which no one else in New Jersey is currently doing--and cochlear implants, both bilateral and for single-side deafness. The department Dr. Wackym is building includes, to date, two pediatric otolaryngologists and a facial plastic and reconstruc- tive surgeon who is also board certified in sleep medicine, and he is currently recruiting a rhinologist and anterior skull base surgeon, a head and neck surgeon, and another pediatric oto- laryngologist. school, along with the vision of what the institution will one of the driving forces of my decision to come here," he says. On the main Rutgers campus across the Raritan River, he observes, "there are so many auditory and olfactory neu- roscientists that if attributed to our department, we would be ranked 12th in NIH research support nationally." The goal to establish great clinical programs and recruit people into the eight schools of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences res- onates with those, like himself, who are interested in building a collaborative network that in turn can significantly advance clinical care. director of the Brain Health Institute (BHI) at Rutgers and the Murray and Charlotte Strongwater Endowed Chair in Neuroscience and Brain Health. Dr. Wackym is contributing his clinical knowledge and research expertise to the mission of the BHI, which is to research the causes of and treatments for brain and neural disorders. He is particularly interested in learning the mechanisms that produce the cognitive dysfunction that patients with third window syndrome have until their surgical repair. He says, "How many other disorders that produce cog- nitive dysfunction can be reversed with surgery? This offers a unique window into cognitive neuroscience--a disorder pro- ducing cognitive dysfunction and an opportunity for recovery." tional research in otolaryngologyhead and neck surgery does not need to be established from scratch. "This is just about making the connections work so we can help people--like Joey--regain their lives," says Dr. Wackym. the connections work so we can help people -- like Joey -- regain their lives," says P. Ashley Wackym, MD. the Department of Otolaryngology, please contact Dr. P. Ashley Wackym at ashley.wackym@rutgers.edu |