Jim Burns MD James Burns, MD FACS is Chief of the Laryngology Division of Northwestern’s Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Department and specializes in the medical and surgical management of voice and airway disorders. He comes to Northwestern after 17 years at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital where he was both a leader and key collaborator in developing novel assessment and treatment paradigms for the management of benign and malignant laryngeal disorders. Nationally, Dr. Burns is well-recognized within the specialty of Laryngology, serving in leadership positions of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the American Laryngological Association, and as past-president of the American Broncho-Esophagological Association.
After completing an otolaryngology residency at the University of Virginia Medical Center, Dr. Burns served on active duty with the United States Air Force from 1996-2000, during which he served as medical director of the Otolaryngology service at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He then completed a Laryngology Fellowship at Harvard Medical School – Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
Dr. Burns’ research interests include optimizing photoangiolytic laser parameters to improve voice outcomes in laryngeal surgery, creating arytenoid repositioning techniques to improve glottic function in patients with vocal fold paralysis, and developing high-fidelity simulation models to teach office-based laryngeal surgery. He brings his experience and a collaborative approach to Chicago to continue Northwestern’s proud heritage of developing cutting-edge programs across the spectrum of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.