Message from the Program Director

Residency Program Director: Marisa Earley, MDWelcome

Thank you for taking the time to explore our Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery here at UT Health San Antonio! Our website includes information on current faculty and residents, our Centers of Excellence, our curriculum and research endeavors as well as links to resident benefits, rotation schedule, sample didactic schedule, primary teaching sites and the city of San Antonio.

As Program Director, I am immensely proud of our residents and faculty in terms of their resilience, communication, support and comradery through the challenges we have all faced during this global pandemic. The continued forward progress and growth we have accomplished as a department is a testament to the creativity, open-mindedness and team spirt that our department embodies.

At our core, we are a diverse and comprehensive group of otolaryngologists, audiologists, physician associates, speech and language pathologists (SLP), and staff. We offer education not only to our residents but also to our Audiology students and to our Masters in Deaf Education students. We have a hands on approach to patient care and strive for early operative experience and graduated responsibility.

Our formal educational curriculum runs in tandem with our sister Otolaryngology program at the San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), with both teams following a 2 year block schedule. This includes not only Grand Rounds presentations, but also Case Presentation Conferences, hands-on learning sessions in cadaveric labs or with surgical device representatives, interdisciplinary presentations with our Radiology, SLP and Audiology colleagues, and more. We have dedicated and protected educational time for over 4 hours each Tuesday morning for residents, with 2nd and 4th Tuesdays combined with our SAMMC counterparts. In order to support self-driven education, residents have access to Board Vitals and the new FLEX curriculum offered by the AAO-HNS.

We host national speakers in our field through our annual Master Educators Conference, Translational Research Day, and Joint Research Day events. Our residents receive protected research time during their 2nd and 4th years in order to focus on projects without clinical responsibilities. This results in meaningful, prospective projects over the course of their residency. All residents also complete a Quality Improvement project that often results in lasting and significant change for the department and institution.

Currently we have a 1:1 ratio of residents to faculty. We also have 40% female residents and 40% female faculty. Thirty percent of our residents are Under Represented Minorities. Our graduates advance to both prestigious subspecialty fellowships (nationally and internationally) as well as excellent private practice opportunities across the country (link to grads). Our residents and faculty care for not only the patients of San Antonio, but for much of South Texas and beyond. We are able to provide care to some of the most vulnerable patient populations often with unique and advanced pathology. This creates a unique and meaningful experience for our providers, as well as the opportunity to work to improve access to care.

Your experience at San Antonio will be deeply rewarding, comprehensive, and supportive. We hope to help you grow not only as a clinician but also as a person, creating lasting relationships with your faculty and co-residents. I look forward to the opportunity to meet with you and discuss all the amazing opportunities here!

Marisa Earley, MD

Associate Professor in Pediatric Otolaryngology
Residency Program Director
Past Chair, UT Health San Antonio Faculty Senate
UT Health San Antonio
Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine
Department of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery