Otolaryngology Resident Receives Research Award

Fourth-year Otolaryngology resident Chelsea Gelboin-Burkhart, MD has been awarded the prestigious AAO-HNSF Resident Research Award by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. Dr. Gelboin-Burkhart was awarded the grant based on her work on the project titled Effect of N-Acetylcysteine on Wound Healing in an Inhalational Tobacco Model. 

Dr. Gelboin-Burkhart is a graduate of the University of California-Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology with an emphasis in Neurobiology. After graduation, she worked at the University of California-San Diego studying RNA processing and then obtained her M.D. from Stony Brook University School of Medicine.

She is studying the role cellular senescence plays in tobacco induced wound healing impairment and the utility of antioxidants to mitigate these effects under the mentorship of Dr. Amy Anne Lassig and Dr. Frank Ondrey.

“This is a highly innovative project in a unique model of wound healing as it affects smokers,” said Dr. Ondrey. “It is wonderful that she is adding new work in carcinogenesis.”

The AAO-HNSF Resident Research Award is made under the CORE (Creating Opportunities for Research Excellence) Grants Program – a collaboration between the AAO-HNSF, specialty societies and industry sponsors. It is a prestigious funding initiative designed to support and promote research excellence in the field of otolaryngology. The program aims to provide financial resources and mentorship to otolaryngologists, fostering innovative research projects that contribute to the advancement of medical knowledge and patient care.