ALBERT MERATI, MD – Invited Speaker

Dr. Merati is an internationally recognized leader in Laryngology. Following medical school at the University of Washington under Charlie Cummings, he completed his Otolaryngology training at the UCSD, including one year of NIH research training. From there, Dr. Merati went to Vanderbilt to study Laryngology with Dr. Ossoff at the premier training institution for academic laryngologists. This time at Vanderbilt included work with Dr. Jim Netterville on laryngeal framework surgery. Following very productive years at Kansas University and at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Dr. Merati returned to his native Seattle to head up the Laryngology program at the University of Washington, now widely recognized among the leaders in clinical care, scholarship, and training in the nation.

He has over 115 peer reviewed publications and also is the lead editor for the Textbook of Laryngology.

Dr. Merati has served as Senior Examiner for the American Board of Otolaryngology. Dr. Merati has earned two Distinguished Service awards from the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery and is the current President of the AAOHNS. Dr. Merati is also the current President of the American Broncho-Esophagological Association as well as serving as the Western Section Vice-President for the Triological Society.

CECELIA DAMASK, DO, FAAOA – Course Co-Director

Dr. Damask is in private practice at Lake Mary Ear, Nose, Throat and Allergy in the greater Orlando, FL area. She received her DO from Midwestern University/Chicago College of Medicine and completed her residency training at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy and has presented at various AAOA courses and meetings since 2009. Dr. Damask currently serves as AAOA Education Coordinator.

CHRISTINE FRANZESE, MD, FAAOA

Dr. Franzese is a general otolaryngologist with a specialty focus on Otolaryngic Allergy, and Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at University of Missouri Medical Center. She is a native of Watkins Glen, NY and received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. She received her M.D. from SUNY Upstate Medical Center and completed her residency training at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and the University of Mississippi Medical Center. She stayed on as faculty at the University of Mississippi Medical Center for eight years where she was Residency Program Director, as well as Associate Professor and Chief of Otolaryngology at the G.V. “Sonny” Montgomery V.A. Medical Center. She is the AAOA’s past President. She has served as the first president of the SUO-Otolaryngology Program Directors Organization, as a member of the AAO-HNS Rhinology and Paranasal Sinuses Committee, and as a Member-at-Large on the AAOA Board of Directors. She has authored many scientific papers and has a special focus on treating allergic disorders, including inhalant allergy, penicillin allergy, allergies to stinging insects, food allergy, and urticaria.

J. WHIT MIMS, MD, FAAOA

Dr. Mims has been involved with the AAOA since attending the AAOA’s Resident Retreat in 2000. He has participated as faculty in AAOA Annual Meetings, AAOA Basic Courses, AAOA Advanced Courses, and AAOA Interactive Allergy and Rhinology (former Core Basic and MOC) Courses. He served as Course Director of the Basic Course, CME Task Force, and Course Director for the Resident Course. He served on the AAOA Board of Directors as Chair of Patient and Professional Services, AAOA Coordinator for Education and Assessment, and is a Past President of the AAOA.   He also chairs the AAO-HNS Committee on Allergy, Immunology, and Asthma. He lives in Winston-Salem, NC and works as an Associate Professor of Otolaryngology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

MICHAEL PARKER, MD, FAAOA – Course Co-Director

Dr. Parker received his medical degree in 1982 from the State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse, and completed his otolaryngic residency there in 1987.  He currently practices privately, but maintains a close affiliation with the Health Science Center and is actively involved in teaching residents and students. Dr. Parker has served as a board member, Scientific Director, CME Chairman, and President of the AAOA, and in several faculty positions for the AAOA. He is the Past President of the Foundation Board.

ALPEN PATEL, MD, FAAOA

Dr. Alpen Patel was raised in Katy, Texas, & attended Tulane University. He later attended Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, where he obtained his M.D.
Dr. Patel then completed his internship and residency in otolaryngology- head & neck surgery at the University of Minnesota Hospitals in Minneapolis-St. Paul.  In 2002, he joined the faculty at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he started the George Washington University Allergy & Sinus Center. Subsequently, he joined the Emory University Department of Otolaryngology in 2006 & helped form the Emory Nasal, Sinus & Allergy Center. Dr. Patel then joined the Mid-Atlantic Permanente Medical Group (MAPMG) in 2009 & has been practicing in the Baltimore area since.
Since joining MAPMG, he has been Physician Mentor to several staff physicians & has served as the Lead Physician for Hospital Utilization for Baltimore. In addition, he has served as a Medical Director for the organization. Dr. Patel is Board Certified in Otolaryngology as well as Sleep Medicine. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) & a Fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy (AAOA).  He has served in the American Academy of Otolaryngology- Head & Neck Surgery as part of the Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Committee, as well as the AMA delegation. Dr. Patel has also served as a member of the AAOA Board of Directors for nearly a decade. His past roles include Socioeconomic Chair & Treasurer for the organization. He is currently the President-Elect of the AAOA. Dr. Patel & his wife have two sons.

MICHAEL PLATT, MD, FAAOA, MSC

Michael Platt MD, MSC is an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at Boston University School of Medicine. He is a fellowship-trained rhinologist who studies diseases of the upper airways via molecular bioinformatics approaches. He serves as Program Director for the Otolaryngology residency program at Boston University. Dr. Platt attended the University of Scranton and Jefferson Medical College before pursuing Otolaryngology training at Albany Medical Center and Rhinology Fellowship at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. While at Boston University, Dr. Platt obtained a Masters Degree in Clinical Bioinformatics. Dr. Platt lives in Brookline, MA, with his wife Judy who is the Director of Student Health at Boston University and his three children.

WILLIAM REISACHER, MD, FAAOA

Dr. Reisacher is a board-certified otolaryngologist, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of airborne and food allergies in children and adults. Dr. Reisacher graduated from The Mount Sinai School of Medicine in 1994, with Distinction in Research, and completed his Otolaryngology residency at The New York Eye & Ear Infirmary in 2000. He is currently on the full–time faculty of the Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Department at Weill Cornell Medical College / New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, where he is an Associate Professor and the Director of Allergy Services. Dr. Reisacher is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy (AAOA). He has published numerous chapters and research papers, holds a patent in the area of allergy diagnostics, and has presented his work at both national and international meetings. An Honor Award recipient for the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, Dr. Reisacher has served on the Allergy & Immunology Committee and Board of Governors, as well as the Board of Directors of the AAOA. Dr. Reisacher has appeared on national and local news broadcasts, providing commentary on ENT/allergy topics, and is the Senior Scientific Advisor and Co-founder for Allovate Therapeutics, a biotechnology company in New York City, which focuses on oral mucosal immunotherapy (OMIT).

MATTHEW W. RYAN, MD, FAAOA

Dr. Ryan is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, TX. Dr. Ryan’s clinical practice focuses on Rhinology and Allergy.  He currently serves as Chief of Staff of Zale Lipshy University Hospital and as the Fellowship program director for the Rhinology fellowship at UT Southwestern. Dr. Ryan previously served as Otolaryngology residency program director at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.  Dr. Ryan has served on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy and now serves as current President. He has edited the Rhinology and Allergy sections of the last 2 editions of Bailey’s Head and Neck Surgery-Otolaryngology, as well as editions of the Otolaryngologic Clinics of North America and Medical Clinics of North America. In addition he is Associate Editor for the journal Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

MARIA VELING, MD, FAAOA – Course Co-Director

Dr. Veling is a pediatric otolaryngologist at Children’s Medical Center and a professor of otolaryngology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. Soon after completing her otolaryngology training, Dr. Veling developed an interest in patients with allergies, leading her to become a fellow with the American Academy of Otolaryngology Allergy (AAOA). She has treated allergy patients for over 20 years and, as reflected by her research and publications, has focused her practice to include the otolaryngic comorbidities seen in this patient population. Dr. Veling has served as faculty at the annual, basic, and advanced courses of the AAOA.

JENNIFER VILLWOCK, MD, FAAOA

Dr. Jennifer Villwock is a board-certified otolaryngologist and fellow of the AAOA. She attended medical school at the Michigan State University – College of Human Medicine and residency at SUNY-Upstate in Syracuse, NY. Dr. Villwock is currently an assistant professor and associate residency program director at the University of Kansas. Her academic interests include olfaction and sinonasal disease. She is also passionate about medical education from the undergraduate level to continuing education. Dr. Villwock’s outside interests include “gardening” aka (according to her husband) digging up perfectly good lawn and then neglecting the new plants.

SARAH WISE, MD, FAAOA, MSCR

Sarah K. Wise, MD, MSCR is a Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the Emory Otolaryngology Residency Program Director, Rhinology Fellowship Director, and Director of Otolaryngic Allergy. Dr. Wise completed medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, residency at Emory University and rhinology fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Wise has served on the Board of Directors of the American Rhinologic Society and the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy. Her clinical interests include inflammatory rhinology, otolaryngic allergy, relationship of allergy and chronic sinusitis, and cerebrospinal fluid leaks. Dr. Wise lectures nationally and internationally. Her most notable recent publication is the International Consensus Statement on Allergy and Rhinology: Allergic Rhinitis (International Forum of Allergy and Rhinology, February 2018.)