Thomas J. Balkany

Last updated
Thomas J. Balkany
Born
Coral Gables, Florida
Nationality American
Education University of Miami
SpouseDiane Balkany
Medical career
Field
Institutions Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
Research Cochlear implantation

Thomas J. Balkany, M.D. is an American ear surgeon, otolaryngologist and neurotologist specializing in cochlear implantation. [1] [2] [3] He is the Hotchkiss Endowment Distinguished Professor and Chairman Emeritus in the Department of Otolaryngology and Professor of Neurological Surgery and Pediatrics at the University of Miami's Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. [4] [5] Additionally, he is a fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Pediatrics. [6]

Contents

Early life and education

Balkany was born and raised in Coral Gables, Florida and decided to be a physician at the age of 12. [7] He graduated from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in 1972. [8]

His postgraduate training included surgical residency at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver, and his otolaryngology residency at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Balkany also completed additional neurotology and cochlear implantation training under William House at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles. [9]

Career

In 1990, Balkany returned to the University of Miami as founding director of the Ear Institute and cochlear implant program. He established the department's Microsurgery Training Laboratory in 1995 to provide training for surgeries that restore hearing, remove tumors from the skull base, repair facial nerves, correct balance disorders and treat chronic ear infections. Balkany succeeded W. Jarrard Goodwin as chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology in 2000. [9] [10]

In 2007, Balkany was elected vice president of the American Otologic, Rhinologic and Laryngologic Society. [11] ) During his 25 years at the University of Miami, Balkany has helped restore hearing to more than 2,000 deaf children and adults from South Florida, Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and other regions, [4] including a three-year-old Iraqi child who was born deaf and transported from a battle zone to Miami by the U.S. Military. [5] [12] In 2009, he stepped down as chairman and became director of the University of Miami Ear Institute. [13] He has also served as Senior Examiner of the American Board of Otolaryngology and the American Board of Neurotology and a member of the Boards of Directors of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Auditory-Verbal International, AG Bell, Florida and as President of the Florida Society of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Balkany is the founding chairman of the William House Cochlear Implant Study Group and founding board member of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACIA). [14]

Balkany holds 14 U.S. and international patents on cochlear implant technologies. Additionally, he has written three books and more than 300 scientific publications on the topic of ear surgery. [2] [4] Balkany founded the Institute for Cochlear Implant Training, ICIT, a Florida nonprofit corporation, in 2012. ICIT provides 3 month-long advanced training courses for surgeons, audiologists, language specialists ant others with a goal of improving patient outcomes. [14]

Recognition

Balkany was honored by the Prime Minister of the State of Israel for performing the first cochlear implants and helping to start the first two cochlear implant centers in that country. He has received the New York League for the Hard of Hearing's Fowler Award for his work in the ethics of cochlear implantation of young children. He also received the Hallpike-Nylen prize for clinical research from the Bárány Society in Uppsala, Sweden. [4] Balkany received the Graham Frasier Award of the British Cochlear Implant Group at the Royal Society of Medicine in 2004 for his work in cochlear implantation. [15] He was also recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce at the Health Care Heroes Awards Luncheon in 2012. [4]

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cochlear implant</span> Prosthesis

A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for improved speech understanding in both quiet and noisy environments. A CI bypasses acoustic hearing by direct electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve. Through everyday listening and auditory training, cochlear implants allow both children and adults to learn to interpret those signals as speech and sound.

Unilateral hearing loss (UHL) is a type of hearing impairment where there is normal hearing in one ear and impaired hearing in the other ear.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Otology</span> Branch of medicine for the ear

Otology is a branch of medicine which studies normal and pathological anatomy and physiology of the ear as well as their diseases, diagnosis and treatment. Otologic surgery generally refers to surgery of the middle ear and mastoid related to chronic otitis media, such as tympanoplasty, or ear drum surgery, ossiculoplasty, or surgery of the hearing bones, and mastoidectomy. Otology also includes surgical treatment of conductive hearing loss, such as stapedectomy surgery for otosclerosis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine</span> Medical school of the University of Miami

Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine (UMMSM) is the University of Miami's graduate medical school in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1952, it is the oldest medical school in the state of Florida.

Graeme Milbourne Clark AC is an Australian Professor of Otolaryngology at the University of Melbourne. Worked in ENT surgery, electronics and speech science contributed towards the development of the multiple-channel cochlear implant. His invention was later marketed by Cochlear Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bone-anchored hearing aid</span>

A bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) is a type of hearing aid based on bone conduction. It is primarily suited for people who have conductive hearing losses, unilateral hearing loss, single-sided deafness and people with mixed hearing losses who cannot otherwise wear 'in the ear' or 'behind the ear' hearing aids. They are more expensive than conventional hearing aids, and their placement involves invasive surgery which carries a risk of complications, although when complications do occur, they are usually minor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The House Institute Foundation</span> Californian non-profit to advance hearing science

The House Institute Foundation (HIF), formerly the House Ear Institute, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, based in Los Angeles, California, and dedicated to advancing hearing science through research, education, and global hearing health to improve quality of life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York Eye and Ear Infirmary</span> Hospital in New York, United States

Neurotology or neuro-otology is a subspecialty of otolaryngology—head and neck surgery, also known as ENT medicine. Neuro-otology is closely related to otology, clinical neurology and neurosurgery.

Barton G. Weiss is a Miami-based event designer, producer, restaurateur, author, entrepreneur, and philanthropist.

Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. In 2011, the Deafness Research Foundation changed its name to Hearing Health Foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William F. House</span> American physician


William Fouts House was an American otologist, physician and medical researcher who developed and invented the cochlear implant. The cochlear implant is considered to be the first invention to restore not just the sense of hearing, but any of the absent five senses in humans. Dr. House also pioneered approaches to the lateral skull base for removal of tumors, and is considered "the Father of Neurotology".

Jitendra Mohan Hans is an Indian Otorhinolaryngologist, medical researcher and the inventor of HANS speech valve for speech rehablitation after laryngeal cancer surgery. He is a founder member of the Cochlear Implant Group of India and has been a part of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) sponsored project team that developed an indigenous Bionic Ear in 2014. Born on 27 November 1955, he graduated in medicine from the University of Meerut in 1978 He has served as the Honorary ENT Surgeon to the Prime Minister of India and is a government nominee at Ali Yajur Jung National Institute for Deafness, Mumbai and the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysore. He is reported to have pioneered the minimally-invasive surgical techniques for cochlear implants and is a member of the advisory boards of the Union Public Service Commission and World Health Organization (WHO). The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 2005, for his contributions towards medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohan Kameswaran</span> Indian otorhinolaryngologist and medical academic

Mohan Kameswaran is an Indian otorhinolaryngologist, medical academic and the founder of MERF Institute of Speech and Hearing, a Chennai-based institution providing advanced training in audiology and speech-language pathology. He is one of the pioneers of cochlear implant surgery in India and a visiting professor at Rajah Muthiah Medical College of the Annamalai University and Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai. He has many firsts to his credit such as the performance of the first auditory brain stem implantation surgery in South and South East Asia, the first pediatric brain stem implantation surgery in Asia, the first totally implantable hearing device surgery in Asia Pacific region, and the first to introduce KTP/532 laser-assisted ENT surgery in India. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2006, for his contributions to Indian medicine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Limb</span>

Dr. Charles Limb is a surgeon, neuroscientist, and musician at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) who has carried out research on the neural basis of musical creativity and the impact of cochlear implants on music perception in hearing impaired individuals. As an otologic surgeon and otolaryngologist, he specializes in treatment of ear disorders.

John K. Niparko was an American surgeon, scientist and otolaryngologist who specialized in cochlear implants. Niparko edited and wrote several chapters of Cochlear Implants: Principles & Practices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debara L. Tucci</span> American otolaryngologist

Debara Lyn Tucci is an American otolaryngologist, studying ear, nose, and throat conditions. She co-founded the Duke Hearing Center and currently serves as a professor of Surgery and Director of the Cochlear Implant Program at Duke University. In September 2019 she became Director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, one of the National Institutes of Health's 27 Institutes and Centers.

George Fayad FRCS, FICS, is an ear nose and throat surgeon, who introduced the use of nasal titanium implants in the UK to open up the nasal valve and improve breathing in people with nasal valve dysfunction. In addition to general conditions of the ear, nose and throat, he treats snoring, sleep problems and vertigo. He also performs the operation of ear-pinning without an incision. He is chairman of the ENT department at the Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and head of the allergy clinic at Basildon Hospital.

Muaaz Tarabichi is a Syrian otolaryngologist, lecturer, researcher, and author. He is recognized around the world as the father of endoscopic ear surgery. He is the co-founder of Tarabichi Stammberger Ear and Sinus Institute. He was elected as the chairman of the International Advisory Board of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.

James Graham Farncombe Fraser was an English otolaryngologist. He became known for his research for treatments of profoundly deaf people with cochlear implants.

References

  1. ↑ Richard Corliss (October 12, 2001). "Limbaugh: Hear Today, Gone Tomorrow". Time. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Deborah Hartz-Seeley (July 4, 2012). "Coastal Star: Pioneering ear surgeon gives thousands the gift of hearing". The Coastal Star. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Alumni & Philanthropy". University of Miami. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Thomas J. Balkany, M.D., Receives Lifetime Achievement Award". University of Miami Health System. May 23, 2012. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Brian Skoloff (August 5, 2006). "Deaf Iraqi Girl to Get Treatment in U.S." Fox News. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  6. ↑ Tara Parker-Pope (March 17, 2000). "Some Simple Steps Can Help Ease Ear Pain From Landings". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  7. ↑ Paula Detwiller (July 2012). "Pioneering ear surgeon gives thousands the gift of hearing" (PDF). The Coastal Star. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Class Notes" (PDF). University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Thomas J. Balkany named chair of otolaryngology". University of Miami. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  10. ↑ "FDA OKs implanted hearing device". The St. Augustine Record. September 1, 2000. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  11. ↑ "People On the Move". South Florida Business Journal. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  12. ↑ Kelli Kennedy (August 25, 2006). "Iraqi Girl Once Deaf Hears After Surgery". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  13. ↑ "UM Ear Institute Unveiling" (PDF). University of Miami Ear Institute. May 21, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  14. 1 2 "About ICIT". Institute for Cochlear Implant Training. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  15. ↑ "The Graham Fraser Memorial Lectures". Graham Fraser Foundation. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  16. ↑ US ISBN Agency for The Ear Book, The Cochlear Implant, Clinical Pediatric Otolaryngology. Blackboard LMS/Moodlerooms for Cochlear Implant Training Course.
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