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Dr. M. Boyd Gillespie Named Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology at UTHSC

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As the new chair of the Department of Otolaryngology at UTHSC, Dr. M. Boyd Gillespie aims to increase numbers of those who train, encourage innovation and stimulate research in the field.
As the new chair of the Department of Otolaryngology at UTHSC, Dr. M. Boyd Gillespie aims to increase numbers of those who study and train here, encourage innovation and stimulate research in his field.

M. Boyd Gillespie, MD, MSc, FACS, has been named chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC).

Dr. Gillespie comes to UTHSC from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, where he was a professor and vice chair of Clinical Outreach in the Department of Otolaryngology ­– Head and Neck in the College of Medicine, and director of the MUSC Salivary Clinic and the Karl Storz U.S. Reference Center for Salivary Endoscopy.

A graduate of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he completed his residency and fellowship, Dr. Gillespie earned a master’s in Clinical Research from the MUSC Department of Biometry and Epidemiology. He is board certified in otolaryngology and sleep medicine.

Throughout his career, Dr. Gillespie has focused on the treatment of head and neck cancer, thyroid tumors, voice and airway disorders, swallowing disorders and sleep apnea. He was one of the first four surgeons in the United States to perform endoscopic salivary surgery, and has educated many of the surgeons who perform the technique in the U.S. He is also the author of a textbook on salivary gland preservation surgery.

Describing his reason for coming to Memphis and his vision for the department, Dr. Gillespie said, “I have had professional success, but I am now ready to do something significant — build a great tertiary academic otolaryngology program here in the heart of Memphis that will serve as a resource to community otolaryngologists and the region. That is my mission, pure and simple. People will want to come here to train and learn, innovation in otolaryngology will increase and otolaryngology research at the College of Medicine will flourish.”

David Stern, MD, Robert Kaplan Executive Dean and vice chancellor for Clinical Affairs for the UTHSC College of Medicine, said the university is “very fortunate” to have recruited Dr. Gillespie to chair the Department of Otolaryngology. “Dr. Gillespie is held in the highest esteem by his colleagues and is a national figure in otolaryngology,” Dr. Stern said. “His expertise in clinical trials, complex head and neck surgery and salivary gland- and sleep-related procedures makes him an ideal person to be a leader in otolaryngology in our community. His engaging personality has already embraced our otolaryngology colleagues in the community and will certainly be an advantage in building the university’s clinical practice.”

Dr. Gillespie is a nationally funded researcher and a prolific author. He has received more than $1 million in research funding over the course of his career. He has published more than 120 academic papers, including a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine about a study of hypoglossal nerve stimulation for sleep apnea.

He serves on national committees on head and neck cancer, evidence-based medicine and sleep apnea, and is an associate editor for JAMA Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. He is also on the board of ENTtoday and World Journal of Otolaryngology.

In 2014, Dr. Gillespie received the Presidential Citation from the American Head and Neck Society and the Distinguished Service Award from the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.