Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

In Memoriam

2016; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 37; Issue: 7 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1097/mao.0000000000001139

1537-4505

Howard W. Francis, Debara L. Tucci,

Hearing, Cochlea, Tinnitus, Genetics

FigureWe have lost one of this era's most influential and creative physician-scientists, teachers, and visionary leaders of Otology, Neurotology, and the Communication Sciences. John Niparko was intensely driven by a desire to advance the practice, accessibility, and outcome of interventions for hearing loss. He was particularly passionate regarding giving deaf and hard of hearing children access to broader life opportunities including educational achievement through the development of spoken language. John was originally from Michigan, and received his bachelor's degree and medical degree with distinction from the University of Michigan. He completed residency and neurotology fellowship at that institution, and served on faculty for a short time before being recruited to Johns Hopkins. John thought in the tripartite mission of the academic department and was fully engaged as a physician-scientist and teacher at Johns Hopkins (1991–2012) where, as the George T. Nager Professor, he built a world class Otology-Neurotology division and training program, and founded the Johns Hopkins Listening Center (1). At the University of Southern California Tina and Rick Caruso Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (2012–2016) he had made great strides as chair towards accomplishing his vision of creating a world-class department when his life ended prematurely. John's greatest gift was his charismatic personality and his ability to deeply engage others in a joint vision of greater possibilities. With his charisma came the credibility of robust ideas, courageous leadership, and a track record of accomplishment, which enabled him to pursue increasingly bold ideas over the course of his career, all of which have transformed our field for generations to come. John was a gifted ear surgeon and a source of great hope for his patients. His heart had a special place for deaf and hard-of-hearing children and their families, which shaped his mission and focused his unparalleled drive. The wide arc of John's scholarly contributions (>200 original articles, 45 reviews, and four books) resulted from his ability to develop and sustain productive research collaborations and mentorship relationships with colleagues and trainees. This legacy encompassed the elucidation of central plasticity effects in an animal model of congenital deafness and their reversal by cochlear implantation (2), some of the earliest reports of quality-of-life implications of cochlear implantation in adults and children (3), and the first prospective multicenter study of children with cochlear implants (4). John's scholarship was particularly impactful because of the added credibility it gave to his tireless advocacy efforts including numerous appeals to legislators, the Food and Drug Administration, health insurance entities, and other influential parties to expand the accessibility of cochlear implants and rehabilitation for children and adults alike. Using an evidence-based approach (5,6), John also disseminated the application of osseointegrated technology for hearing rehabilitation and head and neck reconstruction in the United States and successfully advocated for health insurance coverage. John's growing influence and credibility with all stakeholders in the field culminated in the successful establishment of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance. As the founding co-chair of the board of directors, John described the importance of this collaboration between professionals, patients, and implant companies: “The Alliance brings together the people with the expertise to gather the resources to improve the education, collaboration, and focus of our community” (http://www.acialliance.org). As the central body that coordinates advocacy and education efforts including national meetings, this accomplishment promises to influence the future of the cochlear implant field in North America for generations. John's crowning achievement was the multicenter prospective study of Childhood Development after Cochlear Implantation, the only one of its kind anywhere in the world. Now, in its 14th year of funding by the National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorders, this project continues to make seminal contributions that will reshape research and clinical innovation in the field for years to come. Of particular importance is the increasing understanding of how delay to intervention, socioeconomic status, and maternal sensitivity interact to influence the acquisition of spoken language following cochlear implantation (7). He further influenced academic discourse over the past 10 years as Editor-in-Chief of this journal, Otology & Neurotology. During his tenure the Journal grew in stature as the premier international journal in otology and neurotology, bringing international societies into partnership with the Journal, and maintaining high standards of scholarship. Through this work we have all benefited from his careful scholarship and stewardship of the field. John was a generous teacher committed to the development of every resident and fellow, and any practicing physician who sought his instruction. He established a highly regarded fellowship program training leading otologists/neurotologists from the Americas, Europe, and Asia. He inspired many of us to participate in his vision through the development of our own clinical, research, and teaching programs. John's work ethic and intense attention to detail were legendary. His professional mission was never far from his mind and he was in constant pursuit of the change he wanted to effect. He demanded full engagement in our continuous improvement through observation, reflection, and practice. We benefited from his very high standards but most importantly we were given the gift of self-criticism and lifelong learning. John's charm belied an intense drive to fulfill his mission. He remained the most productive individual that we have ever known right up to the end when his body simply would not allow him to continue. His influence and legacy were made all the more transformative by his willingness to learn from others and continuously evolve into an increasingly patient and deliberative leader. John was devoted to his wife Angela and his sons Nathan and Kevin. He also had an “academic family” that included his trainees, research colleagues and audiologists, speech and language pathologists and teachers of the deaf in the Johns Hopkins Listening Center, the Caruso Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Southern California and throughout the United States. We all miss him.