University Hospitals Ear, Nose & Throat Institute Welcomes Two Esteemed Surgeons

Introducing Sanjeet Rangarajan, MD, M.ENG, and Nina Zhao, MD, MAEd

Innovations in Ear, Nose & Throat | Fall 203

Sanjeet Rangarajan, MD, M.ENG

Sanjeet Rangarajan, MD, M.ENG

This November, Sanjeet Rangarajan, MD, M.ENG, returned to his roots in Northeast Ohio and joined the faculty at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. 

A board-certified and fellowship-trained rhinologist and skull base surgeon, Dr. Rangarajan previously served as Vice Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Director of the Division of Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery and Associate Professor at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tennessee. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Rangarajan as a sinus surgeon doing both complex endoscopic sinus surgery and anterior skull base surgery,” says Kenneth Rodriguez, MD,

Division Chief of Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery within the UH Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, and Associate Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “He is transitioning into a role of leadership within the department and is going to be an incredible asset to our program.”

Esteemed on the national stage, Dr. Rangarajan holds leadership positions within the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, the American Rhinologic Society and the North American Skull Base Society.

Dr. Rangarajan has a background in biomedical engineering and personalized medicine and has been named Vice Chair of Innovation and Community Partnerships within the UH Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. He also has a special interest in machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI).

“Within rhinology, one of my areas of interest is in the prognostication of disease progression in chronic sinusitis using machine learning and artificial intelligence,” says Dr. Rangarajan. “We have new powerful techniques to leverage clinical data to develop a deeper understanding of how the patient’s biologic disease state (endotype) affects their phenotypic disease and risk of, for example, disease recurrence following surgery.”

Dr. Rodriguez says that Dr. Rangarajan is an incredibly kind surgeon with years of experience and diverse research interests. “His expertise in AI as it relates to the practice of rhinology represents the future of our patient-facing care, both in terms of question answering and how we synthesize data,” he says.

In his new role, Dr. Rangarajan will help build a culture that embraces these emerging technologies. “We have an opportunity to develop tools within our discipline to help guide new patients to the right place and throughout their journey with us at the UH ENT Institute,” he says.

Nina Zhao, MD, MAEd

Nina Zhao, MD

Nina Zhao, MD, MAEd, is a board-certified otolaryngologist and fellowship-trained laryngologist who specializes in complex voice, airway and swallowing disorders. She treats a wide array of laryngeal and esophageal conditions, with a focus on endoscopic and minimally invasive techniques. She is an expert in swallowing care and is considered by her colleagues as the most well-trained physician in Northeast Ohio in this area. Prior to joining University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center full time this October, Dr. Zhao provided care to UH patients virtually.

“Dr. Zhao specializes in the treatment of voice and swallowing problems suffered as a consequence of head and neck cancer treatment, as well as conditions such as vocal fold paralysis, Zenker’s diverticulum, esophageal motility disorders, cricopharyngeal spasm, and swallow disorders related to stroke and Parkinson’s disease,” says N. Scott Howard, MD, MBA, Division Chief of Laryngology and Director of the Voice, Airway and Swallowing Center within the UH Ear, Nose & Throat Institute and an Associate Professor at the School of Medicine. “She is our hospital’s ENT expert on swallowing care, and together with our Speech-Language Pathologists, gastroenterologists and foregut surgeons, we have the most comprehensive swallow team in Northeast Ohio.”

A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Dr. Zhao attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. During her residency in otolaryngology at the University of California, San Francisco, she developed a passion for surgical education and completed the Health Professions Education Pathway. In 2019, she was selected as a Health Professions Education Evaluation and Research fellow at the San Francisco VA. During that time, she also obtained a master’s degree in education at the University of California, Berkeley. 

Dr. Zhao completed her clinical fellowship in laryngology and bronchoesophagology at the University of California, Davis, under the direction of Peter Belafsky, MD, Ph.D. This fellowship is recognized nationwide as one of the pre-eminent training opportunities for swallow care.  

Something that differentiates Dr. Zhao from other ENT providers is her ability to treat many laryngeal and esophageal conditions under mild or moderate sedation, significantly reducing procedural risk compared to general anesthesia. These procedures include the treatment of:

• Cricopharyngeal Spasm
• Zenker’s Diverticula
• Esophageal Stenosis
• Post Radiation Esophageal Stricture
• Laryngeal Polyps, Leukoplakia and Papilloma
• Vocal Fold Paralysis and Airway Stenosis 

“Dr. Zhao is a tremendous physician and educator who understands the importance of a patient’s quality of life when discussing treatment options,” says Dr. Howard. “We are extremely excited to have her join our practice to provide compassionate, expert care in the management of swallowing disorders, with a particular focus on minimally invasive techniques.”

For more information about the University Hospitals Ear Nose, & Throat Institute and its expert providers, please call 440-873-3262.

Contributing Experts:
Kenneth Rodriguez, MD
Division Chief of Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery
Vice Chair of Operations
Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Associate Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

N. Scott Howard, MD, MBA
Division Chief of Laryngology and Sleep Surgery 
Director, UH Voice, Airway and Swallowing Center
University Hospitals ENT Institute
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Associate Professor
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine