CME - Sisson-Ossoff

This meeting employs both case presentation and panel discussion formats. Educational programming will include current concepts of diagnosis and treatment in head and neck medicine. New techniques and technology will be addressed, as well as outcomes of surgical techniques.

The purpose of this program is to provide otolaryngologists an opportunity to review and update their knowledge in each sub-specialty of Otolaryngology. 

After participating in this activity, participants should be able to describe and discuss:

• Current evidence-based medical and surgical management of patients with common and uncommon disorders of the ears, nose, throat, head and neck.
• Emerging protocols, procedures, and techniques being investigated in major teaching centers.
• Future developments in the management of otolaryngologic disorders.

Sunday, February 1

7-8 a.m.: What Would You Do: Go For It or Punt?
8-9 a.m.: High Yield Head & Neck Literature Review
3-4 p.m.: Midface & Mandible Fracture: Trends & Innovation
4-5 p.m.: Business in Medicine
5-6 p.m.: Immunotherapy in Head & Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Monday, February 2

7-8 a.m.: Evidence-Based Facial Plastic Surgery: Impactful Literature & Practice Changes
8-9 a.m.: Periocular Rejuvenation: Fat, Fillers, Repositioning & More
9-10 a.m.: The Role in AI in Otolaryngology
3-4 p.m.: Advances in Skin Cancer
4-5 p.m.: Management of Laryngeal Trauma
5-6 p.m.: How to Be on Top of Billing (and Not Relying on the Office Manager)

Tuesday, February 3

7-8 a.m.: Difficult Airway Management
8-9 a.m.: Salivary Tumors: Watch, Biopsy, or Excise
3-4 p.m.: Pediatric Difficult Airway Management
4-5 p.m.: More Challenging Laryngology Cases
5-6 p.m.: Alley Endowed Lecture: The Power of Human by Adam Waytz, PhD
6:30 p.m.: James L. Netterville Alumni Dinner, all invited

Wednesday, February 4

7-8 a.m.: Laryngology: What Can You Do in the Office?
8-9 a.m.: Guidelines vs Realities in Pediatric ENT
3-4 p.m.: Cases of Consequential Dysphagia in Infants and Children
4-5 p.m.: Deep Dive into Down Syndrome
5-6 p.m.: Pediatric Hearing Loss: From Hearing Aids to Surgery

Thursday, February 5

7-8 a.m.: Chronic Ear Surgery: Complication Avoidance and Treatment
8-9 a.m.: Perioperative Management of the Sleep Surgery Patient
4-5 p.m.: Pulsatile Tinnitus
5-6 p.m.: Challenging Recalcitrant Rhinosinusitis

Friday, February 6

7-8 a.m.: Biologics and Beyond
8-9 a.m.: Management Acoustic Neuroma: Medical to Surgical

Course faculty selected to sit on each panel is coordinated by each Course Director and comprises internationally recognized experts in academic otolaryngology.

• Eben L. Rosenthal, MD
• Rakesh K. Chandra, MD, MMHC
• C. Gaelyn Garrett, MD, MMHC
• David S. Haynes, MD, FACS, MMHC
• Sarah L. Rohde, MD, FACS, MMHC
• Scott Stephan, MD
• Christopher Wootten, MD, MMHC
• John Seibert, MD, FACS

Adam Waytz, PhD joins Vanderbilt's 47th Annual Sisson-Ossoff Otolaryngology Symposium in 2026 as the invited Alley Endowed Keynote Speaker to present “The Power of Human: How Our Shared Humanity Can Help Us Create a Better World.”

Waytz is a psychologist and a professor of management and organizations in the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He uses methods from social psychology and cognitive neuroscience to study how people think about other minds and to investigate processes related to ethics and intergroup processes, and the psychological consequences of technology.

He has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Columbia University and a doctorate in social psychology from the University of Chicago. He received a National Research Service Award from the National Institute of Health to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. Waytz is the first person to receive twice the Theoretical Innovation Prize from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. He is also the winner of the SAGE Young Scholar Award and the International Social Cognition Network’s Early Career Award, and was a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation.

This program is designed for practicing otolaryngologists and otolaryngology residents and fellows seeking the latest information in head and neck medicine, as well as General Practitioners, Family Medicine Physicians, Primary Care Physicians, and Urgent Care Physicians seeking to deepen their understanding and broaden their treatment for diseases of the head and neck. 

The Vanderbilt Sisson-Ossoff Otolaryngology Symposium taking place Feb. 1-6, 2026 in Vail, Colo. is approved by the VUMC Office for Continuous Professional Development, Division of CME for a maximum of 24.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s).

There is a block of rooms reserved at The Lodge at Vail until Monday, Dec. 29, 2025, or until the block is full (whichever comes first).

To make a reservation:

1. Call the dedicated group reservations line: (855) 953-0197, open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. mountain time.
2. Reference the group name (Vanderbilt Sisson Otolaryngology Symposia 2026) and/or group code BVLVAN26
3. Should you acquire a room outside the block (in the event of an upgraded room, the block is full and you find space elsewhere within the property, etc.) please reference code SVLVAN25.

Note: The room block is expected to fill to capacity by the Fall. We encourage booking as early as possible.

Dress is casual and intended to suit conference attendance right off the slopes. Jeans, sweaters, ski pants, and athletic attire are welcome. 

Register for the meeting on or before January 2, 2025.

Early-Bird Registration

Available until Dec. 2. On Dec. 3, all registration prices will increase by $100.00.

If you register on or after Dec. 2: Your course gift will be shipped to your preferred address after the course and will not available for pick-up on-site. **This applies to general attendees, course faculty, and panelists alike.**

If you apply for a late registration after Jan. 2: Registrations are not guaranteed to be accepted. Your name-badge will NOT be pre-printed, and you will be provided a blank badge on-site. *This applies to general attendees, course faculty, and panelists alike.

Cancellation policy: Refund requests due to cancelled registrations will be accepted until Jan. 2, 2026 (30 days prior). After that date, registration refunds are not able to be provided. 50 percent registration refunds will be granted prior to that date.

2027 at The Lodge at Vail

January 31-February 5, 2027

2028 at The Lodge at Vail

January 30-February 4, 2028