Laryngology & Voice Disorders One-Year Fellowship Program

July 2019-June 2020

About the Fellowship

Program director, Dr. Blake Simpson, has been practicing laryngology exclusively for almost 25 years in San Antonio, following a Fellowship in Laryngology and Care of the Professional Voice at Vanderbilt University.

Dr. Simpson’s practice is a very busy, varied laryngology practice which is predominantly voice (including a substantial amount of professional voice/singing voice), but also provides an ample amount of exposure to airway stenosis and swallowing disorders. The referral base is huge, drawing from the entire state of Texas, as well as the southwestern region of the country. Dr. Simpson’s particular areas of expertise include laryngeal framework surgery (medialization laryngoplasty, arytenoid adduction), microlaryngeal “microflap” surgery, innovative treatments for airway stenosis, and local office-based procedures (including vocal fold injection augmentation, per-oral and EMG-guided Botox, pulsed-KTP laser treatment of laryngeal lesions, and laser treatment of airway stenosis under local anesthesia). The Fellow will receive extensive exposure and hands-on experience in all of these areas.

In addition, Dr. Laura Dominguez had been a voice center faculty member since September of 2015, after finishing a fellowship with our program. She has expertise in innovative treatments for posterior glottic stenosis and does most of our Zenker’s, transnasal esophagoscopy and cricopharyngeal surgery.

In addition to exposure to the diagnostic and surgical aspects of laryngology, the Fellow will work closely with our Speech and Language Pathology (SLP) team in a collaborative role to augment their educational experience. All new patients are seen with the speech pathologist at their first clinic visit. We believe this collaborative approach strengthens the Fellow’s experience. The SLP team is particularly valuable in providing additional training in swallowing evaluation and treatment, including FEES (functional endoscopic evaluation of swallowing), and modified barium swallow exams.

Weekly Schedule

The Thursday OR day is mostly microflaps, injections, and local anesthesia-based procedures and is in our Ambulatory Surgery Center. Friday OR is framework and airway surgery and occurs at University Hospital.

The caseload that comes from the Fellow’s own clinic is almost exclusively laryngology and is a good way to experience the process of developing a voice practice, before beginning an academic or private practice career. The residents will be very involved in the care of these patients, and this is an excellent way to prepare the Fellow for an academic career.

In terms of the educational experience of the Fellow, a text co-authored by Dr. Simpson entitled “Operative Techniques in Laryngology” will be provided to the Fellow to help prepare for surgical cases. Also, the Fellow will have an all-expenses paid trip to attend the annual Advanced Practices in Voice and Dysphagia course in Las Vegas, of which Dr. Simpson serves as a co-director. In addition, the Fellow’s travel and accommodations are covered for the Fall Voice Conference and the annual Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings. As a general rule, the Fellow is expected to submit an abstract to each meeting.

Location

The physical plant for the Laryngology Fellowship is first rate. The Voice Center is in our primary practice building, the Medical Arts and Research Center or “MARC” where we have generous clinic space including 3 large videostroboscopy suites, a procedure room, 9 chip-tip flexible laryngoscopes (4 with side channels for procedures), 2 transnasal esophagoscopes, and a pulsed-KTP laser for minimally invasive treatments in the clinic. In addition, a surgery center is present in the building where all elective outpatient cases take place. All airway and framework cases are performed at University Hospital, our primary affiliated hospital.