Stanford Voice and Swallowing Center
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Care Team
Edward J. Damrose, MD, FACS
Director, Stanford Voice and Swallowing Center
Dr. Damrose graduated from Yale University in 1991 cum laude, earning a bachelor's of science degree in biology. He attended the UCLA School of Medicine, earning his MD in 1995 and completing a thesis in the field of head and neck surgery.
He remained at UCLA for training in general surgery from 1995 to 1997, and was nominated "Physician of the Year" by the UCLA staff. He completed his UCLA otolaryngology/head and neck residency in 2001. He remained with UCLA from 2001 to 2003, serving as clinical instructor in surgery and completing a two-year clinical and research fellowship in laryngology/bronchoesophagology under Gerald S. Berke, MD.
Dr. Damrose joined the Stanford faculty in 2003 as Assistant Professor.
His clinical interests include the diagnosis and treatment of voice disorders, including spasmodic dysphonia; phonosurgery; surgical treatment of vocal cord paralysis including thyroplasty and arytenoid adduction; laryngeal reinnervation procedures; laser surgery for laryngeal cancer; airway reconstruction for patients who are tracheostomy dependent; and botox and collagen injection.
C. Kwang Sung, MD, MS
Dr. Sung graduated from Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA with a bachelor’s of science degree in chemistry with a minor in music. He earned a master’s of science degree in organic chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania. He attended the State University of New York – Downstate Medical Center and obtained his MD in 2004.
He completed his internship in general surgery at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City in 2005. He continued at Mt. Sinai to finish his residency in otolaryngology – head & neck surgery in 2009. Following residency, he completed a fellowship in laryngology at Harvard Medical School – Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary with Ramon A. Franco, Jr., MD in 2010.
In addition to his medical training, Dr. Sung worked extensively as a professional singer and actor for several years. He attended drama academy in New York City and performed in productions off-Broadway, in regional theaters, and in national and international tours. He is currently a member of the Stanford University Symphonic Choir.
Dr. Sung joined the Stanford faculty in 2010 as Assistant Professor. He is also a staff physician at the Veteran’s Administration Palo Alto Health Care System.
His clinical interests include the care of professional voice users; phonomicrosurgery; treatment of vocal fold paralysis with laryngeal framework surgery and injection techniques; diagnosis and Botox treatment of spasmodic dysphonia; office-based laser surgery; treatment of recurrent laryngeal papilloma; and Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS).
Karuna Dewan, MD
Dr. Dewan was born and raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She attended college and medical school in Chicago at Northwestern University as part of the Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME). During her residency in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery Dr. Dewan trained in both Houston and Memphis. She completed a Laryngology fellowship at UCLA under Dr. Gerald Berke and Dr. Dinesh Chhetri.
As a Laryngologist, Dr. Dewan specializes in adult surgeries for swallowing, speaking and breathing disorders. She has a special interest in the surgical management of dysphagia, rehabilitation after total laryngectomy and the treatment of chronic cough. She has authored book chapters and published papers and continues to conduct clinical research in these areas, particularly with a focus on swallowing function and quality of life. She serves as a peer reviewer for multiple journals and a committee member within the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.
Ann Kearney, MA, SLP, BCS-S
Ann Kearney, MA, SLP, BCS-S received her Master's degree in speech pathology from the University of Iowa. She completed her Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY) at North Coast Rehab Center in Santa Rosa, CA. After her CFY, she moved to San Francisco and became the Director of the Speech Pathology Department at San Francisco General Hospital, an affiliate of UCSF. It was during this time that she became interested in post laryngectomy speech rehabilitation and trained with Mark Singer, MD. From there, she moved to Boston and spent time at the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), a training hospital for Harvard Medical School.
She was a member of the Voice and Swallowing department and worked with Kitty Verdolini, PhD and Marvin Freed, MD. After several years at the BWH, she moved to Tufts/New England Medical Center where she was the voice specialist for the Department of Otolaryngology and worked directly with the Chair of the Dept., Stanley Shapshay, MD.
Ann has been with the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery since 2003. She has presented at national meetings throughout the country. She is the program coordinator for CEU courses offered through the Department, such as Stanford's TEP course and an Advanced FEES course. In addition, she is the co-founder for the head and neck cancer support group at the Cancer Center. Her interests include post laryngectomy rehabilitation, voice therapy in the professional voice user, swallowing disorders in head and neck cancer, paradoxical vocal fold movement disorder, chronic cough, and sleep apnea. She is Board certified in swallowing disorders, has been on the faculty for the IAL/Voice Institute, trained in Buteyko Breathing (level 1) and is Myofascial Release certified for the head and neck.
Elizabeth DiRenzo, PhD, CCC-SLP
Dr. DiRenzo received her Master’s degree in speech language pathology from Purdue University in 2008. She then completed her Clinical Fellowship Year (CFY) at Indiana University Health – Arnett Hospital in Lafayette, Indiana. Following the completion of her Master’s degree, Dr. DiRenzo remained at Purdue and received her PhD in 2012 in laryngeal physiology with M. Preeti Sivasankar, PhD. She then completed postdoctoral training in the Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the laboratory of Susan L. Thibeault, PhD studying vocal fold biology.
Dr. DiRenzo joined the Stanford faculty in 2014 as an Assistant Professor. Her clinical interests include the evaluation and treatment of patients with voice, resonance, airway, and swallowing disorders.
Dr. DiRenzo’s overarching research goal is to use techniques from the basic sciences and human clinical sciences to improve the prevention and management of voice disorders. Her research program is directed at improving our understanding of the biologic barriers essential to vocal fold health. Specifically, Dr. DiRenzo investigates how external factors implicated in the development of voice disorders, such as inhaled pollutants, bacteria, and viruses, compromise the function of the vocal fold epithelial and mucus barriers and how these changes may influence voice production. She is also interested in clinical and quality of life outcomes in patients with voice disorders undergoing surgical or behavioral interventions. Dr. DiRenzo’s ultimate aim is to utilize her research findings to develop novel interventions to prevent and manage voice disorders.