UF brings first Advanced Otology Fellowship Program to North Florida
The inaugural fellow began specialized ear surgery training in July
Dec. 6, 2022 — After completing his medical degree and otolaryngology residency at the University of Miami in 2003, William “Bill” O. Collins, M.D., FACS, FAAP, became the first sinus surgery fellow at the South Florida academic health institution.
Almost two decades later, Collins, now chair of the University of Florida College of Medicine Department of Otolaryngology, or ENT, is leading the department as it starts UF’s trailblazing Advanced Otology Fellowship Program under the direction of assistant professor Si Chen, M.D. The program is the first of its kind in North Florida and one of only about a dozen across the U.S.

In a state with an ever-growing population of elderly and hearing-impaired residents, specialized physicians capable of caring for complex hearing and balance patients are a boon. The new fellowship program, launched earlier this year, is poised to help meet that crucial need.
“One of our goals is to train the future leaders of our field,” Collins said. “We wanted to build and expand our education initiative above and beyond and develop a long tradition of training some of the best ear surgeons in the country.”
When Chen joined the UF College of Medicine in 2019 as its third fellowship-trained ear surgeon, Collins said it was the perfect time to capitalize on the department’s expertise and start UF’s Advanced Otology Fellowship Program. Chen, who serves as the fellowship director, organized a plan for the program with the help of her colleagues Patrick Antonelli, M.D., and Rex Haberman, M.D. Chen obtained approval from the university’s Graduate Medical Education Committee, allowing UF to welcome its first advanced otology fellow, Samuel H. Smith, M.D., M.P.H., in July of 2022.

“I’ve been very happy here,” Smith said. “To be thrown into doing purely ear work and to be able to work on becoming an expert in otology is really what I enjoy most about ENT.”
Any specialty fellowship takes hard work and dedication, Smith said, but the University of New Mexico School of Medicine alumnus discovered his love for otolaryngology entirely by accident. In an attempt to avoid a pediatric cardiology rotation as a young student, Smith instead signed up for a rotation in ENT — a subject he knew nothing about. But after seeing patients’ lives change through treatment for infections, hearing loss and dizziness, he knew he had found the right field.
Complex ear surgeries and more intricate patient cases are Smith’s favorites to navigate, he said. It is the challenging middle ear and implantable device surgeries, for which patients from Florida, Georgia and Alabama are often referred to UF Health, that stump a majority of ENT residents across the country even in their fifth year of training, according to recent research.

“There’s a need for additional ear training after ENT residency,” Chen said. “And especially for people who want to concentrate on ear surgeries and provide specialized care to patients, there aren’t enough fellowship spots. So, we created a spot to make advanced ear training available to people who really want to pursue it.”
After completing the yearlong Advanced Otology Fellowship Program, Smith said he hopes to find a job at an academic medical center like UF, where he can continue to work with residents and students, become an otology expert like his program mentors and live happily with his wife, sons and two dogs.
“Wherever he ends up, he’s going to make us proud,” Collins said.
Chen agreed, adding that UF “hit the jackpot” with Smith.
“We’ve been lucky to find the right person to get the program off the ground, and we’re lucky that we’ve had a good number of applicants for next year,” Chen said. “We want to establish the program as the leader of ear surgery and ear research in the region and in the country. We’re excited for the future.”
Learn more about UF’s Advanced Otology Fellowship Program on its website.
