Ron J Karni , MD

Amber U. Luong, MD, PhD, is a board-certified and fellowship-trained ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist providing patients with medical and surgical management of refractory chronic rhinosinusitis, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak repairs, sinonasal tumor surgery, endoscopic orbital and dacryocystorhinostomy surgery, and more. She is a professor and vice chair for academic affairs in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. Additionally, she has a joint appointment in the Center of Immunology and Autoimmune Diseases at the Institute of Molecular Medicine at UTHealth Houston. She is also president-elect of the American Rhinologic Society and an associate editor for the International Forum of Allergy and Rhinology. Luong obtained her medical and doctorate degrees at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center through the National Institutes of Health-sponsored Medical Scientist Training Program. She obtained her PhD under Nobel laureates Michael Brown and Joseph Goldstein for the identification and biochemical characterization of a novel human enzyme, acetyl coA synthetase. She then completed residency training at UT Southwestern and rhinology fellowship training at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. She has co-authored over 110 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Her primary research focus is on understanding the role of the innate immune response in the pathophysiology of chronic rhinosinusitis, with a particular interest in the role of environmental fungi in initiating these innate immune responses. She has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the American Academy of Otolaryngic Allergy, and the Triological Society. She is actively involved in several industry-sponsored multicenter clinical trials.

Vivian Kaul, MD, serves as an assistant professor in otology, neurotology, and lateral skull base in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. She is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, the American Neurotology Society, the Triological Society, and the North American Skull Base Society. She also serves as a peer reviewer for leading journals like the Laryngoscope, JAMA-Otolaryngology, and Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. She has also co-authored numerous articles published in these journals. Kaul’s clinical interests include hearing loss, cochlear implants, bone-anchored hearing aids, acoustic neuroma/vestibular schwannoma, epidermoid cysts, meningiomas, NF2, imbalance, Meniere’s disease, vertigo, encephaloceles, superior semi-circular canal dehiscence, tinnitus, otosclerosis, and cholesteatoma. Her research interests include patient education, cochlear implant outcomes, and lateral skull base outcomes. Kaul was awarded the prestigious American Neurotology Society Research grant to fund her research on cochlear implant patient education. She created a multimedia platform for her patients to better communicate and understand the disease and treatment process. She has given grand rounds and spoken nationally and internationally on many of these topics. She is fluent in English and Mandarin. Kaul has been both a marathon runner and a competitive figure skater.