Dr. Philip Schoenfeld

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.

Deepa Galaiya is a fellowship-trained neurotologist and lateral skull base surgeon. Her clinical practice specializes in the surgical and medical treatment of middle ear, inner ear, skull base, and facial nerve disorders in children and adults. This includes treatment of skull base tumors, vestibular schwannomas (or acoustic neuromas), cochlear implants, chronic ear disease, hearing loss, cholesteatomas, otosclerosis, cerebrospinal fluid leaks, and eardrum perforations. She is trained in endoscopic ear surgery, a minimally invasive approach to treat cholesteatoma and eardrum perforations that reduce the need for visible incisions. She will be serving the patient population in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., metro areas. Dr. Galaiya’s research interests include the development of a force-sensing microforceps for cochlear implantation to assess electrode insertion, tip foldover, and basilar membrane rupture. Her other projects involve computer vision for surgical navigation, tool-to-tissue registration for robotic temporal bone surgery, optimization of surgical ergonomics, and assessment of forces used in middle ear prosthesis placement with a cooperative control robotic arm.This provider is registered with the Florida Department of Health to perform telehealth services for patients in Florida.