About
Karthik Balakrishnan is an Associate Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery at Stanford University and serves as the medical director for surgical performance improvement at Stanford Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. He is a pediatric otolaryngologist specializing in the care of children with complex disorders of breathing, voice, and swallowing. His expertise includes complex surgical reconstruction of the larynx and trachea, innovative approaches to pediatric airway reconstruction, and vascular anomalies of the head and neck. Dr. Balakrishnan is dedicated to improving the quality, safety, and value of pediatric surgical care, reducing healthcare costs, and enhancing the healthcare experience for patients, families, and caregivers. He also has a focus on healthcare disparities, injustice, and how cognitive and implicit bias may influence medical decision-making. An accomplished educator, he has mentored numerous fellows, residents, medical students, and undergraduates, many of whom have pursued careers in otolaryngology, and has developed innovative educational programs. Dr. Balakrishnan has a distinguished record of research and publication, including over 70 peer-reviewed papers, textbook chapters, and a textbook on vascular anomalies. He has served as an associate editor for prominent journals and is actively involved in national and international quality and research initiatives, including co-chairing the Aerodigestive Research Collaborative. His…
Research topics
- Medicine
- Political Science
- Pathology
- Intensive care medicine
- Surgery
- Medical emergency
- Information Retrieval
- Computer Science
- Nursing
- Economics
Selected publications
Comparison Between ChatGPT and Google Search as Sources of Postoperative Patient Instructions
JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery · 2023 · 94 citations
Senior authorCorrespondingThis qualitative study rates the level of understandability, actionability, and procedure-specific content in postoperative instructions generated from ChatGPT, Google Search, and Stanford University.
Otolaryngology · 2020 · 92 citations
1st authorCorrespondingThe novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has unfolded with remarkable speed, posing unprecedented challenges for health care systems and society. Otolaryngologists have a special role in responding to this crisis by virtue of expertise in airway management. Against the backdrop of nations struggling to contain the virus's spread and to manage hospital strain, otolaryngologists must partner with anesthesiologists and front-line health care teams to provide expert services in high-ri…
Systemic Bevacizumab for Treatment of Respiratory Papillomatosis: International Consensus Statement
The Laryngoscope · 2021 · 44 citations
OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: The purpose of this study is to develop consensus on key points that would support the use of systemic bevacizumab for the treatment of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP), and to provide preliminary guidance surrounding the use of this treatment modality. STUDY DESIGN: Delphi method-based survey series. METHODS: A multidisciplinary, multi-institutional panel of physicians with experience using systemic bevacizumab for the treatment of RRP was established. The Delph…
Head & Neck · 2020 · 32 citations
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly disrupted head and neck cancer (HNC) care delivery in ways that will likely persist long term. As we scan the horizon, this crisis has the potential to amplify preexisting racial/ethnic disparities for patients with HNC. Potential drivers of disparate HNC survival resulting from the pandemic include (a) differential access to telemedicine, timely diagnosis, and treatment; (b) implicit bias in initiatives to triage, prioritize, and schedule HNC-directed therap…
International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology · 2023 · 25 citations
Recent grants
NIH · $32k · 2009
Frequent coauthors
- 63 shared
Douglas R. Sidell
Stanford University
- 51 shared
Catherine K. Hart
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
- 43 shared
Michael J. Rutter
University of Cincinnati
- 41 shared
Alessandro de Alarcón
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
- 39 shared
R. Paul Boesch
Mayo Clinic in Florida
- 35 shared
Jeremy D. Prager
Children's Hospital Colorado
- 30 shared
Karen B. Zur
University of Pennsylvania
- 28 shared
Reza Rahbar
Boston Children's Hospital
Labs
Education
M.D.
Stanford University
Other
University of California, Berkeley
B.S.
University of California, Berkeley
Awards & honors
- Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons
- Fellowship in the American Academy of Pediatrics
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