Three Physicians Join URMC Department of Otolaryngology

The University of Rochester Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology welcomes three new faculty members to its staff: Benjamin T. Crane, M.D., Ph.D., Matthew C. Miller, M.D., and Paul G. van der Sloot, M.D.

The recruitment of Miller and van der Sloot bolsters the Medical Center’s Strategic Plan and Cancer Integrated Disease Program, establishing URMC and the Wilmot Cancer Center as the area leader in oral, laryngeal, thyroid and other head and neck cancers, as well as in complex reconstructive problems of the head and neck, according to Shawn D. Newlands, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Otolaryngology. The addition of Crane, who also has an appointment in Neurobiology and Anatomy, greatly expands services for patients with complex problems of balance and hearing.

“We are extremely proud to have been able to recruit these outstanding academic clinicians to join our practice. They will also contribute to our already nationally recognized education and research programs,” Newlands said.

Benjamin T. Crane, M.D., Ph.D.

Crane, an assistant professor in both Otolaryngology and Neurobiology and Anatomy, is an expert in otology and neurotology, who also has a research background in disorders of the vestibular system. His research aims to better understand human motion perception and spatial orientation using psychophysical and engineering techniques to study head motion and its interaction with visual stimuli. Current studies involve healthy individuals, patients with vestibular hypofunction, and patients with dizziness symptoms related to common central integration disorders such as migraine associated vertigo.

A graduate of the M.D.-Ph.D. program at the University of California, Los Angeles, Crane remained at UCLA as a faculty member, where he continued resident teaching and conducted research supported by a fellowship from the Giannini Family Foundation. He most recently was a clinical instructor at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he completed a residency program in neurotology.

Crane’s practice involves all aspects of otology and neurotology including treatment of hearing, balance disorders, and surgery of the ear and lateral skull.

Matthew C. Miller, M.D.

Miller, a Rochester native, received his medical degree from SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse and comes to the University of Rochester after completing residency at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and advanced fellowship training in head and neck oncologic surgery and microvascular reconstruction at Ohio State University.

An assistant professor in Otolaryngology, Miller specializes in cancers of the head and neck, thyroid and parathyroid surgery, and anterior cranial base surgery, and complex reconstruction of the head and neck following tumor surgery and trauma. His research interests include considering the role of human papilloma virus in head and neck cancers, novel surgical approaches in head and neck surgery including the use of lasers and robotics, and delineating optimal treatment paradigms for oropharyngeal carcinoma.

Paul G. van der Sloot, M.D.

Van der Sloot, an assistant professor in Otolaryngology, specializes in the treatment of patients with head and neck cancers, and also sees patients with general ear, nose and throat problems. His research interests include the study of immunohistochemical markers in papillary thyroid cancer; head and neck bone carriers, rapid prototyping and osseous reconstruction; and the relevance of PET-positive findings in the chest in patients with head and neck cancer.

Van der Sloot graduated with distinction from medical school at the University of Alberta in Canada. After completing residency training in otolaryngology at the University of Alberta, he went to Vanderbilt University for fellowship training in head and neck oncologic surgery, microvascular reconstruction, and cranial base surgery.

Before attending medical school, van der Sloot earned his bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music. He is an accomplished violinist.

For six years prior to joining URMC, van der Sloot was an assistant professor at West Virginia University.