The United States is a reputable resource for patients who travel from across the globe to find the best answers and treatments for serious medical conditions. As a result, patients travel from around the world to find cutting-edge care in Sarasota, Florida, the home of a medical organization dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and afflictions of the ear, including: acoustic neuroma, deafness and hearing loss, Meniere’s Disease, otosclerosis (hearing loss due to bone deterioration), tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and vertigo.
As President and founder of the Silverstein Institute, Herbert Silverstein, MD, FACS, is an ear, nose and throat doctor dedicated to addressing these conditions and many others. The Institute combines pioneering research with inventive treatment to meet the needs of more than 800 patients each week. The state-of-the-art, 30,000 square foot Institute is a welcoming location that echoes Dr. Silverstein’s charismatic personality and caring bedside manner. 
Under his leadership along with ear, nose and throat doctor Seth Rosenberg, MD, FACS, and ear, nose and throat doctor Jack Wazen, MD, FACS, the Institute has developed an international reputation for providing the best treatment for hearing and ear-related conditions. The Ear Research Foundation (ERF) is a not-for-profit (501c3) founded by Dr. Silverstein to support the mission and work of the Institute.
The research conducted through ERF is focused on developing advanced techniques in rehabilitating hearing and creating enhanced surgical practices for balance, dizziness and hearing difficulties. The Foundation also provides ear, nose and throat doctor conference Education to physicians and they may also participate in a fellowship program.
Nearly 40 physicians have received training through the ERF, and many have gone on to become professors at leading universities. The ERF also provides lectures, seminars and published materials which are designed to educate the public as well. The Foundation provides important community services through free screenings and treatments for indigent patients, particularly children. These services also include funding for a cochlear implant program, which can provide a sense of sound to people who are deaf or severely hearing impaired.
Dr. Silverstein obtained his MS in physiology and MD degrees at Temple University. He interned at Philadelphia General and did his residency at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Later, Dr. Silverstein was an ear, nose and throat doctor invited to become a member of the teaching faculty of Harvard Medical School. He then became Associate Professor and Director of the Otological Research Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. Dr. Silverstein moved to Sarasota in 1974, and founded the Silverstein Institute in 2004.
Dr. Silverstein is an ear, nose and throat doctor recognized around the world as a principal in otology/neurotology, which includes acoustic neuroma, Meniere’s disease, otosclerosis, and reconstructive surgery of the ear. Over the course of his prolific career as an ear, nose and throat doctor, his research has led to the invention of a facial nerve monitor (which protects the facial nerve during surgery), new prostheses, surgical procedures and treatments.
His greatly esteemed invention of the MicroWick™, which was patented in 1999, makes it possible for medications to travel across the eardrum and into the inner ear fluids. The device can be used in the treatment of sudden deafness and other types of hearing loss, including Meniere’s disease. In addition, he was a pioneer in the use of a surgical laser during ear surgery.
Dr. Wazen’s scholastic experience includes the American University of Beirut, he has also taught as an ear, nose and throat doctor at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, Columbia University and St. Luke’s Hospital Center in New York. In addition, Dr. Wazen graduated from the Ear Research Foundation in 1983, and was the first Fellow. He has over 20 years experience as an ear, nose and throat doctor with the diagnosis and treatment of individuals suffering from vertigo, and is a universally recognized expert in otology/neurology .
Dr. Rosenberg, another ERF Fellow and ear, nose and throat doctor, focuses his practice in helping patients with issues stemming from allergies, balance, hearing, pediatric otolaryngology, nasal, sinus diseases, snoring and sleep apnea surgery and vertigo. Following his Fellowship, Dr. Rosenberg worked at the University of Pennsylvania as an ear, nose and throat doctor, at a location well-known as a preeminent institution for endoscopic sinus surgery. Where he gained excellent skills he then brought to the Silverstein Institute upon his return.
According to Dr. Silverstein, no one should suffer the pain of being hard of hearing or deaf, thanks to the numerous digital hearing devices and cochlear implants offered by the Silverstein Institute. Dr. Silverstein has made it his professional mission as an ear, nose and throat doctor to help these patients, and he has built a ear, nose and throat doctor team of the best physicians available for hearing and ear-related conditions.
