Benjamin J. Rubinstein, M.D., discusses his primary clinical interests, how the field of Otolaryngology is evolving, and the active research interests at the Voice and Swallowing Center at EVMS.
Hi, my name is Dr Ben rubenstein. I'm an ear nose and throat specialist at eastern Virginia Medical School and I specialize in voice airway and swallowing disorders. My primary interest is in patient centered treatment of voice disorders. I treat both benign and malignant conditions of the vocal cords. I'm always impressed with how the patient's vocal cords or their voice can be a window into a systemic condition that was previously undiagnosed. And I really enjoy treating patients with those disorders as such. So I've always loved helping others and from an early age I witnessed how access to quality medical care can have a huge impact on somebody's life. Our voice is so critical to our social experience and I love helping people to either preserve or restore that part of their life by listening to my patients stories and asking them follow up questions. We can arrive at a diagnosis together a careful history combined with thoughtful evaluation of the patient's laryngeal exam goes a long way. I also tell my patients that the treatment that I'm recommending for them is the same treatment that I would recommend for a family member. I was a resident here at the VMS for my otolaryngology training and I loved everything about living and working in Hampton roads. I left for a year for fellowship in lowering geology in new york city and when the opportunity arose to join my former mentor, john cena Corey, I knew that I'd have a wonderful career with a supportive department and hospital system. Office-based learning geology has really taken off over the past 10 years. We are now able to treat patients in the wake setting without the need for anesthesia. We can treat both benign and pre cancerous lesions of the vocal chords. In this setting, we use a variety of technologies, including lasers, both in the office and in the endoscopy suite. Previously, these treatments would have required general anesthesia with much more risk and inconvenience to patients. Now patients come in for their procedure and drive themselves home. Shortly thereafter, the research we're conducting in the voice and swallowing center is all about improving evidence based treatments for patients with common or rare laryngeal disorders. What is critical is to provide quality care that actually works for patients. And so we have a variety of projects that are ongoing related to chronic cough, spasmodic dysphonia and complex airway surgery.
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