Pogue Endowed Chairs Honored in Virtual Ceremony
For decades, the UH Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Institute has provided the highest level of care for patients of all ages: from the simple – such as treating recurrent ear infections in children – to the very complex, such as removing tumors at the base of the skull, or even helping restore a patient's hearing.
Donor support has been a large part of that success, helping to recruit world-class physician-scientists to the institute. Two of those outstanding physicians were recognized Dec. 18, 2020, during a virtual ceremony celebrating their appointment to the Richard W. and Patricia R. Pogue chairs.
Nicole Maronian, MD, FACS, Chair, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery; and Director, UH Ear, Nose and Throat Institute, is the inaugural appointee to the Richard W. and Patricia R. Pogue Leadership Chair in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.
Dr. Maronian is the first woman to serve as chair of the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at UH. She was born in Germany and eventually moved with her family to Rochester, New York. Her love of medicine developed while accompanying her physician father on his rounds.
After medical school at the University of Rochester and a fellowship in the relatively new field of laryngology at the University of Washington, Dr. Maronian came to UH in 2006 to develop the Voice and Swallowing Center. She was named chair of the department in September 2018.
Alejandro Rivas, MD, Division Chief, Otology & Neurotology, and Director, Cochlear Implant Program, is the new Richard W. and Patricia R. Pogue Chair in Auditory Surgery and Hearing Sciences. Originally from Bogota, Columbia, Dr. Rivas is one of the foremost pioneers in endoscopic ear surgery in the world and has performed and taught endoscopic ear surgery and cochlear implant approaches across the globe.
Otology runs in the Rivas family. Dr. Rivas’ father was a pioneer in ear and skull base surgery in Colombia and performed the first cochlear implant surgery there, while his sister established the first cochlear implant program in his home country. Dr. Rivas received his medical degree in Columbia and came to the U.S. for a research fellowship and residency at Johns Hopkins University. He received additional training in neurotology at Vanderbilt University before coming to UH in June 2020.
“I couldn’t be more grateful to be with all these stars in the UH ENT Institute,” said Dr. Rivas. “It is an absolute honor to receive this chair. Thanks to the Pogue’s support, we will be able to move the needle in our hearing impaired community, our system and the country much further than we have ever done before.”
For decades, Richard and Patricia Pogue have generously supported all facets of UH’s mission – To Heal. To Teach. To Discover. In 2008, they established the Richard W. and Patricia R. Pogue Chair in Auditory Surgery and Hearing Sciences. The inaugural chair holder was Cliff Megerian, MD, FACS, President, University Hospitals. In June 2020, they made an additional commitment establishing the Richard W. and Patricia R. Pogue Leadership Chair in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.
“Dick and Pat Pogue’s philanthropy is allowing us to recruit and retain amazing physicians and provides critical research support to advance the field of otolaryngology,” said Dr. Megerian. “I am so deeply grateful for all they have done and continue to do for Cleveland and UH.”
To join the Pogues in supporting UH, make your gift online today.