Rhinology

The research division of Rhinology which includes Dr. Nithin Adappa, Dr. Noam Cohen, Dr. Richard Doty,  Dr. Jennifer Douglas, Dr. Robert Lee, and Dr. James Palmer has been recognized for their contributions to understanding the molecular mechanisms of smell and taste with insights into curbing morbidity related to a number of head and neck pathologies.

The laboratory of Dr. Lee studies how airway cells sense and respond to pathogens and other external signals in order understand the pathogenesis of respiratory infections and discover new potential ways to treat them. By understanding host pathogen-interactions in the airway and the molecular basis of airway diseases, we hope to identify novel molecular targets for new therapies.

Dr. Cohen continues to investigate the contribution of the family of taste receptors and their common functional polymorphisms in “shaping” the human sinonasal microbiome and contributing to upper respiratory infections. The overall goal of his program, in both the clinical and research realms, focuses on understanding and treating disorders of the nose and paranasal sinuses. Dr. Doty also studies the neurological basis of olfaction and has been a leading investigator in this area for the last 25 years. His recent books are The Neurology of Olfaction, co-authored by Christopher Hawkes (Cambridge University Press) and The Great Pheromone Myth (Johns Hopkins University Press). He is a consultant to dozens of major corporations and governmental advisory committees, and is perhaps best known as the inventor of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT), a standardized olfactory test heralded as the olfactory equivalent to the eye chart. This group is a world renowned investigative group with cutting edge technologies which are linked to the underlying pathologies. We are fortunate that our faculty are closely linked to translational efforts as physician-scientist/Surgeon-scientists, and provide seamless interactions between our basic and clinical investigators.

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