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Joshua M. Levy named NIDCD Clinical Director

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) welcomes Joshua M. Levy, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., as the newly appointed clinical director in the Division of Intramural Research. He was previously an associate professor of otolaryngology and associate vice-chair of research at Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Profile photo of Joshua M. Levy, M.D., M.P.H., M.S.

“I am so pleased to welcome Dr. Levy to lead innovative clinical and basic research in NIDCD’s robust intramural clinical program,” said NIDCD Director Debara L. Tucci, M.D., M.S., M.B.A. “As a recognized clinician scientist and board-certified otolaryngologist, he has the vision to integrate multidisciplinary teams to improve treatments for disorders of human communication.”

Dr. Levy will oversee NIDCD’s clinical and translational research program conducted in the NIH Clinical Center, a world-class research hospital located on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. NIDCD’s clinical program will foster interaction to support translational, pre-clinical, and clinical studies aimed at developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for disorders affecting hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language. Under his leadership, the program will provide clinical training opportunities for future clinician-scientists, including physicians who are engaged in cutting-edge, translational research through NIDCD’s Otolaryngology Surgeon-Scientist Program. Dr. Levy will also head NIDCD’s new Sinonasal and Olfaction Program where a multi-specialty team will explore basic science discoveries that have the potential to advance treatments for patients.

Originally from Maryland, Dr. Levy received a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. He earned a medical degree at Tulane University School of Medicine and completed his residency in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Tulane University Hospital in 2015. His fellowship training in rhinology, sinus, and skull base surgery was performed at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland. Dr. Levy holds a master's degree in public health from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and most recently, he earned a master’s degree in clinical research at Emory University’s James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies.

At Emory, Dr. Levy led multidisciplinary research teams, treated patients, and conducted basic and clinical research studies. His work focused on improving the diagnosis and treatment of aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), a chronic condition that causes almost 100% of patients to lose their sense of taste and smell. His research includes studies of biomarkers to diagnose and possibly treat AERD by altering the pathways that lead to debilitating symptoms. Biomarkers are an important focus area for future studies on disorders of the olfactory system.

Dr. Levy is director of an NIH clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of a drug to treat allergic fungal rhinosinusitis. At Emory, Dr. Levy also worked with a team as the clinical studies director for an NIH COVID-19 Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) Point-of-Care Technologies Research Network to verify and validate COVID-19 tests. As a clinician who treats patients with COVID-related taste and smell loss, he is particularly focused on advancing new technologies to address the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of chemosensory disorders.

Dr. Levy has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the field of otolaryngology. He received back-to-back awards for his clinical research in 2017 and 2018 from the American Rhinologic Society, followed by a clinical science award from the International Society of Inflammation and Allergy of the Nose, in 2019. Dr. Levy twice received the Emory University School of Medicine Doctors’ Day award that honors outstanding faculty members for their dedication to improving the care of patients, conducting research, and teaching and inspiring students.

Dr. Levy begins his new position on April 24, 2023. NIDCD’s previous clinical director, Carter Van Waes, M.D., Ph.D., retired in June 2022. Dr. Tucci extends her gratitude to Clint T. Allen, M.D., for his commitment and leadership in serving as NIDCD acting clinical director in the interim. Dr. Allen will continue a clinical practice with NIDCD and serve as a senior investigator for the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute, NIH.

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