Samer Fakhri, ENT

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.

Ron J. Karni, MD, is a board-certified otorhinolaryngologist specializing in the management of benign and malignant tumors of the head and neck, including throat cancer, oral cancer, larynx cancer, locally advanced skin cancer, salivary gland tumors, and thyroid/parathyroid disease. He performs transoral robotic surgery for tumors of the throat, a modern approach to minimizing the side effects of treatment for throat cancer. He also performs ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy for thyroid nodules and minimally invasive thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Karni is also an associate professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.

Ibrahim Alava III, MD, is a board-certified otorhinolaryngologist specialist who diagnoses and treats head and neck disorders. His clinical interests include new innovations in treating subglottic stenosis, endocrine head and neck surgery, skin cancers of the head and neck, and all aspects of general otolaryngology. Alava is an associate professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. His research interests revolve around patient-centered outcomes and health care disparities in the underserved.