UCLA Head and Neck Surgery Residency Program Statement on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
The UCLA Department of Head and Neck Surgery is committed to fostering an equitable, diverse, and inclusive culture, as this enhances our mission to excel in clinical care, research, education, and community service. We have a dedicated equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) committee and a curriculum for residents and faculty that specifically addresses equity and diversity. In addition to providing superlative care to patients all across Los Angeles and the globe, we are actively involved in understanding and addressing disparities in care with a focus on dynamic improvement and creating future opportunities. We celebrate diverse backgrounds and approaches, and we believe that diversity is key to advancing patient care and education. Our community of faculty, staff, residents, fellows and students is actively engaged in developing and maintaining a fair and equitable environment with opportunities for all. We strive to promote a learning environment that is inclusive of all trainees, and we actively recruit from diverse backgrounds.
"We strive to produce graduates of our residency program who are among those who change the way we think and practice Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery." —Paul H. Ward, MD
The integrated UCLA Head and Neck Surgery-Otolaryngology residency program is designed to produce academic surgeons who are also scholars and productive investigators. Residents receive broad, closely supervised training and experience in diagnosis and treatment of diseases and abnormalities of the ear, nose, throat, sinuses, larynx, esophagus, trachea, bronchi, and lungs.
Responsibility increases gradually throughout the program until competence is achieved in medical and surgical treatment of disorders of the head and neck, including ablative and reconstructive surgery for cancer, maxillofacial trauma, plastic and reconstructive surgery, microsurgery of the ear, salivary gland surgery, phonosurgery, and bronchoesophagology. The program integrates training at six affiliate medical centers: Ronald Reagan-UCLA Medical Center, UCLA Medical Plaza Outpatient Clinic, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Olive View Medical Center, West Los Angeles VA Medical Center, Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center, and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Residents receive their basic science, research and primary didactic training at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center and serve three-month rotations at the other hospitals.
The inclusion of basic science courses and research training in the clinical program, combined with the recognized excellence of the school and faculty, provide a superior milieu for the development of teacher-investigators. A significant number of former trainees have pursued careers in teaching and investigative otolaryngology. In fact, more than 25 former trainees have chaired otolaryngology departments at academic institutions.
