News

During Indigenous Peoples’ Month, the UK College of Medicine is highlighting historical figures who paved the way for an equitable future in medicine.
 

For the second consecutive year, the University of Kentucky College of Medicine has received the 2022 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

To enable the University of Kentucky College of Medicine to succeed in its mission for a healthier Kentucky, leadership must prioritize the wellness and well-being of faculty, staff, and learners. Lisa Williams, MSSA, is serving in the college’s new leadership position, associate dean for wellness and well-being, to help us excel in this goal.

Nearly two years ago, with funding from UK HealthCare and the vice president for research, the College of Medicine launched the Alliance Research Initiative. It has a mission, Vice Dean for Research Rebecca Dutch, PhD, explained, “to help spur on transdisciplinary research by pairing clinical and basic scientists together to answer new questions in new ways.”

The UK College of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery recently celebrated the graduation of Dr. Christopher Rayle, Dr. Kaitlin July O'Brien, and Dr. Robin Pappal. Each of our residents will be moving on to some incredible opportunities. 

Dr. Christopher Rayle will be going to Johns Hopkins for a laryngology fellowship.

For more than two decades, Michael Cecil, MD ’00, R ’05, has served the Lexington, Ky., community as a physician committed to advancing the health and well-being of the Commonwealth.

The University of Kentucky College of Medicine has received the 2021 Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education.

Caitlin Fiorillo, MD, recently coordinated the UK Otolaryngology Resident Teaching Series for pediatric otolaryngology. As part of the 8-week curriculum, UK Otolaryngology residents participated in several simulation scenarios in the UK Simulation Center. The scenarios included rigid endoscopy setup to foreign body removal to microscopic laryngeal surgery. UK Oto resident physicians routinely praise the integration of simulation into the curriculum, as the hands-on experience serves to better prepare for the OR or to polish skills. Dr.

The University of Kentucky Department of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery recently celebrated the graduation of Nicole Starr, MD, MPH, Bryce Noblitt, MD, and Ben Lehmkuhl, DO. Dr. Starr will be starting a Facial Plastics and Reconstructive Surgery fellowship with Russell Kridel, MD, of Facial Plastic Surgery Associates in Houston, Texas. Dr. Noblitt is joining Mercy Health- St. Rita’s Medical Center in Lima, Ohio. Dr. Lehmkuhl is joining Florida Gulf Coast Ear, Nose, and Throat in Naples, Florida.

UK Otolaryngology recently hosted a cadaver dissection course for its residents and its neurosurgery colleagues. Partnering with Stryker Corporation, the lab spanned April 12-13, 2021, and involved endoscopic sinus and anterior skull base dissection, as well as facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. UK Otolaryngology residents received nearly 12 hours of hands-on dissection experience and teaching to augment what is being taught in the operating rooms and clinics.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 19, 2021) — One out of three individuals in the U.S. complain of sleep disturbances in their lifetime and 10% of the general population meet the diagnostic criteria of chronic sleep disorders. That number has risen among elderly individuals to 48% and over 50% among pregnant women.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 2, 2021) — Jack Hillard of Lexington has dedicated his life to supporting cancer patients. When he became one, he didn’t let that stop him.

Hillard’s journey with cancer started in 1993, when he was diagnosed with large granular lymphocytic (LGL) leukemia. Thankfully, he received an early diagnosis and has been able to keep the leukemia at bay with medication for over 25 years.

Brett Comer, MD, served as moderator for the Otolaryngology Program Director’s Organization (OPDO)/Society of University Otolaryngologists (SUO)/Association of Academic Departments of Otolaryngology (AADO) 11/19/2020 webinar on “Post-COVID Otolaryngology Resident Education.” DPDO/SUO/AADO are the key leadership organizations within academic otolaryngology, and their typical annual meeting has been converted to a series of webinars this year. Dr.

Matthew Bush, MD, PhD, MBA, is an experienced clinician, academic leader, and researcher. While he has been directly involved in health care and academia throughout his career, he credits the progress of his research career to a program he completed at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine while serving as a faculty member.

Lexington, Ky. (July 31, 2020) – During a routine surgery that combined their specialties, Dr. Mark Fritz, a laryngologist in the University of Kentucky Department of Otolaryngology, and Dr.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 10, 2020) – As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, researchers at the University of Kentucky are exploring the use of an antiseptic nasal spray and gargle to prevent transmission and infection of the virus among healthcare workers and non-COVID patients. The PIIPPI trial, which stands for Povidone-Iodine Intranasal for Prophylaxis in front-line Physicians/health care workers and Inpatients, is the first in the country to study iodine as a prevention measure in people who are not COVID-positive. 

The University of Kentucky Department of Otolaryngology is leading one of three national consortiums in otolaryngology resident education. Brett Comer, MD, UK Otolaryngology Residency Program Director, was selected to lead the Eastern consortium, otherwise known as Consortium Of Resident Otolaryngologic kNowledge Attainment (CORONA) Initiative in Otolaryngology (Entcovid.med.uky.edu). All consortiums involve remote lectures given live on a Zoom platform by world-renown faculty from numerous institutions.

The Medrobotics FLEX Robotics system is a new technology that is transforming the landscape of transoral robotic surgery. The technology was recently acquired by the University of Kentucky. The FLEX Robotic system gives physicians the ability to access anatomical locations that were previously difficult or impossible to reach with minimally invasive techniques.

BY MICHAEL CADIGAN KENTUCKY PUBLISHED 3:29 PM ET AUG. 28, 2019 LEXINGTON, Ky.

Dr. Caitlin Fiorillo completed her medical degree at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. She successfully completed her five year Otolaryngology Head and Neck residency here at the University of Kentucky. After residency graduation, Dr. Fiorillo went on to complete a Pediatric Otolaryngology fellowship at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. She will be the third Pediatric Otolaryngologist, joining Drs. Iverson and Azbell. Dr. Fiorillo is married with two children. UK Otolaryngology is thrilled with the newest addition to the department. Welcome, Dr.