Celebrating Excellence in Otolaryngology

Citation Awardees

Charles A. Hughes, MD, MBA, MPH

Dr. Hughes has more than 30 years of experience in pediatric otolaryngology and takes care of all pediatric ear, nose, and throat-associated disorders. Dr. Hughes has also served the Department of Defense for more than 20 years, including the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and NASA as a flight surgeon. He also served as the U.S. Navy Reserve Otolaryngology Specialty Leader and Consultant to the Surgeon General and served on advisory boards for Tricare and the Defense Health Board. Most recently, he served as the U.S. 7th Fleet representative and consultant to the COVID Task Force, Kadena AFB, and Task Force Safeguard U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa.

In 2015, he was brought on as the first surgeon for Texas Children’s Hospital–The Woodlands to assist in building a pediatric otolaryngology division, and in 2018, he was recruited to Providence Health to help establish a children’s hospital. In 2021, he returned to Texas as a professor at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and will continue this journey in 2026 at Orlando Health in Florida to establish a pediatric otolaryngology division for the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.

Lamont R. Jones, MD, MBA

Dr. Jones is associate chief medical officer of the Henry Ford Medical Group and professor of otolaryngology at Michigan State University and Wayne State University. He is an internationally respected surgeon– scientist who studies the treatment and pathogenesis of keloid disease. His other clinical interests include craniofacial reconstruction, facial cosmetics, and trauma. Dr. Jones has written numerous publications and book chapters and has obtained more than $1.5 million in National Institutes of Health and foundation funding to investigate keloid disease clinical biomarkers and therapeutic targets. He is also a translational research advisor specializing in preclinical and clinical trials for keloid drug discovery. Dr. Jones has lectured internationally, has extensive board experience, and volunteers his time locally and on international medical mission trips.

Western Section

Guest of Honor Andrew Allen Erman, MA/CCC-SLP

Andrew Erman is the former director of Speech Pathology Services at UCLA Health System. He is now retired. His clinical focus was the assessment and treatment of head and neck cancer patients with swallowing and communication disorders. Mr. Erman worked closely with Dr. Chhetri of UCLA Head and Neck Surgery to improve patient care, including in-the-chair tracheoesophageal punctures and patient candidacy criteria for partial epiglottiectomy to improve swallowing function. Dr. Chhetri and Mr. Erman collaborated on lectures, journal articles, and textbook chapters.