Within the University of Wisconsin Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (Oto-HNS), research and education unite to form a powerful catalyst for learning and discovery. Dedicated research deepens our understanding of disease and enhances our ability to provide exceptional care for patients with ear, nose, throat, head and neck afflictions. By incorporating innovative research into our educational mission, we attract outstanding clinicians and educators to our program and foster a culture of excellence.
- We are among the top 10 programs in the country in National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding with a portfolio that includes R01s and R01 equivalents, F31, F32, and T32 awards, for a total of 29 actively funded extramural grants
- Our faculty serve as principal investigators on a collaborative interdisciplinary research project: an NIH Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) the Wisconsin Head and Neck Cancer SPORE, conducting clinical trials with patients with head and neck cancer
- Oto-HNS investigators produced 109 research publications in 2024
- We are home to the nation’s only federally funded training program in voice and voice disorders, the University of Wisconsin Voice Research Training Program (T32 DC09401)
Laboratory research in the Oto-HNS focuses on the anatomical correlates and physiological mechanisms underlying significant clinical problems, such as hearing loss, voice dysfunction, tissue viability following reconstructive cancer surgery, swallowing impairments, and age-related changes in critical head and neck functions.
This work has led to the development of experimental surgical devices and procedures, including an automated device to remove blood from congested tissues.
Researchers in the laryngeal physiology program explore the use of novel biomaterials and medialization techniques to improve vocal fold vibratory characteristics and halt or reverse the detrimental effects of aging on voice and swallowing.
Support Research
Dedicated supporters help fuel our research efforts by donating to the Otolaryngology Excellence Fund.
Faculty Research
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Jason Brant, MD
Dr. Brant’s primary research interest is in the restoration of hearing using a variety of bioengineering solutions. His work has focused on the clinical aspects of cochlear implants including indications, complications, and outcomes as well as novel electrode designs. Dr. Brant currently serves as principal investigator of a Department of Veterans Affairs grant that uses transplantable living scaffolds for the rehabilitation of hearing through biohybrid neural interfaces.
Michelle Ciucci, PhD
Dr. Ciucci’s translational research program aims to improve treatments for voice and swallowing disorders. Her lab studies relevant neurobiological processes that affect disease progression and how targeted exercise may slow or reverse the degenerative processes. Understanding these mechanisms will lead to better treatments and functional outcomes for patients with Parkinson’s disease, including drug discovery and repurposing as well as behavior interventions.
Nadine Connor, PhD
Dr. Connor’s lab aims to understand how physiological and structural properties of muscles and the central and peripheral nervous systems change with aging, surgery, diseases, and disorders, and how these changes may influence properties of voice production, speech and swallowing. The lab’s primary focus is understanding how behavioral, medical or surgical treatment may affect change in function and quality of life. Lab members have developed a research program within this framework that involves techniques from the basic sciences and human clinical sciences, especially in patient-centered research regarding perceptions of health quality and its measurement.
Ruth Davis, MD
Dr. Davis is a translational and clinical researcher with a focus on voice and airway disorders. Her primary areas of study include laryngotracheal stenosis, aging voice, and laryngeal leukoplakia. Her research program applies principles of immunology, fibroblast biology, and tissue engineering to the study of novel treatments for laryngeal disease.
David O. Francis, MD, MS
Dr. Francis focuses on a patient-centered approach to personalizing and improving the care of patients with ear, nose and throat disorders. His primary areas of study involve understanding the causes of geographic variations in care, promoting prevention of iatrogenic vocal fold paralysis, understanding the patient experience of living with unilateral vocal fold paralysis, development of new tools to measure disability related to unilateral vocal fold paralysis, and developing novel treatments and comparing their effectiveness in improving the care of patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis.
Jack Jiang, MD, PhD
Timothy McCulloch, MD
Dr. McCulloch’s research focuses on laryngeal function, dysphagia, trauma and head and neck cancer treatments. He currently serves as principal investigator on a Department of Veterans Affairs grant that aims to develop novel pharyngeal pressure metrics to predict dysphagia treatment outcomes and clinical prognosis using high-resolution manometry.
Susan Thibeault, PhD
Dr. Thibeault‘s lab research program focuses on further understanding the biological mechanisms of the extracellular matrix of the vocal folds, specifically related to inflammation, fibrosis and scarring in the larynx. Since 2001, the lab’s research has focused on translational and clinical investigations of laryngeal disorders to characterize critical aspects of dysregulated extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition.
Nathan Welham, PhD
Dr. Welham is a speech-language pathologist and scientist focused on vocal fold mucosal biology. He is particularly interested in tissue regeneration, matrix and matrisome, vitamin A transport and function, and physiology. Dr. Welham leads a small research group that collaborates closely with analytical chemists and biochemists, bioinformaticists, cell biologists, immunologists and surgeons. The group has been funded by the National Institutes of Health since 2006.
David Zopf, MD
Dr. Zopf’s current federally funded research includes a clinical trial with exciting promise for patients with Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy, as well as the development of craniofacial tissue engineered implants for microtia and nasal reconstruction. His overall research interests include medical 3D printing, medical device development, medical innovation, innovation in Cerebral Palsy care, pediatric sleep apnea, tissue engineering, and pediatric congenital syndromes.
Research Training
We offer excellent research opportunities for residents, as well as specialty fellowships and training programs.
Voice and Swallow Clinical Database
Researchers rely on the Voice and Swallow Clinical Database for de-identified data from adult and pediatric subjects to answer research questions concerning the diagnosis, evaluation and medical and/or surgical treatment of related concerns.