UK HealthCast: Dr. Christopher Azbell on pediatric ENT, new convenient Turfland location
UK HealthCast is a podcast series featuring interviews with UK HealthCare experts on a variety of health-related topics, from how to recognize stroke symptoms to what patients need to know about clinical trials and more.
This week’s HealthCast features Dr. Christopher Azbell, a pediatric otalaryngologist here at UK. His practice covers the entire breadth of pediatric otolaryngology, with particular emphasis on hearing loss, cochlear implantation, and complex endoscopic and open airway surgery.
We caught up with Dr. Azbell about the pediatric ENT program as well as their new location at UK HealthCare – Turfland. Listen to the full podcast at the bottom of the page.
What makes the pediatric ENT practice at UK HealthCare unique?
Our pediatric ENT practice is unique because of the extra training and practice that all of our surgeons have had. We not only completed a five-year ENT residency, like all ENTs, but we completed additional specific training focused entirely on the care of pediatric ear, nose and throat issues. This means dealing with both the simple and more complex ENT issues that children might have.
We also all happen to be parents ourselves, and we know it can often be quite challenging bringing a child into the office. Our experience with kids at home helps us to provide better care to kids at work.
I always laugh when parents come into my office and apologize for their kids acting the way that they do. And I tell them, you know, "I have a three and a five-year-old at home, you don't have to apologize for anything. I know how kids are." And Dr. Iverson and Dr. Fiorillo are certainly the same way. Being a parent is not always an easy job, but it certainly helps us in the job that we have.
Tell us about the new location at UK HealthCare – Turfland. What are the benefits to have a clinic here and what can patients look forward to at this location?
We are the excited to expand to Turfland. This is something we have been working on for over a year now. First, we're excited to have a separate location – a place that is easier to access for some people, depending on what side of town you're on.
The new location is specifically focused on children. That means a separate pediatric waiting area. That means colorful decorations, interactive art displays – all things that make your child feel more at home during their appointment. We're going to have pediatric audiologist or hearing specialist out there with us and a pediatric-dedicated staff out there as well.
In addition to being brand new and focused on kids, it's going to be really convenient. You park in the parking lot. You walk right in through the front door. You don't have to fight the traffic close to the University. You don't have to pay to park in a parking garage. You can easily get in and out.
We want the whole experience to be as easy as possible for kids and their families. We will still be able to provide comprehensive pediatric ear, nose and throat care at that location. If your child needs more complex care through the Kentucky Children’s Hospital or another location, we can still arrange for that to happen from the Turfland location.
Listen to the full podcast with Dr. Azbell:
