Chief Pediatric Otolaryngology
University of Utah, Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery
Dr. Albert Park is the chief for Pediatric Otolaryngology at the University of Utah. He oversees the operations for the pediatric otolaryngology group at Primary Children’s hospital. His practice is focused on the treatment of complex pediatric ear, nose and throat conditions with emphasis on hearing loss. His research interests center around pediatric hearing loss, specifically the role of cytomegalovirus (CMV) this condition. CMV is the most common infectious cause of pediatric sensorineural hearing loss. John Carey and he established a multidisciplinary hearing assessment clinic in 2006 to facilitate the evaluation and treatment of pediatric hearing loss. He also established a CMV working group comprising of pediatric genetics, infectious disease, otolaryngology, audiology, neurology, department of health (EDHI) and ARUP laboratories to streamline clinical and research initiatives in this field.
These collaborative efforts have resulted in the first clinically validated dry blood spot and saliva PCR assay available to test any child for congenital CMV infection. He also worked with Representative Menlove and others to introduce a bill in the Utah legislature to increase overall awareness about congenital CMV infection and to mandate early CMV testing for newborns who fail their hearing screen. This legislation was passed in July 2013, and Utah became the first state to introduce a hearing targeted screening program for early CMV diagnosis.