African Otological Society
Dr. Greg Basura launched the African Otological Society in November 2023. This is an online society aimed at building community and otology and audiology capacity in Africa. This community presents each month with a featured country and is currently crafting otology and audiology resource-centric clinical practice guidelines to optimize care in resource-constrained areas.
American Academy of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery
The Department shares a wonderful relationship with the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), where University of Pittsburgh otolaryngology faculty regularly present at the annual meeting and are involved with committee work. Dr. Basura is the Chair of the Humanitarian Efforts Committee (HEC) and engages at the national level and coordinates the subcommittees, including the scholarly output committee, the communications subcommittee, and the education subcommittee. The HEC also oversees the International Visiting Scholars program, providing residents with financial support through grants/awards to engage in a global outreach experience. All the HEC work and awards to the IVS and Humanitarian Awards are showcased at the annual Humanitarian Efforts Forum at the AAO.
International Visiting Scholars Program
On a university level, Dr. Basura has assumed leadership of the storied International Visiting Scholars (IVS) Program within the Department. This program, started by Dr. Eugene Myers in 1991, was established to provide surgical observerships for international providers from across the globe to spend dedicated time in the various subspecialties of otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh. During a 1–3 month rotation, they could observe clinic, operating room cases, and engage in research programs. Over the years, the IVS program has hosted hundreds of international visitors, and in 2024, hosted 8 scholars with 10 scheduled for 2025.
Gorongosa, Mozambique
The Department has partnered with healthcare leaders in the Gorongosa region of Mozambique to bring attention to otitis media and how to treat it. A small delegation from the Department and the Eye & Ear Foundation traveled to Gorongosa, visiting clinics and talking to health care workers throughout the region to understand the unmet medical needs of the community and how the Department may be able to collaborate to address these needs.
Kyiv, Ukraine
Initiated by Dr. Eugene Myers and led by Dr. Ryan Soose, the Department has developed a working relationship with our colleagues in Kyiv, Ukraine to provide ongoing virtual otolaryngology lectures, questions, clinical advice, and ongoing discussion. This allows them to keep up with their CMEs. This same platform is being established in Bulgaria.
Lima, Peru
The Department and the Eye & Ear Foundation are collaborating with Brother’s Brother Foundation to positively impact the otolaryngology-head and neck surgery landscape in Peru by providing equipment, expertise, and educational programs. The Department’s goal for the new initiative is to create a pathway to collaborate on research and training between Pittsburgh and Peru.
University of Cape Town, South Africa
University of Pittsburgh residents have the opportunity to travel to engage in a month-long medical, surgical, and educational service opportunity at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Those rotations, formerly overseen by chairman Dr. Joahn Fagan (University of Pittsburgh head and neck and otology fellow, 1995-1997), now overseen by Dr. Shazia Peer (pediatric otolaryngology), provide residents an opportunity to immerse themselves in the international community to obtain a broader medical, surgical, and educational experience. The resident rotations will be expanded to newly forming and developing relations in Mozambique and Peru.
Dr. Basura provides weekly lectures to the first established otology surgical fellowship at the University of Cape Town and travels there twice per year to work on temporal bone surgical dissection with the fellow.