Our Team
Benjamin T. Crane, M.D., Ph.D. - Director
Dr. Crane 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.
Dr. Crane's Areas of Expertise include:
- Single sided deafness
- Cochlear implants
- Acoustic Neuroma (Vestibular Schwannoma)
- Otosclerosis
- Cholesteatoma
- Vestibular disorders
- Superior canal dehiscence syndrome
- Facial nerve disorders
Paul O. Dutcher, M.D.
Dr. Dutcher has specialized in otology/neurotology since he joined the University of Rochester Medical Center's faculty in 1983, where he serves as Director of the Otology Center of Western New York.
His particular areas of expertise include disorders of the ear and hearing, disorders of balance and dizziness, malformations of the ear, hearing and hearing loss and cochlear implantation, and management of tumors involving the ear, including acoustic neuroma, glomus tumors, and other skull base tumors.
Dr. Dutcher's areas of expertise include:
- Acoustic Neuroma (Vestibular Schwannoma)
- Cochlear Implants
- Congenital Aural Atresia
- Facial Nerve Disorders
- Hearing and Hearing Loss
- Laser Surgery
- Neurotologic Skull Base Surgery
- Pediatric Otology
- Vertigo/ Meniere's
John W. Wayman, M.D.
Dr. Wayman specializes in otology/neurotology with a special interest in hearing and hearing loss, as well as dizziness and balance disorders. A native of Ithaca, New York, Dr. Wayman is a graduate of Hamilton College and received his medical degree from SUNY at Stony Brook. He completed his residency training in otolaryngology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. He completed his fellowship training in otology/neurotology at the Michigan Ear Institute before returning to Rochester in 1992 to establish his practice.
Dr. Wayman's areas of expertise include:
- Acoustic Neuroma (Vestibular Schwannoma)
- Cochlear Implants
- Congenital Aural Atresia
- Facial Nerve Disorders
- Hearing and Hearing Loss
- Laser Surgery
- Neurotologic Skull Base Surgery
- Pediatric Otology
- Vertigo/ Meniere's
Additional providers
Part of Strong Memorial Hospital
Eric Anson, PT, PhD - Vestibular Rehabilitation
Dr. Anson is an expert in vestibular rehabilitation with a research background in disorders of the vestibular system and other causes of balance problems. He received a Masters degree in Physical Therapy from Texas Tech University Health Science Center in 2003, his doctoral degree from the University of Maryland, and he completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His research interests include perception of self-motion and the effects of vestibular disorders on gaze and postural control problems during balance and walking.
Dr. Anson’s Areas of Expertise:
- Vestibular Disorders
- Multisensory Balance Problems
Brendan Fitzgerald, Au.D. - Testing Services
Dr. Fitzgerald joined URMC in 2020 after earning a Doctor of Audiology from the University of Buffalo and completing a fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. He specializes in tinnitus and vestibular assessment. As a musician with a background in performance and conducting, Dr. Fitzgerald is also interested in hearing services for musicians and entertainers.
Courtney Leadbeater, Au.D. - Testing Services
Dr. Leadbeater is an audiologist who joined the department in 2021. Dr. Leadbeater earned a Doctor of Audiology from the University of Buffalo in 2019 and completed a fellowship at the Western New York Veterans Affairs Hospital.
Sierra Nye, Au.D. - Testing Services
Dr. Nye is a clinical audiologist at UR Medicine Audiology. She graduated from Towson University in May 2021 with a Clinical Doctorate in Audiology after completing a 4th-year externship at Boston Children's Hospital. She earned her bachelor's degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences at SUNY Plattsburgh in 2017.