlan, NP

Ann Poulsen, RN

Emily Sjogren, PA

Allie Torrence, PA

 

Researchers and Instructors

Gintas Krisciunas, PhD, MPH, MA

 

Patient Resources

Additional Information

Otolaryngology Education

Many education and training opportunities exist for both existing medical professionals and medical students through the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Please visit the sections below to learn more.

Medical Students

Students who are considering or intend to pursue a career in Otolaryngology are strongly encouraged to apply for the four week elective clerkship during their fourth year. To apply for this elective, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine students should contact the Otolaryngology Education Coordinator, Janine Lipsky 617-638-7066 janine.lipsky@bmc.org and students from schools other than the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine should apply for the month long elective through the AAMC’s Visiting Student Application Service (VSAS®) (https://www.aamc.org/students/medstudents/vsas/).

Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine 4th year students who wish to learn about Otolaryngology, but are not intending to pursue Otolaryngology as a career, can do a two week Surgical Subspecialty Otolaryngology elective clerkship during their fourth year General Surgery sub-i elective clerkship. A new innovative individualized curriculum is being developed to afford students coming to Otolaryngology for two weeks a customized learning experience that attempts to match their exposure to learning experiences with their intended career path. To sign up for the two week elective in Otolaryngology, contact Ms. Lana Ketlere at Lana.Ketlere@bmc.org.

FEES Course This Course is not currently being offered

The Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) was developed by Dr. Susan Langmore in 1988. Alongside the modified barium swallow (MBS) study, FEES has become a globally recognized gold standard for evaluating oropharyngeal dysphagia and for assessing swallowing function.

Read more and sign up

Department News

Research Overview

Research Overview

As the primary teaching hospital affiliated with Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, the physicians, faculty, and staff in the Department of Otolaryngology are actively involved in research that advances patient care. Many faculty are engaged in research specific to their areas of expertise, and mentor resident physicians during research blocks through the Residency Research and Scholarly Activities Committee (RRSAC) program. Several specialty clinic teams also engage in research activities, including…

Otolaryngology Clinical Outcomes, Assessment & Technological Innovation (COATI)

The Otolaryngology COATI Lab is a NIH funded clinical research lab that is engaged in three major areas of work; 1) developing and testing novel imaging technology that enhances clinical care, 2) evaluating the efficacy of clinical interventions, and 3) designing, refining, and testing patient outcome measurement tools.  The lab’s research portfolio engages a multidisciplinary group of clinicians and researchers who specialize in areas such as head and neck cancer, laryngology, speech language pathology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, pathology, bioengineering, critical care pulmonology, and biostatistics.  The COATI Lab is located on the 5th floor of the BCD Building. For more information, please visit the Oto-COATI lab website.

Head & Neck Cancer Treatment Clinical Trials

The department of otolaryngology collaborates with the departments of medical oncology and radiation oncology to provide patients with access to some of the latest head and neck cancer clinical trials. For more information on current interdisciplinary research studies in head and neck oncology, please visit the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine Cancer Clinical Trials website

STEPP Lab

The department of Otolaryngology collaborates with the STEPP LAB for Sensorimotor Rehabilitation Engineering which is located within the Boston University College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences (Sargent College). Under the direction of Principal Investigator Cara Stepp, they are a multidisciplinary group of researchers with the shared goal of improving the assessment and treatment of sensorimotor disorders of voice and speech, applying techniques from electrical engineering, computer science, rehabilitation engineering, neuroscience, laryngology, speech science, and communication disorders. Many of the studies conducted by the STEPP Lab are in collaboration with clinician-investigators in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. For more information, please visit the STEPP Lab website.

Residency and Fellowship Information

We are extraordinarily proud of our residency program and we would be delighted to hear from you if you have any questions or we can provide for you additional information about our program so don't hesitate to get in touch with us.

Learn more about our Residency Program