Four UCF medical students were among just 13 nationally to be selected for a program designed to train future leaders in treating ear, nose and throat disease.
The Triological Society’s (American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society) ELEVATE-ENT program included hands-on clinical skills training, one-on-one mentorship with ENT physicians, and an opportunity for UCF students to engage with otolaryngology leaders from across the country.
Otolaryngology, also called ENT, is a specialty focused on diagnosing and treating diseases of the ear, nose, throat, neck and head.
“ENT brings together the senses – how you hear, taste, swallow, smell. It’s how our patients interact with the world,” says Juliana Morcos, one of the four UCF students. “And a minor change or surgical procedure can dramatically improve someone’s quality of life.”
Exposure to High-Tech Surgical Tools
Isaac Soloveychik is a third-year UCF medical student who aspires to become a pediatric ENT after graduation. The national program gave him an opportunity to experience new high-tech surgical instruments that ENTs use to repair delicate sections of the ear and throat.
He says simulations that allowed him to use forceps, scalpels and endoscopy tools brought his specialty of choice to life. And rather than a traditional clerkship experience, where medical students observe doctors, the ENT event had a physician standing behind Soloveychik, giving them real-world guidance as he used the tools.
The Power of Mentorship
Each selected student also received a mentor, who will stay with them as they progress through medical school and attend more society events.
Soloveychik did his undergraduate work at the University of Illinois, and his ENT mentor is a physician who has practiced for almost 40 years in the Midwest. Soloveychik says they connected immediately and through that engagement he was able to meet other experienced physicians and learn their perspectives on a range of topics. Even “bread and butter” therapies like tonsillectomies stirred strong debate at the conference, providing the UCF student with insights and perspectives. “ENTs are always learning from each other,” he says.
Second-year UCF med student Natalie Marshall’s mentor is an expert in laryngology, a subspecialty that focuses on the voice box. Through that mentorship, Marshall says she broadened her perspective on the range of career possibilities in the field, such as helping actors and singers maintain their health so they can pursue their dreams.
Research Connections
Antonia Tammaro is in her first year of medical school at UCF and is conducting several research projects with Nemours Children’s Health on cochlear implants and ways to ease bleeding after tonsillectomies. She says the ENT program provided an opportunity to get mentorship early in her training and make further research connections that will help her advance science.
Morcos, a second-year student, leads the College of Medicine’s ENT Student Interest group. She worried that the specialty might be too narrow a career path. But being selected as a fellow allowed her to see multiple avenues for her future – pediatrics, adults, head and neck cancers, research.
The specialty also offers experience in both surgery and the clinic. “You have the opportunity to make quick fixes that have an immediate impact and also follow patients for their whole life as they receive long-term care,” she says.
