Department Chair
University of Miami Miller SOM
Dr. Oliver F. Adunka is the Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and a tenured Professor of Otolaryngology. He leads one of the nation’s premier academic departments with a commitment to excellence in patient care, education, research, and innovation.
A native of Vienna, Austria, Dr. Adunka earned his medical degree from the University of Vienna Medical School. He completed residency training in Vienna and Frankfurt, Germany, followed by fellowship training in otology, neurotology, and lateral skull base surgery at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to joining the University of Miami, he served as the William H. Saunders MD Endowed Professor, Vice Chair for Clinical Operations, and Director of the Division of Otology, Neurotology, and Cranial Base Surgery at The Ohio State University.
Dr. Adunka specializes in cochlear implantation, hearing preservation, auditory rehabilitation, and lateral skull base surgery, including the management of vestibular schwannomas and Neurofibromatosis Type 2.
An NIH-funded clinician-scientist, his research focuses on cochlear implantation, electrocochleography, hearing preservation, and medical device innovation. His laboratory pioneered the clinical translation of intraoperative electrocochleography for cochlear implantation, a technology now incorporated into commercially available cochlear implant systems worldwide. He is an inventor on approximately 10 patents related to hearing restoration technologies.
Dr. Adunka has authored approximately 200 peer-reviewed publications and numerous book chapters, has delivered invited lectures throughout the world, and serves in leadership roles within several national and international professional organizations.