Johns Hopkins Pediatric Urology

Alexander Hillel specializes in the medical and surgical management of patients who have scar tissue blocking their larynx and/or trachea, a condition called laryngotracheal stenosis. This condition occurs in patients who have had prolonged intubation, an autoimmune disease or a rare disease called idiopathic subglottic stenosis. He also treats patients with voice and throat problems, including spasmodic dysphonia and swallowing difficulty. After he earned his medical degree from the Tulane University School of Medicine, Dr. Hillel completed his residency in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a fellowship in laryngology and airway surgery at the Emory Voice Center. Dr. Hillel directs a laboratory that seeks to better understand why scar forms in the larynx and trachea. In an effort to improve treatment, he and his team investigate the relationship between the immune system, bacteria and other antigens and scar formation in the airway. He has led a number of clinical trials to improve treatment for subglottic stenosis, including the first interventional study for idiopathic subglottic stenosis. Researchers in Dr. Hillel’s lab are also testing drugs that may halt the progression of, or reverse, scar formation, and they have engineered a drug-eluting stent that is being tested to translate to patients with subglottic stenosis. He holds sponsored grants to conduct his research from the National Institutes of Health, surgical foundations and the medical device industry. In addition to clinical and research work, Dr. Hillel has a leadership role within the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, serving as the vice director of education.

Pediatric otolaryngologist Jonathan Walsh specializes in head and neck masses, thyroid disorders, vascular malformations, tracheostomy, tracheal stenosis, aerodigestive disorders, chronic ear disease (ear infections), sinus disease (sinusitis), hearing loss, ankyloglossia (tongue-tie), sleep apnea and laryngeal cleft, as well as the full spectrum of pediatric head and neck disorders. He offers minimally invasive endoscopic ear surgery and minimally invasive surgeries of the airway, ear and sinus. Dr. Walsh earned a medical degree from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and completed residency training in otolaryngology at University of Rochester Medical Center. He served two years of active-duty service as a major in the U.S. Army at Fort Gordon in Georgia, after which he completed fellowship training in pediatric otolaryngology at the University of North Carolina. His research interests are in novel imaging technology applications for head and neck disorders; outcomes and health care disparities; ankyloglossia and lip tie; head and neck masses; and airway imaging and modeling. Dr. Walsh is director of the Johns Hopkins pediatric aerodigestive team and surgical director of the pediatric thyroid team. Additionally, he is an active participant in the vascular anomalies team, fetal therapy multidisciplinary team and pediatric sarcoma tumor board. Dr. Walsh is also the residency program director for the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Dr. Khaled Kebaish serves as chief of the Spine Division in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. He is a professor of orthopaedic surgery and neurological surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. His areas of clinical expertise include spine deformities and scoliosis, degenerative spine disorders, spine tumors and disc arthroplasty.Dr. Kebaish earned his M.D. from Cairo University. He completed his residency at University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada, and performed a fellowship in spinal reconstructive surgery at Johns Hopkins.Dr. Kebaish's research interests include the clinical and functional outcomes of spine surgery with a special focus on adult deformity surgery. He also focuses on the biomechanical testing and evaluation of different fixation devices and techniques in the adult spine.