The Department of Otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School held its first annual "Mastoid Bowl" in the Joseph B. Nadol, Jr., MD, Surgical Training Laboratory at Mass. Eye and Ear earlier this year.

Hosted by Daniel J. Lee, MD, FACS, this competition evaluated otolaryngology residents as they performed mastoidectomies (canal-wall-up with facial recess), which is a surgical procedure that aims to remove diseased mastoid air cells. The mastoid is the part of the skull that's located behind the ear. It’s filled with air cells made of bone and if these cells become diseased, it can cause ear infections that can spread into the skull.

The 2018 winner, which was announced at the Harvard Otolaryngology Grand Rounds last week, is Chief Resident Katie M. Phillips, MD.