David H. Jung, MD, PhD, FACS, a neurotologic surgeon at Mass Eye and Ear, has been named the recipient of the Norman Knight Leadership Development Award. The award was endowed by Norman Knight, a self-made broadcast pioneer and media mogul who has been a thoughtful champion of Mass Eye and Ear for over 25 years.
Recipients are selected for their exceptional promise as future leaders within their specialty in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Mass Eye and Ear. Thanks to Mr. Knight’s generosity, the award provides junior faculty members with funding to help them establish a career in academic medicine during the early years of their practice. Awardees may use the funds for research, equipment, or for any other approved career development purposes.
Dr. Jung, who also serves as medical director of the Joseph B. Nadol, Jr. Surgical Training Laboratory in addition to his role as Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Harvard Medical School, specializes in the treatment of ear disorders. His clinical practice encompasses skull-base surgery for disorders including vestibular schwannomas, and surgical interventions for chronic ear disease, conductive hearing loss, and severe sensorineural hearing loss. He is currently researching the mechanisms of cochlear synaptopathy, which is more commonly known as “hidden hearing loss.”
Hidden hearing loss occurs when the synapses that connect hair cells to neurons in the inner ear deteriorate. The condition, which is thought to be poorly detected on a standard audiogram test, may make it harder to understand speech in noisy environments. Dr. Jung wants to test whether bisphosphonate medications can be used as a drug delivery vehicle to restore the synapses between hair cells and neurons. He also hopes to better understand how different cells in the inner ear interact and function once the synaptic connections have been lost and why those connections deteriorate in the first place.
Mark A. Varvares, MD, FACS, Interim Chief of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Mass Eye and Ear, chose Dr. Jung as this year’s award recipient in consultation with Mass Eye and Ear President John Fernandez.
“He is a natural born leader who has done a fantastic job mentoring residents in the Nadol Laboratory and has been an important research mentor to our trainees in his role overseeing the training of research methodology to our residents,” Dr. Varvares said. “His steadfast dedication to patient care, research, and the development of the next generation of clinician-scientists is what makes him a role model for our Department and residents.”