Simon R. Best, MD

Laryngologist Simon Best specializes in voice and airway disorders, including the comprehensive care of professional voice-users and performers. He treats patients diagnosed with recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), vocal cord paralysis, laryngeal cancer, precancerous vocal cord dysplasia, benign laryngeal lesions (polyps, cysts, nodules), and laryngeal and tracheal stenosis. He has expertise in the operative management of vocal cord disorders, including Blue Light laser surgery and office-based management of vocal cord papilloma, dysplasia and vocal cord paralysis. Dr. Best earned a medical degree from the Yale School of Medicine and completed residency training in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He undertook fellowship training in laryngology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Best has a particular clinical and research interest in recurrent respiratory papillomatosis and sees patients from across the country for specialized care for this disorder. He offers operative and office-based laser for papilloma, utilizing the Blue Light laser, which allows for precise excision of papilloma while preserving underlying vocal function. Dr. Best is also a pioneer in the adjuvant use of bevacizumab for RRP, helping many patients break the cycle of repeated surgeries. The Best Laboratory studies RRP and the development of novel immunotherapies to target the underlying viral infection. This research is conducted in collaboration with the head and neck cancer and cervical cancer research groups at Johns Hopkins, which also study human papillomavirus-related diseases. In addition, Johns Hopkins is a site for ongoing clinical trials in DNA immunotherapy, the goal of which is to eliminate the causative viral infection that leads to RRP.