December 1, 2003

Dear Colleagues:

It is with great pleasure that I announce the selection of Lloyd B. Minor, M.D., an expert in hearing and balance disorders, as the new Andelot Professor and Director of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, effective immediately.

Recruited to Hopkins in 1993 to build a clinical and basic research program in vestibular disorders, Lloyd has worked to advance understanding of how the body perceives head motion and maintains balance, serving as director of the department’s Laboratory of Vestibular Neurophysiology, as well as of its otology and neurotology fellowship training program. Under his leadership, the research program grew from two staff members to 13 and now brings in over $800,000 per year in grant support. On the clinical side, he and his colleagues are involved in more than 2,000 patient visits, 1,000 vestibular tests and 200 procedures per year.

In 1998, Lloyd and his colleagues linked tiny perforations in skull bones to a disorder in which loud noises can suddenly cause dizziness. After making the discovery by studying the abnormal eye movements caused by loud noises in these patients, he devised a surgical procedure to correct the anatomical abnormality. He also is known for treatment of Meniere’s disease, a syndrome involving dizziness, hearing loss, and ringing or pressure in the ears. Using an antibiotic that shuts down key cells in the balance system, Lloyd and his colleagues disable the balance system in one ear. The drug, given by injection into the ear, has proven effective in 90 percent of cases, usually with little or no hearing loss.

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Lloyd received his bachelor’s degree in biology from Brown University in 1979 and his medical degree from Brown in 1982. He completed his two-year core surgical residency at Duke University followed by a four-year postdoctoral research fellowship in vestibular physiology and a residency in otolaryngology—head and neck surgery at the University of Chicago. He then was a clinical fellow at The Otology Group and The EAR Foundation in Nashville, Tennessee. At Hopkins, he is a professor of otolaryngology – head and neck surgery, of biomedical engineering and of neuroscience.

After a national search for a successor to the renowned Charlie Cummings, the Search Committee headed by Hal Fox unanimously recommended Lloyd as an outstanding teacher, a superb researcher and an extremely loyal and productive member of the Hopkins community. As the committee noted, "his past accomplishments and vision for the future for otolaryngology indicate that he will serve well as an excellent role model and leader."

I’m sure I can count on you to give Lloyd your full support in his new role.

Sincerely,

Edward D. Miller, M.D.