NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Residency Training program offers an unsurpassed specialty training experience to our resident physicians, while delivering high-quality patient care and advancing research in otolaryngology—head and neck surgery.

Residents enjoy guidance and expertise from our internationally renowned clinical and research faculty and train in facilities with the latest technologies, including endoscopic and robotic surgical equipment, CO2 and potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) lasers, and intraoperative surgical navigation.

Our department includes specialists in every subspecialty of otolaryngology—head and neck surgery, including head and neck surgery; laryngology; rhinology and endoscopic skull base surgery; otology, neurotology, and skull base surgery; pediatric otolaryngology; facial plastic and reconstructive surgery; general otolaryngology and sleep surgery; and audiology.

Graduates of our residency program are prepared with the background and education necessary to pass the American Board of Otolaryngology board certification examination; in the past 10 years, our first-attempt pass rate has been 100 percent.

Our program graduates go on to become academic faculty, department chairs, and clinical leaders at hospitals throughout the United States. Many choose to pursue advanced clinical or research fellowship training.

Residency Program Details

The residency in Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery is a five-year program. It includes one year of general training at NYU Langone that is supervised and scheduled by the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery. The residency program is overseen by Richard A. Lebowitz, MD, program director, and Seth M. Lieberman, MD, associate program director.

We accept four residents each year. They obtain valuable clinical experience with diverse patient populations at the following hospitals we serve:

• Tisch Hospital
• Kimmel Pavilion
• NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn
• NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
• VA NY Harbor Healthcare System
• Manhattan Eye, Ear, and Throat Hospital/Lenox Hill Hospital

Academic Curriculum

Our residency training program involves a formal didactic curriculum, as well as clinical training in a full range of inpatient and outpatient services. We host weekly otolaryngology grand rounds featuring an invited speaker on contemporary topics of interest and a Morbidity and Mortality Quality Assurance conference, an educational forum to discuss interesting and challenging cases. In addition, our faculty moderate a lecture series and host resident conferences to systematically cover the breadth of clinical otolaryngology over a two-year cycle.

A weekly multidisciplinary tumor board provides instruction in the management of patients with cancer of the head and neck and serves as a treatment planning conference. Residents also participate in numerous other monthly multidisciplinary conferences with our colleagues in neurosurgery, audiology, plastic surgery, neurology, radiology, and pediatrics.

Beyond the didactic curriculum, you receive surgical instruction in our fully equipped temporal bone laboratory, as well as in the anatomy laboratories at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. You are trained in the proper use and interpretation of the various audiologic and vestibular tests, including brainstem evoked response testing, otoacoustic emissions testing, electronystagmography, and dynamic posturography. In collaboration with other laboratories at NYU Langone, you also learn the essentials of speech and swallowing evaluation, including fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing, modified barium swallow, and videolaryngostroboscopic voice analysis.

We provide time off and financial support for resident presentations at all major academy and subspecialty society meetings.

Postgraduate Year 1

You spend your first postgraduate year (PGY-1) completing six months of surgical and critical care training and six months of otolaryngology training per American Board of Otolaryngology guidelines.

Designed to foster proficiency in the perioperative care of surgical patients, interdisciplinary care coordination, and airway management skills, you participate in non–ear, nose, and throat rotations. This helps you learn about the management of acute trauma, soft tissue surgical techniques, and the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary and cardiac diseases in a critical care setting.

You also complete rotations in otolaryngology and related subspecialties, including anesthesia, general surgery, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, and plastic surgery.

During this year, you also begin planning for a research rotation, which takes place in your third postgraduate year (PGY-3). You receive mentorship from our Resident Research Committee to help guide and develop your research interests and facilitate both clinical and basic science research opportunities.

Postgraduate Year 2

In your second year (PGY-2), you develop specialized skills to properly evaluate and manage otolaryngologic complaints and illnesses through intensive involvement with inpatient and outpatient experiences at Tisch Hospital, Bellevue, and Lenox Hill Hospital. Junior residents perform surgical procedures with supervision and assist with more complex operations.

Your operative experiences progress systematically as you advance through the residency program. In formal meetings, you continue planning for your PGY-3 research rotation.

Postgraduate Year 3

During your third year (PGY-3), as an intermediate resident, you learn to perform endoscopic evaluation of upper aerodigestive tract diseases and receive instruction in the use of C02 and KTP lasers to treat upper airway pathologies.

PGY-3 residents are introduced to more complex surgical cases, including endoscopic sinus surgery; they also assist with major head and neck surgical procedures and complete a three-month research rotation.

Postgraduate Year 4

In fourth year (PGY-4) otology clinic rotations, you develop the microsurgical skills necessary to manage otologic disease, identify otologic pathologies, and develop patient management plans.

At this level, you also begin your training in plastic surgical techniques specific to otolaryngology. You gain experience in reconstructive and cosmetic facial plastic surgery as well as in the management of maxillofacial trauma.

Fourth-year residents also spend three months as the chief of the otolaryngology service at the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System, performing the full breadth of surgical procedures, from cochlear implantation to endoscopic skull base surgery to major head and neck oncologic resections and reconstruction.

Postgraduate Year 5

The final year (PGY-5), your chief residency year, includes supervisory, administrative, and leadership roles. Your responsibilities include maintaining a busy surgical schedule and providing respective services at each of the constituent hospitals, direct supervision of medical students and residents at Bellevue, and scheduling academic teaching and conferences. As a chief resident at Bellevue, a resident-centered and resident-run hospital in New York City’s municipal hospital system, you not only manage your own patients but also develop skills in managing a team of physicians.

In this role, you attend head and neck surgery clinics, and your operative experience emphasizes the treatment of neoplastic disease of the head and neck region. You gain experience performing advanced endoscopic sinus surgery for the treatment of chronic inflammatory sinus disease and other sinonasal and skull base pathologies.

Upon graduation, you are prepared for an academic position in otolaryngology—head and neck surgery or for a position at an independent community practice.

How to Apply to the Residency Program

Our Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Residency participates in the National Resident Matching Program, also known as The Match. We accept residency program applications only through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), run by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

We accept applications from all graduating medical students. Students of underrepresented backgrounds including, but not limited to, those who identify as Black or African American, Latinx, Native American, Native Pacific Islander, or Native Alaskan are encouraged to apply.

Our program does not have a cut-off year—a maximum number of years since graduation from medical school—and does not have a score requirement on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE); however, the average score of our applicants is 235. USMLE Step 2 scores are not required at the time of the application process, but they must be submitted once you are selected into the program.

Each year, the application deadline for our residency program is October 1. Interviews for PGY-1 positions take place in December for the following academic year beginning July 1. If you are selected for an interview, we will contact you via email.

Contact Us

If you have questions about the Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery Residency, please contact Dieann Sangster, senior residency program coordinator, at dieann.sangster@nyulangone.org.

Learn more about graduate medical education programs at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and access information for incoming and current house staff.