Interim Chair of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery

February 21, 2024

TO: UMMC Faculty and Staff
FROM:Dr. LouAnn Woodward, Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean, School of Medicine
SUBJECT: Interim Chair of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Melissa A. Scholes as interim chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, effective April 1.

Dr. Scholes will succeed Dr. Scott Stringer, whose leadership as the department’s founding chair has cultivated a thriving department.

Dr. Scholes, currently associate professor and vice chair for clinical affairs in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, joined the Medical Center faculty in 2022 as a pediatric otolaryngologist.

After graduating from the UMMC School of Medicine in 2003, she completed general surgery and otolaryngology residencies at the University of Colorado Health Center before pursuing a pediatric otolaryngology fellowship at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, part of The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

Her interests include pediatric head and neck masses, speech and ear issues related to cleft and sleep apnea. With 20 years of experience in the field of otolaryngology, Dr. Scholes won several awards for providing outstanding care to her patients at Children’s Hospital Colorado, where she practiced for a decade prior to coming to UMMC. Dr. Scholes is also a complex pediatric otolaryngology board item writer for the American Board of Otolaryngology.

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Scholes to this new role.

And on behalf of the entire Medical Center, I want to extend my deep appreciation to Dr. Stringer for his many years of service. He joined UMMC in 2001, and over the past 23 years has admirably served the institution, including in several key leadership roles.