Alexander Hillel specializes in the medical and surgical management of patients who have scar tissue blocking their larynx and/or trachea, a condition called laryngotracheal stenosis. This condition occurs in patients who have had prolonged intubation, an autoimmune disease or a rare disease called idiopathic subglottic stenosis. He also treats patients with voice and throat problems, including spasmodic dysphonia and swallowing difficulty. After he earned his medical degree from the Tulane University School of Medicine, Dr. Hillel completed his residency in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a fellowship in laryngology and airway surgery at the Emory Voice Center. Dr. Hillel directs a laboratory that seeks to better understand why scar forms in the larynx and trachea. In an effort to improve treatment, he and his team investigate the relationship between the immune system, bacteria and other antigens and scar formation in the airway. He has led a number of clinical trials to improve treatment for subglottic stenosis, including the first interventional study for idiopathic subglottic stenosis. Researchers in Dr. Hillel’s lab are also testing drugs that may halt the progression of, or reverse, scar formation, and they have engineered a drug-eluting stent that is being tested to translate to patients with subglottic stenosis. He holds sponsored grants to conduct his research from the National Institutes of Health, surgical foundations and the medical device industry. In addition to clinical and research work, Dr. Hillel has a leadership role within the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, serving as the vice director of education. Dr. Hillel is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Subglottic Stenosis. His top areas of expertise are Spasmodic Dysphonia, Subglottic Stenosis, Perichondritis, Laryngectomy, and Endoscopy.

Kevin Motz is fellowship-trained in laryngology and sleep medicine. His clinical practice focuses on the management of airway and voice disorders, with a particular emphasis on the management of laryngotracheal stenosis and idiopathic subglottic stenosis. Additionally, Dr. Motz sees patients with obstructive sleep apnea who are intolerant of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), offering surgical and nonsurgical approaches to care. His research interests include investigating immunologic mechanisms promoting fibrosis in laryngotracheal stenosis. Specifically, he is focused on determining how innate and adaptive immune cells influence fibroblast activation, function and, ultimately, wound healing in the larynx and trachea. In addition, Dr. Motz is exploring identifying unique physiologic biomarkers in patients with obstructive sleep apnea, which may predict a successful response to non-CPAP therapies. Dr. Motz is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Subglottic Stenosis. His top areas of expertise are Subglottic Stenosis, Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis, Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Gastrostomy, and Laryngectomy.

Elizabeth Guardiani is an Otolaryngologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Guardiani is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Subglottic Stenosis. Her top areas of expertise are Laryngeal Nerve Damage, Spasmodic Dysphonia, Vocal Cord Dysfunction, Thyroidectomy, and Laryngectomy. Dr. Guardiani is currently accepting new patients.

Lee Akst, M.D., specializes in treating the larynx (voicebox), in particular the treatment of voice and swallowing disorders. He is a leading laryngologist in office-based procedures such as vocal fold injection augmentation, pulsed KTP laser treatment, and laryngeal botox injection. In the operating room, Dr. Akst specializes in phonosurgery for the treatment of vocal cord disease, with emphasis on voice restoration and improvement. A strong focus of his practice involves the use of pulsed angiolytic lasers, which allow for subspecialized care of laryngeal papillomas, laryngeal dysplasia, and early vocal cord cancers while preserving the quality and strength of the voice. Dr. Akst is a national leader in the field of laryngology and serves in leadership roles for the American Laryngological Association, the American Broncho-Esophagological Association, and the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. He lectures extensively on the treatment of laryngeal disease, teaching other physicians how to care for patients with voice and swallowing concerns. His research interests include the development of robotic laryngeal surgery, the study of voice and swallowing complaints in the elderly, and the advancement of pulsed lasers for the treatment of laryngeal diseases with a focus on leukoplakia. This provider is registered with the Florida Department of Health to perform telehealth services for patients in Florida. Dr. Akst is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Subglottic Stenosis. His top areas of expertise are Spasmodic Dysphonia, Laryngitis, Perichondritis, Endoscopy, and Laryngectomy.

Leila J. Mady is a head and neck surgical oncologist and reconstructive surgeon whose practice focuses on the care of patients with benign and malignant head and neck tumors, including thyroid/parathyroid disease, HPV-associated cancers, skin cancer (including melanoma) and parotid masses. With extensive experience in head and neck surgery, including sentinel lymph node biopsy, transoral robotic surgery, and complex regional and free flap reconstruction, her surgical skill set is complemented by in-office diagnostic capabilities such as ultrasound and needle biopsy. Dr. Mady is the director of head and neck surgery for the Baltimore region, and she is actively expanding coordinated, multidisciplinary treatment pathways for patients with head and neck and thyroid cancers across Johns Hopkins. Dr. Mady is a funded population and health services researcher who has led multidisciplinary and international teams with research interests in the side effects related to the cost of medical care, frailty, smell and taste changes related to cancer treatment, and patient-reported and oncologic outcomes in head and neck cancer. As a mentor for a wide range of academic training levels, from undergraduate to postgraduate, Dr. Mady has made a commitment to mentor women and underrepresented groups. She has received national recognition for these efforts by the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Mady completed her medical degree, a doctorate in biomedical health sciences, and a master’s degree in public health at Rutgers University, and served as an associate fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Mady is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Subglottic Stenosis. Her top areas of expertise are Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC), Throat Cancer, Laryngeal Cancer, Glossectomy, and Gastrostomy.

Sunny Haft is an Otolaryngologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Haft is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Subglottic Stenosis. His top areas of expertise are Laryngitis, Infant Hearing Loss, Palatopharyngeal Incompetence, Tissue Biopsy, and Gastrostomy. Dr. Haft is currently accepting new patients.

Dr. Nora Malaisrie is an otolaryngologist affiliated with Sibley Memorial Hospital, Washington Hospital Center, Georgetown University Hospital and Children’s National Medical Center. She practices out of Feldman ENT Group in Chevy Chase, Md. and Germantown, Md. Dr. Malaisrie has an expertise in pediatric otolaryngology, sinus disease and surgery, and head and neck oncology. Dr. Malaisrie earned her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine. She completed a residency in otolaryngology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Malaisrie is a fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology. Dr. Malaisrie is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Subglottic Stenosis. Her top areas of expertise are Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo, Nonallergic Rhinopathy, Palatal Myoclonus, and Ozena.

Dr. Philip Seo is an Associate Professor in the Division of Rheumatology. A graduate of Harvard College and the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, Dr. Seo completed his Internal Medicine training as a member of the Osler Medical Service at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Since then, he has worked at Johns Hopkins in several capacities, including as a hospitalist at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, and as an Assistant Chief of Service of the Department of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital, before joining the Division of Rheumatology. Dr. Seo is the Director of the Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center and Director of the Johns Hopkins Rheumatology Fellowship Program. His clinical interests lie in the assessment and treatment of patients with systemic vasculitis, in particular, the ANCA-associated vasculitides, which include granulomatosis with polyangiitis, microscopic polyangiitis, and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis. Dr. Seo is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Subglottic Stenosis. His top areas of expertise are Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis, Vasculitis, Microscopic Polyangiitis, Takayasu Arteritis, and Tissue Biopsy.

Marcela Ferrada is an Infectious Disease provider in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Ferrada is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Subglottic Stenosis. Her top areas of expertise are MAGIC Syndrome, Chickenpox, Subglottic Stenosis, and Shingles. Dr. Ferrada is currently accepting new patients.

Dr. Galiatsatos is a pulmonary and critical care medicine physician. He is an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of obstructive lung disease, tobacco cessation, and in the care of critically ill patients in the Medical ICU. He is a member of the Obstructive Lung Disease Group at Johns Hopkins, oversees the Tobacco Treatment Clinic and provides teaching to medical students and residents at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Galiatsatos is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Subglottic Stenosis. His top areas of expertise are Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), COVID-19, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and Pneumonia.

Matthew Buendia is a Pediatric Gastroenterologist and a Pediatrics provider in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Buendia is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Subglottic Stenosis. His top areas of expertise are Eosinophilic Esophagitis, Esophagitis, Viral Gastroenteritis, and Subglottic Stenosis. Dr. Buendia is currently accepting new patients.

Karl Seif is an Obstetrics and Gynecologist in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Seif is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Subglottic Stenosis. His top areas of expertise are Gestational Diabetes, Preeclampsia, Neonatal Sepsis, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), and Salpingo-Oophorectomy. Dr. Seif is currently accepting new patients.

Dr. Sidhaye is a Professor in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine with a joint appointment in Department of Environmental Health and Engineering in the School of Public Health and in Biomedical Engineering. She is an expert in the diagnosis and management of lung diseases including COPD and asthma as well as management of critical illness and ventilatory support. Her lab is focused on studying lung epithelial responses to insults from non-infectious particles such as cigarette smoke and particulate matter as well as infectious insults such as virus and bacteria. A primary focus of the lab is in epithelial monolayer integrity and quantitative analysis of epithelial dysfunction with the goal of driving the epithelium towards health. Dr. Sidhaye serves as the co-director of the Physician Scientist Pathway in the Osler Residency Program at Johns Hopkins. She received her M.D. from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. She completed her residency at Northwestern and performed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Sidhaye is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Subglottic Stenosis. Her top areas of expertise are Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Emphysema, and Interstitial Lung Disease.

Dr. Nara Lygia De Macena Sobreira is an assistant professor at the McKusick-Nathans Department of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her area of expertise is rare Mendelian phenotypes, analysis of next-generation sequencing, and functional testing of candidate causative variants. She earned her M.D. at the University of Pernambuco in Brazil. She finished her Ph.D. in Human Genetics at Johns Hopkins followed by a one-year postdoc also at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. During her Ph.D., she worked with Dr. David Valle using next-generation sequencing to elucidate the molecular basis of rare Mendelian phenotypes and in 2010 she discovered PTPN11 as the gene responsible for metachondromatosis by using whole-genome sequencing. She completed residencies in clinical genetics at both Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo and Johns Hopkins. Her main clinical and research focus is on identifying the genetic bases of rare phenotypes, mainly, phenotypes associated with cartilage tumors and vascular anomalies (including Ollier disease and Maffucci syndrome), and on understanding the physiopathology of these phenotypes to identify pharmacological strategies to treat them. She has worked extensively on developing strategies to better analyze the variants identified by next-generation sequencing and on novel strategies for data sharing. She participated on the development of PhenoDB, a phenotypic and genomic database, and created PhenoDB Variant Analysis Tool used worldwide. She is also one of the creators of GeneMatcher, VariantMatcher, and one of the co-founders of the Matchmaker Exchange, all intended to share next-generation sequencing data. She has also worked extensively on functional studies that evaluate the possible pathogenic effects of the candidate causative variants. Recent News Articles and Media Coverage Living the Hopkins Mission Honorees, Johns Hopkins Medicine Successes in Characterizing Genes through GeneMatcher with Nara L. M. Sobreira, MD, PhD, Ambry Genetics (April 30, 2018) Enfermedades raras: el desafio es encontrar otros pacientes que tienen el mismo mal, Lun (26 de septiembre de 2019) 2021 Science Writers' Boot Camp, Johns Hopkins Medicine (June 7, 2021) Making the Perfect Match, Johns Hopkins Medicine (February 1, 2020). Dr. De Macena Sobreira is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Subglottic Stenosis. Her top areas of expertise are Spondyloepimetaphyseal Dysplasia Strudwick Type, Greenberg Dysplasia, Blepharophimosis, and Early Infantile Epileptic Encephalopathy.