老司机福利网

Patients at 老司机福利网鈥檚 Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry and the School of Health Science's will have better access to specialty care for oral health and hearing conditions as part of a new partnership with Stanford Medicine.

There is a natural link between dentistry and conditions of the ear, nose and throat. The collaboration between Pacific and Stanford will bridge the gap by combining Pacific鈥檚 expertise in dentistry and audiology with Stanford Medicine鈥檚 advanced diagnostic and surgical capabilities in oral cancers and ear conditions.

鈥淭his exciting partnership will build upon our longstanding history of collaboration and draw on Stanford鈥檚 and Pacific鈥檚 unique strengths to provide world-class comprehensive care for patients鈥攆rom preventive care, diagnosis, treatment, functional rehabilitation and maintenance,鈥� said David K. Lam, the Dr. T. Galt and Lee DeHaven Atwood Endowed Professor, associate dean for medical integration and chair of oral and maxillofacial surgery at Pacific.

Two multidisciplinary clinics will be established on Pacific鈥檚 San Francisco Campus as part of the collaboration.

At the Head and Neck Cancer Outreach Clinic, dentists will evaluate, biopsy, image and diagnose pre-malignant and malignant oral lesions. Patients in need of further advanced surgical care will be treated by specialists at Stanford Medicine. Patients will benefit from truly comprehensive care including oral health optimization, functional rehabilitation and maintenance delivered by Pacific and Stanford experts working closely together throughout all phases of management.

鈥淏ecause people usually have regular dental exams, disease can often be detected early on, before it progresses into a highly aggressive cancer that may require the removal of part of the tongue or jawbone,鈥� said Konstantina Stankovic, chair of otolaryngology 鈥� head and neck surgery at Stanford Medicine.

鈥淩emoving an extra few millimeters of the tongue could be the difference between having understandable versus almost unintelligible speech. It鈥檚 a tremendous opportunity to detect and treat diseases early on.鈥�

The Otology Outreach Clinic will focus on hearing conditions. Audiologists from Pacific鈥檚 Hearing and Balance Center, also located on the San Francisco Campus, will screen patients for hearing disorders.

Patients in need of advanced care will be referred to Stanford Medicine, where they can receive procedures such as cochlear implant surgery.

鈥淥ffering audiological services through this partnership means early detection and top-tier care for hearing conditions,鈥� said Gabriella Musacchia, associate professor and chair of the Department of Audiology at Pacific. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a game-changer for patient health and an incredible learning opportunity for our students.鈥�

Students and residents at both Pacific and Stanford will benefit from even greater collaborative opportunities in multidisciplinary education, research and clinical care.

鈥淥ral health is paramount to overall health, well-being and quality of life,鈥� Lam said. 鈥淣ot only will this partnership greatly improve access to quality care for our patients, but it will also help train the next generation of clinicians and clinician-scientists to ensure optimal oral and general health outcomes.鈥�

老司机福利网 and Stanford Medicine began partnering in 2018 when they launched a five-year clinical education and training agreement to develop new interprofessional education, clinical and research opportunities for students.

More recently, the two schools were awarded a $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health aimed at bridging the gap between biomedical research and clinical practice, called the Pacific-Stanford PRIMED program.

Research studies conducted as part of the program focus on oral cancer, sleep medicine and developing a Pacific-Stanford biobank, a collection of medical samples used for research.