Objective To develop and evaluate a virtual otolaryngology medical student elective created during the COVID-19 crisis with the intention of teaching the basic tenets of otolaryngology and increasing exposure to the specialty. Study Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting Emory University School of Medicine. Methods A 1-week virtual otolaryngology curriculum was offered to third- and fourth-year medical students that centered on the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation’s handbook Primary Care in Otolaryngology (fourth edition). The course covered a variety of topics and was conducted remotely via online video conferencing software. We applied multiple teaching modalities and surveyed students regarding the effectiveness of the course. Mixed methods analysis was employed to analyze the course data. Results Twelve students participated; 67% reported their baseline precourse understanding of otolaryngology in the “poor-fair” range. After the course, 92% of students reported increased understanding, with 42% and 58% reporting “good” and “very good” understanding, respectively. Following completion of the course, posttest scores on summative assessments were significantly higher than pretest scores ( P < .001). Ninety-two percent of students reported either “increased” or “greatly increased” interest in otolaryngology postcourse. Qualitative survey results revealed students’ appreciation of course organization, formative assessments, and case-based learning. Conclusions An otolaryngology elective administered through a virtual format can be effective at providing an educational experience and garnering interest in the field. Positive exposure to otolaryngology can increase medical students’ interest in pursuing the specialty and expand their general knowledge of consultation, diagnosis, and management in otolaryngology.

Infantile hemangiomas (IH) are the most common soft-tissue tumors in childhood, occurring in up to 10% of infants. 1,2 The majority of these benign vascular tumors require no treatment; however, in at least 12% of patients, they can become problematic, and depending on their anatomic location and extent of growth, require clinical evaluation and treatment. 1,3,4 In these cases, oral propranolol has emerged as a first-line treatment. 5 While the efficacy of propranolol as a treatment has been well supported through many studies, substantial variability in administration protocols remains. 2 Current FDA prescribing information for Hemangeol™ and provisional consensus guidelines recommend monitoring heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) after the first and second hours following propranolol initiation and after each dose increase. 1,6,7 However, actual initiation and titration practices differ among providers and

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Background Outcomes are thought to be worse in head and neck (H&N) melanoma patients. However, definitive evidence of inferior outcomes in H&N melanoma in the modern era is lacking. We sought to ascertain whether H&N melanomas carry a worse prognosis than melanomas of other sites. Methods All patients who underwent excision for primary melanoma by fellowship-trained surgical oncologists at a single institution from 2014 to 2020 were queried from the electronic medical record. Patients who had AJCC eighth edition stage I-III disease were included. Results Of 1127 patients, 28.7% had primary H&N melanoma. H&N patients were more likely to be male, older, and present with more advanced AJCC stage. Median follow-up was 20.0 months (IQR 26.4). On multivariable analyses controlling for other variables, H&N melanoma was associated with worse RFS. Notably, H&N melanoma was not associated with worse MSS, DMFS, or OS on univariate or multivariable analyses. Among patients who recurred, H&N patients were significantly more likely to recur locally compared to non-H&N patients. On subgroup analysis, scalp melanoma was also associated with worse RFS compared to patients with melanoma in locations other than the scalp. When patients with scalp melanoma were excluded from analysis, non-scalp H&N RFS was not significantly different from the non-H&N group on univariate or multivariable analyses. Discussion In this series from a high-volume tertiary referral center, the differences in rates and sites of recurrence between H&N and non-H&N melanoma do not impact melanoma-specific or overall survival, suggesting that H&N melanoma patients should be treated similarly with respect to regional and systemic therapies.