Residency Programs

Otolaryngology

Welcome
Scope of Residency
ACGME Accreditation
Faculty
Program Strengths
Location and Training Facilities
Academic Schedule and Conferences
Student Rotations
Arranging Rotations and Interviews

Welcome to Otolaryngology

Welcome to the TAMC Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery Residency Program. Our mission is to provide the best medical care to patients with disorders of the head and neck from the Pacific Region and to train confident, compassionate, exceptional Otolaryngologists. Residents in our program will experience a rich training environment covering the breadth of our field. Graduates of our program will leave the program with excellent skills, personal growth, and be able to pass the American Board of Otolaryngology qualifying examination and pursue a practice at the highest levels of Otolaryngology.

Scope of the Residency

The program is 5 years in duration: 1 year of internship and 4 years of Otolaryngology residency. There is a centralized match through the military GME system whereby accepted applicants complete all 5 years of training in succession.

The program alternately accepts two residents then one resident per year in a 2-1-2-1 fashion. While the vast majority of clinical training is performed at Tripler, rotations are also performed at Queen’s Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente- Moanalua and the University of Kansas Medical Center.

ACGME Accreditation

The Residency Review Committee fully accredited this program in 2010.

The Faculty

The faculty consists of six full-time, board-certified Otolaryngologists with fellowship training in head and neck oncologic and microvascular surgery, facial plastic surgery, pediatric otolaryngology, and otology/neuro-otology. All faculty are clinically active and pursue research in their respective fields of interest.

Program Strengths

Volume: Tripler has the busiest surgical and outpatient ENT workload in the Army.

Academic performance: Tripler ENT has distinguished itself by scoring in the top 10th percentile of programs in the country on the annual otolaryngology in-service examination. Tripler residents typically are selected to present at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology.

Educational emphasis: Program curriculum is focused to develop early responsibility and autonomy. Our faculty are dedicated educators who believe in fostering personal and professional growth. Our program dynamic leads to a strong sense of pride and teamwork within the department.

Cultural and Surgical Case Diversity: Patient referral area for Tripler covers half the earth's surface (52%) and includes active duty military, family members, VA patients, and civilians from around the Pacific Rim.

The Pacific Island Health Care Project: This federally funded grant brings advanced head and neck cancer cases and a large number of patients with chronic ear disease to Tripler that are not seen in many academic institutions.

Fellowship opportunities: Approximately 50% of our residents have successfully pursued fellowship training in the subspecialty areas of their choice.

Training in humanitarian relief: Chief Residents participate on annual missions in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. Past sites have included Palau, Marshall Islands, Vietnam, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia and Nepal.

Research opportunities: The Department of Clinical Investigation, adjacent to the hospital, affords staff and residents the opportunity to participate in basic science projects and animal research in a state-of-the-art facility.

Surgical experience: Residents graduate with extensive experience as primary surgeon including a broad mix of facial plastic, neuro-otology, pediatric, and head & neck oncology cases.

Location and Training Facilities

Established in 1907, Tripler is located atop Moanalua Ridge with commanding views of Honolulu and the Pacific Ocean. Tripler Army Medical Center is a 206-bed hospital offering state-of-the-art patient care with an 800,000 active duty, family members, and retiree population of all four armed services. The Spark M. Matsunaga Veterans Affairs Medical & Regional Office Center opened in 2000 on the Tripler campus and uses Tripler as its tertiary referral center. The program also benefits from caring for a diverse patient population from various islands in the Pacific Basin who are funded by the Pacific Island Health Care Program. Tripler Army Medical Center is a leader in medical technology having been recognized as one of the 100 most "wired" hospitals in the nation.

Academic Conferences

Conferences held weekly or biweekly:

Grand Rounds

Speech and Audiology Conference

Pre-operative and post-operative conference

Head and Neck Oncology Conference

Conferences held monthly or quarterly:

Neuro-Radiology Conference

Morbidity and Mortality Conference

Head and Neck Tumor Board

Otopathology conference (teleconference: Harvard and HEI)

Mock Oral Board

Journal Club

Hawaii Society of Otolaryngology Meeting

Craniofacial Conference

Cochlear Implant Conference

Conferences residents attend annually or biannually:

Pacific Rim Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Update

Pan Pacific Surgical Association Meeting

Madigan Seminar

Streit Seminar

Residents also attend the following courses:

AAOA Basic Allergy Course

Iowa Basic Science Anatomy Course

Iowa Head & Neck Cancer and Reconstructive Surgery Course

The following courses are held at Tripler annually:

Audiology/Speech Pathology Basic Science Course

Cadaver Lab, including Soft Tissue Surgery Workshop

Microvascular Course

Maxillofacial Trauma Course

Otolaryngology Update for the Primary Care Provider

Simulated Oral Exam

Sinus Endoscopy Course

Temporal Bone Lab

Medical Student Rotations

Rotations are highly encouraged for anyone interested in pursuing a career in Otolaryngology or those who wish to get a solid overview of the specialty. What better place than Hawaii? Students may elect to spend two to six weeks on rotation. They are assigned ward, clinic, and operating room duties, and will be exposed to all facets of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery.

For students interested in the residency, rotations early in the academic year provide the best opportunities for evaluation prior to the October application deadline and match held in November.

To arrange for a rotation please contact:

Ms. Gladys Nakamura-DePorto
Student Coordinator
Medical Education Office
Tripler Army Medical Center
Honolulu, HI 96859-5000
(808) 433-6992
Email: Gladys.Nakamura@amedd.army.mil

To speak to the program director:

LTC Mitchell J. Ramsey, MD
Otolaryngology Residency Program Director
Chief, Otology/Neuro-otology
Attn: MCHK-DSH 1 Jarrett White Road
Tripler Army Medical Center
Honolulu, HI 96859-5000
(808) 433-3204/3169
(808) 433-9033 (Fax)
Email: Mitchell.Ramsey@us.army.mil
Email: ramseymj001@gmail.com