Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Group
We are interested in understanding chronic rhinosinusitis—a condition causing the cavities around nasal passages to become inflamed and infected—and identifying new diagnostic and prognostic markers and treatment strategies that benefit patients.
Using a multidisciplinary approach, the Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Group is taking research from bench to bedside by investigating all aspects of rhinological research, from the mechanism and progression of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) to the identification and validation of new treatment strategies in vitro and in vivo.
Our research covers a number of areas, including:
- pathogenesis of CRS and specifically the role that bacteria and the local microbiome play in both the development of CRS and the recalcitrant course of some patients after surgery
- new strategies to improve wound healing post-surgery, such as gels and new topical treatments for CRS
- an animal model for eosinophilic sinusitis to study various aspects of the disorder
- different hemostats in skull base surgery
- an animal model of major vascular injury to trial new treatments and to train surgeons.
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Lead researcher
Professor Peter-John Wormald
Professor Peter-John Wormald is a consultant ENT surgeon and the current Chairman of the Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Group at the University of Adelaide. He is also the Professor of Skull Base Surgery at the University of Adelaide. He is recognised as a leader in sinonasal disorders, functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS), and endoscopic skull base surgery. In 2005, Professor Wormald authored a bestselling textbook on FESS, titled Endoscopic Sinus Surgery: Anatomy, Three-Dimensional Reconstruction, and Surgical Technique now in its 4th edition (Thieme Medical Publishers), which has been translated into multiple languages. His medical practice is devoted to rhinology and skull base surgery and his research interests include the involvement of the immune system and biofilms as etiologies of chronic rhinosinusitis.
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Research team
Research team Role Associate Professor Alkis J Psaltis - Consultant Surgeon and Head of Department Researcher Dr Kien Ha - Consultant Surgeon Researcher Dr Steve Floreani - Consultant Surgeon Researcher Dr John Ling - Consultant Surgeon Researcher Associate Professor Hashita Pant - Consultant Surgeon Researcher Dr Rowan Valentine - Consultant Surgeon Researcher Dr John Scott - Otorhinolaryngology Fellow Researcher Associate Professor Sarah Vreugde - Chief Medical Scientist Researcher Dr Clare Cooksley Researcher Dr Mahnaz Ramezanpour Researcher Dr Katharina Richter Researcher Mr Andrew Hayes Researcher Catherine Bennett Research support Dr Jae Murphy - PhD candidate Student Dr Lisa Marie Cherian - PhD candidate Student Dr Mian Li Ooi - PhD candidate Student Dr Sathish Paramasivan - PhD candidate Student Dr Jake Jervis-Bardy - MSc candidate Student Dr Annika Mascarenhas - MSc candidate Student Dr Stephanie Anne Fong - PhD candidate Student Dr Rachel Goggin - MSc candidate Student Dr Michael Gouzos - MSc candidate Student Dr Stephen Kao - MSc candidate Student Dr Anna Megow - MSc candidate Student Dr Beula Subashini Panchatcharam - PhD candidate Student Dr Rajan Vediappan - PhD candidate Student Ms Ashley Twigger - Honours candidate Student Dr Hua Hu International visiting researcher Dr Masanobu Suzuki International visiting researcher -
Partnerships
- Basil Hetzel Institute collaborators and external researchers: Ehud Hauben, Susan Lester and Maureen Rischmueller, Clive Prestidge, Nicky Thomas, Stephen Kidd, Benjamin Thierry
- International collaborators in the Netherlands, United States of America, India, Brazil, Chile, Canada, Thailand, Belgium and New Zealand
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Related areas of research
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