Sam Marzo, MD, FACS, named chair of Loyola's Department of Otolaryngology

 Sam Marzo, MD, FACS, who for almost 20 years has helped Loyola University Medical Center’s Otolaryngology Department become an internationally known center for patient care, research and education, has been named chair of the department, effective July 1, 2015.

Dr. Marzo is medical director of the Balance and Hearing Center and medical director of the Department of Otolaryngology at Loyola University Health System (LUHS).  He is a professor at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and serves as residency program director for ENT.

After serving nine years as chair, James Stankiewicz, MD, FACS, has decided to step away from this role; fortunately, he will remain on the Loyola faculty and continue to care for Loyola ENT patients.

“We wish to thank Dr. Stankiewicz for his many years of service as chair and helping to elevate Loyola otolaryngology to its current high stature in the medical community. We are pleased that he has decided to remain a vital member of our team as he shifts his focus to patient care,” said David W. Hecht, MD, MS, MBA, IDSA, senior vice president for Clinical Affairs at LUHS. “Dr. Marzo will continue to build Loyola’s reputation as being among the best in this complex field of medicine.” 

Dr. Marzo earned his medical degree from Stritch School of Medicine. He also completed his residency at Stritch. “To rise to the position of chair in the department where I built my career and first learned my profession is extremely gratifying and humbling,” said Dr. Marzo. “I am truly honored to step into the role formerly held by my mentor, Dr. Stankiewicz and to lead with the support of my esteemed colleague, Dr. John Leonetti, vice chair of our department.”

“Dr. Marzo has the teaching acumen, administrative talents, executive diplomacy and ability to mentor that are required for this leadership position. These leadership skills complement his medical excellence and surgical skill that has led to his strong patient care reputation” said Linda Brubaker, MD, MS, FACS, FACOG, the school’s dean and chief diversity officer and interim provost for the University’s Health Sciences Campus.

Dr. Marzo has exemplary training.  He completed a fellowship in otology, neurotology and skull base surgery at The Otology Group at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tenn. He received his bachelor of science degree in biochemistry from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Dr. Marzo has spent his entire career at Loyola with the exception of one year as a clinical assistant professor at Vanderbilt University and two years in private practice. He is a member of many professional societies, including the Evans Scholars Alumni Association, American College of Surgeons, American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery and the Chicago Laryngological and Otological Society and is board certified in neurotology and otolaryngology.

His academic career includes hundreds of scientific presentations at local and national meetings. Among his special interests are surgery for hearing loss, surgery for deafness, Bell’s palsy, bone-anchored hearing aids and implantable hearing devices. 

Physicians and surgeons in the Department of Otolaryngology are specialists in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the ears, nose and throat (ENT). Loyola’s ENT physicians treat children and adults with disturbances in hearing, balance, smell and taste; allergies; head and neck injuries; cancer of the head and neck; voice and swallowing disorders and sleep disorders. The department has a reputation for achieving excellent results in endoscopic sinus surgery. Other surgical treatments performed include nasal surgery, skull-base surgery and reconstructive surgery of the head and neck as well as implantation of hearing devices for the middle ear and cochlear implants. 

A full spectrum of otolaryngology services is available at Loyola University Medical Center and the Loyola Outpatient Center in Maywood. Services also are offered at Loyola Center for Health locations at Burr RidgeHomer GlenOakbrook TerraceWheaton andWoodridge.