Division of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Assistant Professor Ruth Davis, MD, was recently awarded a 5-year, $711,000 career development award from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. NIH career development awards provide early-stage investigators with dedicated time, training, and funding to support their transition into independent research careers.
Davis specializes in the medical and surgical treatment of patients with voice and upper airway disorders. As a researcher, she has a particular interest in injuries that occur to the throat after intubation, a medical procedure for critically ill patients in which a tube is placed in the patient’s throat to help them breathe.
“Over half of patients who are intubated experience issues with their voice, swallowing, or breathing for months and even years after a breathing tube is removed,” explained Davis. “These issues are caused by the pressure of the breathing tube on the larynx (voice box), which can lead to scarring and narrowing of the airway.”
Davis’ long-term goal is to establish a research program to develop new ways to treat patients with these injuries. With the support of her NIH career development award, she’ll start by examining how exactly intubation-related injuries to the larynx lead to voice and airway problems. Her focus will be on bacteria that are commonly found in these types of injuries, and the way in which the immune system responds to the bacteria.
“If we can better understand the process by which the microbiome of the larynx and the activation of the immune system following intubation injury results in scarring, this could help us identify potential targets for the development of new therapies,” said Davis. “Ultimately, this line of research could lead to new solutions for patients experiencing debilitating voice and breathing disorders that are caused by breathing tubes.”