Recent News Stories
Baltimore Sun - April 27, 2013
The Science and Suffering of Hearing Loss
Katherine Bouton, a former New York Times journalist, recently published a well-acclaimed book on her experiences being a journalist and having hearing loss. She discusses several research discoveries made at Johns Hopkins including Dr. Frank Lin's research on the connection between hearing loss in the elderly and dementia..
USA TODAY - March 27, 2013
CNN African Voices - March 29, 2013
CNN’s African Voices highlights Africa's most engaging personalities. Watch the story of Ghanaian facial reconstructive surgeon Dr. Kofi Boahene leads medical teams on missions in various countries.
USA TODAY - March 27, 2013
Analysis: Allergy drops a good alternative to shots
Researchers at Johns Hopkins looked at studies in which researchers put small amounts of an inhaled allergen, such as mold and pollen, in liquid drops under the tongue. "Our findings are clear evidence that sublingual immunotherapy in the form of allergy drops are an effective potential treatment option," says senior study investigator Sandra Lin. A similar stories ran in the Baltimore Sun, and aired on ABC News, FOX News and NPR.
USA TODAY - January 22, 2013
Listen up: Dementia linked to hearing loss
"Our findings show how important it is for physicians to discuss hearing with their patients and be proactive in addressing hearing declines," says Frank Lin, an otologist and assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Medicine. This story also appeared in: Medpage Today, Science News, and U.S. News and World Report
CBS The Doctors - November 16
In a The Doctors exclusive, when skin cancer destroyed Sherrie’s ear, modern medicine helped her grow a new one – on her arm. Watch Dr. Patrick Byrne discuss how he came up with the procedure and the steps he took to perform it.
Baltimore Sun - September 26
Sherrie Walter will never wear earrings again, but recently started styling her hair in a ponytail the way she used to before she was diagnosed with skin cancer nearly four years ago. It's a big step for Walter, whose life was turned upside down when doctors finally figured out the persistent sore in her ear was actually basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of cancer. By then it had spread so much that the Bel Air mother of two had to have part of her skull and most of her left ear removed. But surgeons at Johns Hopkins Hospita, led by Dr. Patrick Byrne, have constructed a new ear for the 42-year-old Macy's manager and, feeling like her old self, Walter is again enjoying ponytails and other simple things in life. The rebuilding is believed to be the most complicated ear reconstruction in North America.
Baltimore Sun - September 21
Hearing impaired get boost at Hopkins clinic Better hearing technology called for at Hopkins, elsewhere
Going to the airport, store or doctor's office can be frustrating, said Dr. Frank R. Lin, a Johns Hopkins Hospital otologist and epidemiologist. For the hospital clinic, the Listening Center, he sought a special system that can cut out audio clutter and transmit a speaker's voice directly to a person's hearing aid or cochlear implant.
Baltimore Sun - September 16
PBS show shines light on BSO's OrchKids:'Arts and the Mind' looks at benefits of creative activity
Also getting attention is Dr. Charles Limb, the surgeon and neuroscientist (not to mention jazz sax player) at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His studies into the creative process include putting a hip-hop performer under a brain scanner.
Baltimore Sun - August 16, 2012
Hopkins to begin performing face transplants
Johns Hopkins doctors have received approval from the university’s institutional review board to begin doing face transplant surgeries, becoming the second hospital in Baltimore to offer the complex procedure.
The Johns Hopkins team includes Dr. W.P. Andrew Lee, director of Hopkin’s Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Dr. Chad Gordon, assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery; Dr. Patrick Byrne, associate professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery; and Dr. Gerald Brandacher, visiting associate professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery.
The New York Times - August 14, 2012
‘Insufficient’ Evidence for Routine Hearing Tests, Experts Say
That may change as new research links hearing loss to poor cognitive functioning, falls and the onset of dementia in older adults. Now, the challenge is to determine whether early identification, and treatment with a hearing aid or other interventions, has an effect on those conditions or on older people’s quality of life, said Dr. Frank Lin, assistant professor of otology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Trinidad Guardian - June 17, 2012
Parents Monitor Kids for Hearing Loss
Hearing loss is a prevalent cause of poor language development and educational achievements in children. Read more from neurotologist Dr Howard Francis of the Johns Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery who says one in every 500 children is born with a “significant” hearing loss.
The Atlantic - April 26, 2012
6 Cool Things People Have Done Inside MRI Scanners
Dr. Charles Limb, a hearing specialist at Johns Hopkins and a faculty member of the Peabody Conservatory, wanted to know how some musicians are able to produce concert-length pieces of music that are entirely improvised, from beginning to end.
National Public Radio - April 8, 2012
Cochlear Implants Redefine What It Means To Be Deaf
Dr. John Niparko, director of the Listening Center, commented that "Just like our cell phones [and] our laptops, cochlear implants are becoming smarter in terms of bringing in the most important sounds to the ear of the implant listener."
WYPR-FM - April 5, 2012
Good Cheer
Orioles opening day is Friday. Should something…exciting happen, such as knocking the Red Sox out of the playoffs in game 162, you might want to refrain from the kind of screaming you can see in the video above. So says Dr. Lee Akst, director of the Johns Hopkins Voice Center. He’s here today to tell Tom how to cheer without giving yourself polyps and nodules on your vocal cords, and what kinds of professions put people at most risk for voice problems–and it’s not just singers. Click on grey arrow key underneath the Orioles/Red Sox video.
New York Times - April 5, 2012
Why Won’t They Get Hearing Aids?
Of the 26.7 million people over age 50 with a hearing impairment, only one in seven, a meager 14 percent, use a hearing aid, said Dr. Frank Lin, assistant professor of otolaryngology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University.
Baltimore Times - March 16, 2012
Hopkins Doctor Says Sports Events and Cell Phones Can Harm Voice
"Yelling at basketball and baseball games, talking too much on your cell phone and other forms of overuse can damage your voice,” says Lee M. Akst, M.D.., assistant professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and director of the Johns Hopkins Voice Center.
WBAL-AM - March 12, 2012
World Voice Day April 16
What are the red flags of an over-used voice? Lee M. Akst, M.D.., assistant professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery talks with WBAL's Mary Beth Marsden about how to prevent vocal damage from relentless vocal stress.
Parade - March 2, 2012
Your Body Explained: Why does my nose run when it’s cold outside?
Your nose helps perform a kind of climate control by heating and humidifying the air that you inhale so that it better matches the moist, warm conditions inside your lungs. Glands in your nose produce secretions that add moisture, and blood vessels in your nose dilate to warm the incoming air, acting like miniature radiators. When you breathe super-frigid air, those phenomena are amplified, leading to runniness, says Andrew P. Lane, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Sinus Center.
HealthDayNews - February 27, 2012
Hearing Loss Triples Risk of Falling: Study
Hearing loss is associated with an increased risk of falling, according to a new study. Johns Hopkins researchers - including otolaryngologist Dr. Frank Lin - analyzed data from more than 2,000 people ages 40 to 69 who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2001 to 2004. The participants had their hearing tested and answered questions about whether they had had a fall in the past year. The study found that people with a 25-decibel hearing loss (classified as mild) were nearly three times more likely to have a history of falling than those with no hearing loss. Every additional 10 decibels of hearing loss meant an increased 1.4-fold risk of falling. Similar articles appeared in MSN Health and Fitness, Medical Xpress, Joplin Independent and Medbroadcast.com.
Baltimore Sun - February 14, 2012
People not using hearings aids despite hearing loss
Millions of people with hearing loss are not using hearing aids, according to new research by Johns Hopkins scientists, which was led by Dr. Frank Lin. Nearly 6.7 million Americans age 50 and older have hearing loss, but only one in seven uses a hearing aid, according to the new research. The Hopkins researchers said it shows how under treated hearing loss is. It is the most expansive data analysis on the subject ever. Similar articles appeared on WBFF-TV and ABC News.
NPR.org - February 10, 2012
How My Voice Went Silent by Richard Harris
Read - and listen - about how Mr. Harris lost his voice because his left vocal cord had essentially paralyzed and the treatment he received from Dr. Lee Akst at the Johns Hopkins Voice Center.
New York Times - January 16, 2012
Personal Health: Lifelines for People With Hearing Loss
Read about Dr. Frank Lin's research about hearing loss - a disability currently untreated in about 85 percent of those affected, may be the nation’s most damaging and costly sensory handicap. It is a hidden disability, often not obvious to others or even to those who have it.
TEDMED - December 2011
Watch Dr. Charles Limb's presentation at TEDMED where he talk about cochlear implantation - a surgery that treats hearing loss and can restore the ability to hear speech - and and how this technology doesn't let people fully experience music, yet.
Baltimore Sun - December 3, 2011
More suffer from hearing loss than expected, study shows
One in five Americans has significant hearing loss, far more than previously thought, according to new research that has scientists warning of an impending public health threat. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins say the growing number of seniors in the United States are at risk of isolation from their hearing loss and could suffer physical and mental debilitation. People think hearing loss is an inconsequential part of getting older," said Dr. Frank Lin, an assistant professor in Hopkins' department of otolaryngology-head and neck, who led the study. "But hearing loss is associated with a greater risk of developing dementia, and having poorer cognitive and physical functioning."
Baltimore Sun - November 23, 2011
Health officials alarmed over silicone injections for fuller buttocks
Doctors say treating those with silicone is difficult. The only way to get rid of it is to cut out the tissue and surrounding tissue that has been impacted, according to Dr. Patrick Byrne, director of the Hopkins Division of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, who was not personally involved in the dancer's treatment.
LA Times - November 15, 2011
Did you hear? One in five Americans has hearing loss
A study published Monday in Archives of Internal Medicine found that 20% of Americans over the age of 12 experience hearing loss in at least one ear. That figure surprised study leader Dr. Frank R. Lin, an assistant professor of otolaryngology and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore. Similar stories ran in other outlets including: Fox News, Catholic Online, Bloomberg News and BusinessWeek.com.
NPR.org - November 10, 2011
An Unorthodox Approach To Tricky Surgery
Dr. Kofi Boahene, an assistant professor of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins, has tried the technique in a handful of patients. The results from four cases were described in the journal The Laryngoscope last month.
Toronto Sun - October 26, 2011
Scarless way to remove tumors in skull
U.S. researchers have developed a surgery to remove tumours at the base of the skull that would result in no scars by entering through a patient's mouth instead. The scientists at Johns Hopkins Hospital, which includes Dr. Kofi Boahene, said there is a natural hole behind the molars, above the jawbone and beneath the cheekbone. This story also ran in HealthDay, US News and Gizmodo.
Baltimore Sun Magazine - September 25, 2011
Botox 2.0
Dr. Patrick Byrne and his patient are highlighted in this artice about Botox, which was originally intending to treat victims of accidents, however researchers at Hopkins may be in the early stages of developing the next big thing in cosmetic medicine.
Baltimore Sun - July 31, 2011
Hopkins team helps children with face-saving surgery
Doctor creates nonprofit that brings treatment to patients in Nicaragua. While still attending undergraduate school, Dr. Patrick J. Byrne made a promise: If he had the good fortune to go into medicine and become a doctor, he would do something for the underserved.
WJZ-TV - April 23, 2011
Dr. Patrick Byrne speaks to Kai Jackson about helping children with facial deformities, including cleft lip and palate, in the U.S. and developing countries
MyCity4Her - March 23, 2011
Top 10 Questions and Answers About Injectable Fillers
Read Dr. Lisa Ishii's blog post at MyCity4Her answering frequently asked questions about injectable fillers.
WBAL-TV - March 13, 2011
Docs Help Kids With Cleft Palates Remotely
Video conferencing is becoming more and more popular in the business world, but Dr. Patrick Byrne and his team is using the technology to help children in another country deal with the effects of a cleft palate.
New York Times - March 3, 2011
Aging: Hearing Loss Is Common but Often Ignored
Nearly two-thirds of Americans age 70 and older have hearing loss, but those who are of black race seem to have a protective effect against this loss, according to a new study led by Johns Hopkins and National Institute on Aging researchers. These findings, published online Feb. 28 in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, provide what is believed to be the first nationally representative survey in older adults on this often ignored and underreported condition. Contrary to the view that hearing loss is of only minor importance in old age, study leader Frank Lin, M.D., Ph.D., says studies including his own have strongly linked it to other health problems, such as cognitive decline, dementia, and poorer physical functioning. And he notes that relatively little is known about risk factors that drive hearing loss.
This study was also reported by Reuters, US News and on WYPR-FM "Maryland Morning."
Readers Digest "Best You" - March 1, 2011
Embarrassing Questions: “My hair has gotten so thin that you can see my scalp in certain places. Do hair implants make sense?”
Facial plastic surgeon, Dr. Lisa Ishii, who specializes in hair transplantation, provides information on today's hair implant process.
CBS Evening News - February 28, 2011
Study: HPV Linked to Head, Neck Cancers in Men
In a report about a new study that finds half of men in America are infected with the HPV virus, Dr. Sara Pai from the Johns Hopkins Head and Neck Cancer talks about this condition and a new clinical trial for people recently diagnosed with HPV-associated head and neck cancer.
PRESS RELEASE: Hearing Loss Rate in Older Adults Climbs to More than 60 Percent in National Survey - February 25, 2011
Nearly two-thirds of Americans age 70 and older have hearing loss, but those who are of black race seem to have a protective effect against this loss, according to a new study led by Johns Hopkins and National Institute on Aging researchers, led by Dr. Frank Lin. These findings, published online Feb. 28 in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, provide what is believed to be the first nationally representative survey in older adults on this often ignored and underreported condition.
CNN.com - February 15, 2011
Hearing Loss is Associated with the Risk of Developing Dementia
Dr. Frank Lin discusses the results of new study he led, which suggests that gradual hearing loss is a common symptom of aging, but in some people it may also be an early sign of Alzheimer's disease or other types of dementia. The risk of dementia appears to rise as hearing declines. Older people with mild hearing impairment -- those who have difficulty following a conversation in a crowded restaurant, say -- were nearly twice as likely as those with normal hearing to develop dementia, the study found. Severe hearing loss nearly quintupled the risk of dementia.
This study was also reported by Reuters, BusinessWeek, Fox News and on WYPR-FM "Maryland Morning."
Johns Hopkins Bayview Health & Wellness News - Winter 2011
Dr. Jean Kim talks about the use of stereotactic (3-D) guidance during sinus surgery, enabling procedures to be performed through the nose and eliminating the need for open surgery and cosmetic deformity. Read "Sweet Scents" in the Winter 2011 Johns Hopkins Bayview Health and Wellness News to find out more and learn about one patient's story.
WallStreetJournal.com - January 21, 2011
Woman Finds Her Voice After Rare Transplant
Director of the Johns Hopkins Voice Center, Lee Akst, M.D., comments on the future implications of a larnyx transplant that restored the voice of a woman who had been unable to speak on her own for more than 10 years.
ScienceDaily - January 18, 2011
Minimally Invasive Technique Appears Helpful to Reanimate Facial Paralysis
In the January/February issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals, Dr. Kofi Boahene, and colleagues from Johns Hopkins report about a procedure involving only one small incision and no major modifications to bone, which can be used to transpose a tendon and appears helpful in reanimating the lower face after paralysis.
Johns Hopkins Bayview Health & Wellness News - Winter 2010
Sinus Relief Is Just a Visit Away
Dr. Jean Kim is featured, discussing the joint Allergy-Otolaryngology Sinusitis Clinic at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, which offers patients a clear view of their sinus problems.
Baltimore Sun - December 9, 2010
Teachers put their voices to the test
Schoolteachers — much like professional singers — can take steps to protect their vocal cords. Dr. Lee Akst from the Johns Hopkins Voice Center comments that teachers, like professional singers, are vulnerable to severe voice problems and urges teachers to take voice stress seriously. Read more about one teacher's story and tips on how teacher's can keep their voice healthy.
CBSNews.com - December 2, 2010
Ben Roethlisberger's Broken Nose: Should Steelers QB Keep Playing?
Is Roethlisberger playing fast and loose with his health by playing again so soon? Could be, said Dr. Patrick Byrne. "We suggest athletes wait a week or two before resuming activities. Obviously he may not have that luxury."
Wall Street Journal - December 3, 2010
When to Leave the Stage
Dr. Lee Akst, director of the Johns Hopkins Voice Center, comments on a story about when aging singers should contemplate no longer performing because of voice issues caused by age and the fact that rock singers are especially prone to scarring or other damage to the vocal cords.
TEDx MidAtlantic
Dr. Charles Limb presented at TEDx MidAtlantic in November 2010, presenting the results of what he and his team uncovered when they put jazz musicians and rappers in an fMRI to find out how the brain works during musical improvisation. The research has deep implications for the understanding of creativity of all kinds.
Washington Post - September 27, 2010
Cued speech offers deaf children links to spoken English
Interim department director, John Niparko, M.D., is quoted, advising parents of children with hearing losses to think holistically about what communication method is best for their family. "We can use sign language, voice, cued speech," Niparko said. "Find what the child responds to . . . and use that as your early methodology of communicating."
FOX News - September 22, 2010
Doctors Remove Brain Tumor Through Eyelid in Ground-Breaking Surgery
Dr. Kofi Boahene and neurosurgery colleague Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, perform a ground-breaking procedure known as a transpalpebral orbitofrontal craniotomy; to put that in layman’s terms – it’s brain surgery through the eyelid.
WUSA-TV - September 16, 2010
Protecting And Preserving Your Voice
Dr. Lee Akst director of the Johns Hopkins Voice Center provides helpful preventive strategies for anyone who has a job which requires a lot of public speaking or projecting their voice in a loud environment, including: people also need to pay attention to dryness or lubrication and watch out for inflammation.
WMAR-TV - August 24, 2010
Tips on Keeping a Healthy Voice
Lee Akst, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Voice Center, talks about overall voice health and how teachers and other professionals who use their voice can protect it.
Science News - August 18, 2010
Teen Hearing Loss Rate Worsens
Otolaryngologist, Yuri Agrawal, M.D., is quoted in an article about a new study that shows the percentage of adolescents with some decline has increased since 1990s.
WHHG-TV (NBC) Hagerstown, MD - July 30, 2010
Fourth Grader and Family Raise Money for Children with Hearing Loss
The Fotta Golf Tournament held by family of boy who received a cochlear implant at the Johns Hopkins Listening Center, raised $14,000 to help other children and families who need cochlear implants.
Johns Hopkins Children's Center - July 7, 2010
Aerodigestive Clinic Can Help When Reflux Is More than Reflux
Pediatric otolaryngologist, Margaret Skinner, M.D., discusses the new clinic for the treatment of aerodigestive diseases – complex conditions involving the airways and upper digestive tract.
Baltimore Sun - June 27, 2010
Johns Hopkins Doctors do Brain Surgery via Eyelid
Kofi Boahene, M.D., otolaryngologist and facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon, and neurosurgeon Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa, M.D., have pioneered a new minimally invasive technique that removes skull base brain tumors through a patient's eyelid. Patient Jeanne Fogas had a brain tumor removed through an incision in her right eyelid that is now nearly undetectable.
Salon.com - May 24, 2010
How to be a Food Snob
Andrew Lane, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Sinus Center explains how your sense of smell impacts your taste buds reaction to food.
The JHU Gazette - May 17, 2010
Johns Hopkins Provost Honored with International Award
Previous chair of the Johns Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Surgery, now Johns Hopkins University's provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, Lloyd Minor, M.D., has been awarded the Prosper Ménière Society’s 2010 gold medal. The award is for Minor’s contributions to understanding the scientific basis of Ménière’s disease.
e-Pediatrician - April 21, 2010
Searching for the Source of Stridor
Pediatricians are well familiar with the high-pitched breathing sound called stridor, but pinning down its source in infants is another matter. At Hopkins Children’s recent Pediatric Trends conference, pediatric otolaryngologist David Tunkel, M.D., offered some tips on recognizing common causes of stridor in infants and strategies for prompt treatment.
WebMD - April 20, 2010
Cochlear Implants for Kids: Earlier Surgery Works Best
The sooner children with hearing loss receive cochlear implants, the better, according to new research in the April 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Children who receive cochlear implants before 18 months of age are better able to hear, comprehend sound and music, and speak than are their counterparts who receive the implants at a later age.
“Early-onset deafness is a common childhood disability that we can do something about,” lead study author John Niparko, M.D., the director of otology, neurotology and skull base surgery at Johns Hopkins Medicine, says in an email. “Using this technology in a strategic manner appears to carry profoundly positive effects.”
WMAR-TV - April 8, 2010
Rest Your Vocal Chords
World Voice Day is April 16, and Lee Akst, M.D., Director of the Johns Hopkins Voice Center, talks about different ways to keep your voice healthy and protect your vocal chords.
Johns Hopkins University Magazine - Spring 2010
Relief at Last for Sinusitis Sufferers
Jean Kim, M.D., Ph.D., talks about the discovery of the protein that may be responsible for triggering unwanted growths inside sinuses. This finding may lead to drug treatments that could halt their development and alleviate problems for people with chronic rhino-sinusitis.
SmartPlanet.com - March 25, 2010
Why Take it Easy When You Scream for your Team?
Director of the Johns Hopkins Voice Center, Lee Akst, M.D., provides tips on how to keep your voice at its best while cheering for your favorite sports team.
Baltimore Sun - March 18, 2010
Jean Kim, M.D., Ph.D., comments on the Neti pot as a way to moisturize dry, raw noses caused by allergies.
Urbanite - March 2010
Johns Hopkins scientist Charles Limb on the music in his mind
Charles Limb, M.D., talks about his joint loves: that of music and helping patients hear.
CNN.com - February 19, 2010
The Cruelty of Oral Cancer
Christine Gourin, M.D., director of the clinical research program in head and neck cancer comments about the lack of awareness of head and neck cancers, and the devastating effects it has on individuals diagnosed with this type of cancer, including Roger Ebert and All-Star NBA coach George Karl.
Podcast - January 22, 2010
The majority of people who have sinus surgery do benefit, a recent study shows
Andrew Lane, M.D. says careful and thorough examination determines which patients are most likely to be helped.
Watchful Waiting and Pain Relief Considered First when Treating Pediatric Ear Infections - January 2, 2010
Johns Hopkins Pediatric Otolaryngologist, David Tunkel, M.D., comments on physician practice when it comes to managing and treatment ear infections in children.
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