Marshall Bedine, MD

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 David Tunkel specializes in the treatment of airway disorders in children, including obstructive sleep apnea, congenital or acquired abnormalities of the larynx and trachea, and infections of the upper airway, as well as common infections of the ears, nose and throat. He also treats children who need surgery for chronic otitis media, conductive hearing loss and cholesteatoma, and is nationally known for treating children with special needs, including those with cleft palate, Down syndrome, short-stature skeletal dysplasias and neuromotor diseases. A leader in developing evidence-based guidelines to provide optimal care for children with ear, nose and throat diseases, Dr. Tunkel has conducted research that showed the success of new methods of subtotal tonsillectomy in treating sleep-disordered breathing, with improved recovery for many children. Dr. Tunkel earned his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he remained for residency training in otolaryngology. He completed fellowship training in pediatric otolaryngology at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., and served as the director of pediatric otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins for 30 years. He is chair of the Guideline Taskforce for the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, and was the lead developer for guidelines on tinnitus and nosebleed management. In addition, he is an editorial board member for JAMA Otolaryngology. Dr. Tunkel has served as chair of the Pediatric Otolaryngology Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, and was the chairperson of the otolaryngology section of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has been a board member for the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, and has participated in clinical practice guideline development for major national organizations, recently serving on committees for acute otitis media and the use of tympanostomy tubes. Dr. Tunkel has been recognized by Baltimore magazine as a “Top Doctor,” and has received various accolades, including honor awards from the Maryland Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.

Shaun Desai, M.D., is an associate professor of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery and chief of facial cosmetic surgery in the Johns Hopkins Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Desai is also part of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital and Suburban Hospital in the Washington D.C. and National Capital Region. Dr. Desai splits his clinical practice and sees patients in the downtown Baltimore main campus, Lutherville (Green Spring Station), and Bethesda.Dr. Desai's practice focuses exclusively on plastic surgery of the face, head, and neck. Within the field of facial plastic surgery, his practice encompasses a broad spectrum of both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery. Cosmetic procedures include but are not limited to, rhinoplasty, facial rejuvenation surgery (facelift or browlift), eyelid surgery, facial augmentation, and wrinkle treatment (Botox, fillers, and chemical peels). Reconstructive procedures include facial trauma management, microvascular or “free-flap” reconstruction of major head and neck defects after cancer or trauma, skin cancer reconstruction after Moh’s surgery, and management of skin cancer, such as malignant melanoma.Dr. Desai received his undergraduate and medical degree with honors at The George Washington University School of Medicine. He received an academic scholarship through an accelerated 7-year B.A./M.D. program with early acceptance to medical school from high school. Dr. Desai completed a five-year surgical residency training program in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital of Washington University in St. Louis, as well as an American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) fellowship with particular training in facial plastic and microvascular reconstruction of the head and neck. While at Washington University, Dr. Desai received the distinguished Resident Teaching Award, as voted upon by his peers. At Johns Hopkins, as the Associate Residency Program Director, he has been awarded the George Nager MD Faculty Teaching Award as voted upon by the Johns Hopkins Residents.Dr. Desai has traveled to Peru and India several times on cleft lip and palate mission trips with the Healing the Children Non-Profit Organization. He has received numerous travel grants for his work, including grants from AAFPRS, the American Academy of Otolaryngology and the American Head and Neck Society.Dr. Desai’s research interests include novel and advanced methods of microvascular reconstruction of the head and neck using innovative technology. He also has an interest in the diagnosis and management of malignant melanoma of the head and neck. He is also an active surgical member of the multi-disciplinary Facial Transplantation team at Johns Hopkins. He has received several research awards and grants, including the Alpha Omega Alpha Research Award; the Doris Deford Speck and George Speck, M.D., Endowed Prize in Medical Research; the AAFPRS Ben Shuster Memorial Research Award; and the distinguished AAFPRS Leslie Burnstein Research Grant, an honor given to only two residents each year. To date, he has published over 45 research articles, 9 book chapters, and solely edited his own textbook entitled, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: Clinical Reference Guide.Dr. Desai is a member of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, as well as the Washington Metropolitan Ear, Nose, Throat Society. He is a reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals including, JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery, Oral Oncology, Laryngoscope, and Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.