About San Francisco Otolaryngology Medical Group

San Francisco Otolaryngology has been the most respected source of ear, nose, and throat care in the Bay Area since 1940. We provide the most comprehensive care for sinus, thyroid, and other ENT conditions by utilizing experience, innovation, and a strong local network of hospitals and specialists.

We invite you to take a quick look at what makes SF Otolaryngology stand out among other ear, nose, and throat centers in the Bay Area…

Our physicians hold academic appointments at University of California San Francisco.
Our physicians sit on the boards of many research centers and foundations.
Our practice runs completely on Electronic Medical Records
10% of the group’s time is devoted to charitable care.
We offer in-house allergy and audiology testing for adults and children.
We operate the only point-of-care CT scanner for nasal sinuses in San Francisco.
Our physicians are involved in a range of clinical and basic science studies including: office-based sinuplasty, hearing application and cognition, ear canal anatomy, and the connection between bone quality and hearing loss.
On-Call services are never directed off-site; all off-hours calls are internally covered by our physicians only.
Our surgeons perform 50% of their procedures at the Campus Surgery Center, 30% at California Pacific Medical Center and 20% at the San Francisco Surgery Center

Our Mission

Our mission is to be a community leader in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, by providing comprehensive, high quality care to every patient through an integrated clinical practice.

Our Vision

Our vision is to be the best provider of patient care and the best place to work. Our goal is to foster superior clinical care and health education.

Our Values

Our primary value is to put patient needs first. We strive to treat everyone (patients, loved ones, colleagues and coworkers) with compassion. We are committed to excellence and integrity. We value teamwork and responsible stewardship of our resources.

Affiliations and Collaborations

Collaborations

Alliston Lab at UCSF– San Francisco Otolaryngology collaborates with the Alliston research group on the relationship between bone in the ear and hearing loss.

Hearing Research Incorporated – Hearing Research Inc is a charitable corporation that funded the development of the Cochlear Implant.

Affiliations

The History of San Francisco Otolaryngology

The San Francisco Otolaryngology Medical Group can trace its roots to Meyer Schindler, MD. The practice began in 1940 when Lewis F. Morrison, MD, the Chief of Otolaryngology at UCSF, asked Meyer to join him in practice. Meyer started seeing patients at a 490 Post St. office in July 1940. He remained with Dr. Morrison until just after the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. Meyer was immediately drafted into the Army and began his military service at Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco. In early 1942, Meyer was sent to England and named Chief of ENT for the Army 30th General Hospital, a unit comprised entirely of UCSF physicians, dentists, nurses, and administrative staff. This was the first American Military Hospital to be set up in England.

With the end of World War II, Meyer returned from his military service as a Lieutenant Colonel and Chief of the ENT for the entire Eighth Air Force stationed in England. In the late summer of 1945, Meyer reopened his practice at 450 Sutter St. in the office of his long-time friend and fellow Otolaryngologist, Allen Sherman, MD. Although the two practices were separate, Meyer and Allen shared the same office until 1953 when Dr. Sherman decided to move his practice to a new office building at 2340 Sutter St. across from Mt. Zion Hospital. Meyer chose to remain in the 450 Sutter St. office as a sole practitioner until the summer of 1973, when he was joined in practice by his oldest son, David Schindler, MD. David completed his residency at UCSF, after which he completed military service as an Army Otolaryngologist in the rank of Major in Fort Lewis, Washington. The Meyer and David Schindler office expanded once again when his fourth son, Brian Schindler, MD, completed his residency training at UCSF, then joined the practice in 1979.

Meanwhile, in 1970, Dr. Meyer Schindler continued to demonstrate his commitment to the quality of patient care, and to his alma mater, by working with a group of UCSF physicians to form the Association of the Clinical Faculty. According to Dr. Ephraim Engleman M.D., the first president and founder of the ACF, “after World War II, the UCSF Medical School was the recipient of generous federal support of research which resulted in both, remarkable growth in the quality of research at UCSF and, unfortunately, a decline in the quality of teaching and patient care”. Meyer and his colleagues helped Dr. Engleman form the ACF to: 1) provide channels of communication between clinical faculty and other segments of the medical school, 2) contribute to the high quality of clinical instruction in the medical school, and 3) to activate the clinical faculty for participation in the formation of policies of the medical school.

Meyer Schindler passed away in April 1983, while still in active practice, and his legacy takes many forms: the practice he left to his two sons is thriving, now with six physicians, and his youngest son is the only member of the Clinical Faculty to have served two terms as President of the ACF. In 2010, Meyer’s colleague, Dr. Engleman, pictured below with Dr. David Schindler, was a featured speaker at the ACF 40th Anniversary Banquet.

Dr. David Schindler and Dr. Ephraim Engleman at the 2010 ACF Banquet — Dr. David Schindler and Dr. Ephraim Engleman at the November 2010 ACF Banquet

In 2001, Brian and David welcomed Jacob Johnson, MD to the practice upon completion of his residency at UCSF, and San Francisco Otolaryngology’s tradition of service continued: Dr. Johnson completed his term as President of the Association of the Clinical Faculty in January 2011. San Francisco Otolaryngology’s current team of six physicians was formed when the practice welcomed three more former UCSF residents, Dr. Andrea Yeung in 2007, Dr. Theresa Kim in 2010 and Dr. Gerald Kangelaris in 2012. All of our physicians remain active in the USCF teaching community.

Built in 1929, the 450 Sutter Building was designed by Timothy Pfluenger as San Francisco’s first genuinely original skyscraper. Since its original opening, 450 Sutter continues to house medical and health professionals, and in 1989, it reportedly housed up to 25% of the city’s physicians and dentists. 450 Sutter has been designated as an Art Deco Landmark by the Art Deco Society of California.