The Northwest Advanced Otology Fellowship is a prestigious one-year clinical training program in otology and neurotology, established in 2012. Designed for a single fellow each year, the program offers comprehensive exposure to the diagnosis and surgical management of hearing, balance, facial nerve and skull base disorders.
Surgical cases involve chronic ear disease, otosclerosis and the full spectrum of cochlear implants and bone anchored technologies. The fellow will participate in middle cranial fossa, translabyrinthine and retrosigmoid/suboccipital skull base approaches. Eustachian tube management, ENT allergy and endoscopic ear techniques are integrated in the experience.
The primary institution is Ear Nose Throat & Allergy Associates, a division of Proliance Surgeons. Outpatient surgery is performed at Hillside Surgery Center in Puyallup, WA. In-patient surgery and all skull base procedures are performed at Swedish Medical Center, Cherry Hill Campus in Seattle, WA. All clinic activities are at the Puyallup office.
The fellow actively participates in all surgical procedures, works in clinic with Dr. Backous, has their own clinic one day per week, organizes a monthly community otology conference and has weekly access to a large and fully equipped temporal bone laboratory at the Seattle Science Foundation. The fellow is fully emersed in the business of medicine with emphasis on building referral networks, practice management, billing/coding and interacting with neurosurgeons and other collaborators. The fellow teaches at the annual Seattle Otology and Rhinology (SOAR) course in the Spring. Research opportunities are readily available and supported. There are no residents on the service.
Salary and benefits are competitive. This is a non-ACGME accredited fellowship program.
For more information, contact fellowship director Dr. Douglas Backous at (206) 931-1906 or dougbackous@gmail.com.