Dr. J. Regan Thomas, Francis Lederer Professor and head of the department of otolaryngology - head and neck surgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, has been named president-elect of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS).
With more than 12,000 members, the AAO-HNS is the world's largest organization representing specialists who treat the ear, nose, throat, and related structures of the head and neck. Thomas’ election represents a three year leadership commitment in which he will serve on the executive committee of the AAO-HNS for a year each as president-elect, president and immediate-past president.
Thomas is a specialist in facial plastic surgery and reconstructive surgery and has led the department of otolaryngology - head and neck surgery for eight years, coming to UIC from the St. Louis University Health Sciences Center, where he also served as professor and chair. He has previously served as president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
"Dr.Thomas is the kind of chair every academic medical center wants: a great physician teacher and scholar who leads by doing and he has built a nationally prominent ENT program" said Dr. Joseph Flaherty, dean of the UIC College of medicine.
“UIC has played an exceptional role in the history of the science of otolaryngology into the 21st century," said Thomas. “My goal has been to enhance our role in the education of the next generation of otolaryngologists—clinically, didactically and in the area of research.”
UIC’s department of otolaryngology - head and neck surgery is the oldest department of otolaryngology in the country, celebrating its 150th anniversary last year and has been the home of groundbreaking invention and innovation in clinical and surgical techniques leading to important developments in head and neck surgery, facial plastic surgery, diagnosis of ear disease and treatment of hearing loss.
Under Thomas’ leadership the department has created three endowed lectureships, and a number of patient outreach initiatives, including the Now Hear This Fund, dedicated to helping patients in need receive treatment and access to educational resources.
The department has established an alumni organization that has brought together alumni from all over the country and was responsible for establishing the Bhatt Surgical Training Lab. In addition to the Bhatt lab, the department maintains established laboratories and teaching spaces such as the Galter Temporal-Bone Lab and the Torak Vestibular Lab.
“I’m honored by the confidence placed in me by my colleagues,” said Thomas. “I look forward to the challenges ahead.”
UIC ranks among the nation's top 50 universities in federal research funding and is Chicago's largest university with 25,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world.
For more information about UIC, visit www.uic.edu