Our History

Edley Jones, MD

Godfrey Arnold, MD

Myron Lockey, MD

Winsor Morrison, MD

Vinod Anand, MD

Scott Stringer, MD

The Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery started in 1955 as a division of the Department of Surgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Dr. Edley Jones of Vicksburg, Miss., became the first chief of the otolaryngology division and was one of the original faculty members. Dr. Jones trained in the beginning specialty of eye, ear, nose and throat disease at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, Temple University, and the Chicago Eye and Ear Infirmary. He served as chief of the division until 1960.

Dr. Godfrey Arnold was named chief of the division and served in that position from 1963-79. He received his training in otolaryngology at Vienna University and Berlin University, then served as faculty at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary before coming to UMMC. His interests in voice disorders led to national fame for his influence on laryngology.

In 1963, the residency program was established with Dr. Arnold as its program director. The first resident to complete the entire otolaryngology program was Dr. William Thomas Moore.

Upon Dr. Arnold's retirement, Dr. Myron Lockey of Jackson was division chief for a year. Dr. Lockey completed his otolaryngology training at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Dallas.

Dr. Winsor V. Morrison, who trained at Washington University in St. Louis and came to UMMC from the  University of Tennessee in Memphis, followed as chief from 1981-93 at which time he retired.

Dr. Vinod Anand completed training at New York's Manhattan Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital and Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh before serving as division chief at UMMC from 1994 until 2001.

Dr. Scott Stringer was recruited in 2001 to be the first chair of the newly established and then named Department of Otolaryngology and Communicative Sciences. He trained at the University of Texas Southwestern, then served on faculty at the University of Florida in Gainesville before joining UMMC.

Under Dr. Stringer’s leadership, the department experienced incredible growth. He recruited and nurtured faculty members who have come to be recognized as national leaders in research, education and clinical care in our field. His faculty included more than 55 otolaryngologists, audiologists, speech language pathologists as well as a research team with internationally acclaimed expertise in audiovestibular science. 

Dr. Stringer served as chair for more than 22 years until 2024.