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WelcomeErin Buczek MD FACS

Welcome from the Program Director

Greetings from Kansas City! Whether you are an 4th year medical student navigating your path toward an Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Residency position, or an M2 exploring ENT as a possible career choice, we are excited for you to get to know more about KU ENT.

The last year has been one of exciting growth and changes in the Department. After having served as associate program director, I am eager to step into the role of program director as of January 2024. Joining our program leadership team as the new associate program director is KU alum Dr. John Flynn. He brings a wealth of passion and great ideas about innovative surgical education. Dr. Hannah Kavookjian continues her role as medical student clerkship director and interest group faculty mentor. We aim to gain exposure to otolaryngology and provide mentorship for all medical students. 

Our residents and research fellows continue to make in impact on the national and international stage, with several of our residents presenting at Academy in Nashville and AHNS in Montreal this past summer/fall. Dr. Frank Materia, whose expertise is in implementation science and community-based medicine has recently joined our Research Division. Last year, Dr. Chiu and team spearheaded the Center for Health Innovation and Transformative Care, a groundbreaking institutional effort to leverage multidisciplinary expertise, behavioral insights, and digital technologies to enhance the patient experience and influence provider practice.

With so many exciting things happening at KU, it is a wonderful time to consider making KC a place to live and train to become a future leader in Otolaryngology.  This spring, we are looking forward to applications for medical student away rotations in the fall, graduation for our four outstanding chief residents and our annual resident research symposium.  

I am excited for the next academic year and cannot wait to see what challenges and successes are ahead for KU OTO-HNS. If you can't find the answers you seek or the information you are looking for on this website, drop us a line via the Request Residency Information form or send us an email. We are here to help.

Welcome to KU ENT!

Erin Buczek, MD, FACS
Residency Program Director

Application

The University of Kansas School of Medicine Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (OTOHNS) training program accepts four new residents each year through the National Resident Matching Program (www.nrmp.org). Applicants must graduate from a LCME-accredited medical school in the United States or Canada and be eligible to obtain Kansas and Missouri medical licenses. In the last three years we received between 350 and 425 submissions. Approximately fifty applicants are invited to interview. We returned to in person interviews again starting with the 2023-2024 application cycle. The interview experience consists of round robin interviews with program faculty and residents, with opportunities to ask questions of residents in less formal group settings. Interviewees are ranked based on their preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials and communication skills.

General Information

The OTOHNS program consists of five years of OTOHNS training under the direction of the Residency Program Director Erin Buczek, MD, FACS and Associate Program Director John Flynn, MD.  The Department's research program is directed by the Resident Research Committee, chaired by one of our lead researchers, Dr. Jennifer Villwock, with the assistance of Frank Materia, PhD. Our Clinical Competency Committee helps to ensure successful learning outcomes in our robust training program. Senior Program Coordinator Toni Holthaus, MBA provides day-to-day coordination and support for the program leadership, current residents and fellows, and alumni.

The University of Kansas Residency Program has received favorable review with commendation by the ACGME OTOHNS Residency Review Committee and our Residency Program was awarded a ten-year cycle within the ACGME's accreditation system.

Contact

Toni Holthaus, MBA
Senior Coordinator
aholthaus@kumc.edu
(913) 588-6739

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KU School of Medicine

University of Kansas Medical Center
Department of Otolaryngology–
Head & Neck Surgery
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Mailstop 3010
Kansas City, KS 66160
913-574-0181