Medical educators can play a critical role in decreasing LGBT healthcare disparities. The University of Louisville LGBT Health Certificate Program played an important first step in increasing medical students' knowledge and improving certain attitudes about LGBT patients.

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The purpose of this prospective study was to determine the incidence and type of hearing loss occurring in children who suffered head injuries. Fifty children admitted to the neurosurgical service after sustaining head trauma were studied. Neurologic, otologic, and audiologic evaluations were performed. Diagnostic studies included skull roentgenograms and computerized tomography scans. A 32% incidence of conductive hearing loss and a 16% incidence of high-frequency sensorineural hearing loss was found in this group. All patients with temporal bone fractures had conductive hearing losses, but the presence of a skull vault fracture did not correlate with the presence, type, or degree of hearing loss. In addition, there was no correlation between either cause of injury, loss of consciousness, or Glasgow Coma Scale scores and the presence, type, or degree of hearing loss. There was a significant incidence of both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss in this series of patients, which indicates that close audiologic and otologic follow-up is necessary for all head injury patients.

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If our broad goal for undergraduate education is to prepare students for residency and the eventual practice of medicine, the specific knowledge and skills we teach should reflect those that will be required of them to perform well as residents and practicing physicians. To determine and compare priority goals and objectives, we surveyed otolaryngology educators, a representative group of physicians in practice, and a representative group of residents. Participants were asked to evaluate the level of knowledge and skills necessary for students to attain in various areas of otolaryngology by ranking each item by a score of 0 to 3 according to its required depth of knowledge or skill. A rank "order of importance" was developed based on mean scores. The highest-ranking areas of knowledge were otitis media, airway obstruction, tonsillitis, and croup/epiglottitis, whereas the highest-ranking skills were history and physical examination of the head and neck, throat cultures, and use of the otoscope and pneumatoscope. The lowest-ranking areas of knowledge were voice disorders and ear deformities, whereas the lowest-ranking skills were interpreting electronystagmograms and stapedial reflex testing. We review the findings of our survey and comment on their role in undergraduate curriculum planning for otolaryngology.