Brian B. Burkey MD, MEd, FACS is currently Chairman of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital and Chairman of the Regional Institute for Surgical Specialties within the Cleveland Clinic Florida system. Dr. Burkey came to the Cleveland Clinic after almost twenty years at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, rising to Professor of Otolaryngology and Vice-chairman within that department.
Dr. Burkey finished undergraduate studies at the Johns Hopkins University, before obtaining his medical degree at the University Of Virginia School Of Medicine in 1986. He completed otolaryngology residency training at the University Of Michigan Department Of Otolaryngology and a fellowship in microvascular and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Ohio State University, before launching his career at Vanderbilt. He has been an American Board of Otolaryngology diplomate since 1992, and his practice has an emphasis on head and neck oncologic and microvascular reconstructive surgery. He began co-directing the Vanderbilt fellowship in Head and Neck Oncologic and Microvascular Reconstructive Surgery starting in 1992, one of the early fellowships in microvascular surgery, and has trained over 40 fellows during his career, almost all of whom have positions in academic otolaryngology both nationally and internationally. He has continued this fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic (Ohio), which is accredited by the American Head and Neck Society.
At Vanderbilt, Dr. Burkey served as residency Program Director for 15 years, which spanned three successful site visits. Dr. Burkey completed a seven-year tenure on the Otolaryngology Residency Review Committee of the ACGME, serving two years as Vice-chairman and two years as Chairman of that body. He then served as a consultant with ACGME-International and helped three programs in Singapore gain initial accreditation. He was on the steering committee which founded the Otolaryngology Program Directors Organization (OPDO), and served on the Executive Council and as President of the Society of University Otolaryngologists (SUO). He has also served as a guest examiner and senior examiner of the American Board of Otolaryngology and has been a member of the Board of Governors and numerous educational committees of the American College of Surgeons.
Dr. Burkey has been an active member of the American Head and Neck Society, serving on many committees, and as Secretary and President, and is now Past-President of that organization. He is a proud member of the Triological Society and has presented at multiple regional and national meetings and served on its committees. He serves on the editorial board of multiple journals in the field of otolaryngology, and has lectured extensively on educational and clinical subjects both nationally and internationally. He has authored over 20 book chapters and 120 peer-reviewed articles on head and neck and reconstructive surgery topics. He has been a leader on several cooperative group studies and been a co-principal investigator of NIH-funded research. He continues to mentor residents and fellows and is hoping to continue innovation within all areas of medical education. He completed his Masters degree in Education with an emphasis on the health professions in the summer of 2014. Dr. Burkey is married to Maureen, his wife of over 39 years, and their daughter Rachel Burkey lives and works in Cleveland, OH.