During the 2007 Otolaryngology Academy meetings in Washington D.C., a representative for the German medical instrument company, Karl Storz, recognized Dr. Osborne’s cutting edge technique for removing salivary gland stones. As a result of this meeting, Dr. Osborne met with Prof. Johannes Zhenk at the 2008 Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Annual Convention. After this meeting, an invitation was extended to Dr. Osborne to travel to Germany to exchange evaluation and surgical techniques with the professors at the University of Erlangen, which is the premier referral center for complex head and neck problems in Europe.
During the 10-day exchange, Dr. Osborne participated in formal lectures and live parotid tumor and salivary gland stone surgeries. The German surgeons use less invasive techniques which Dr. Osborne has since implemented with his patients. Dr. Osborne gave lectures to the doctors in Germany as well. At the end of the exchange there was an international course held at the University in which surgeons who wished to learn the new techniques attended from Belgium, Denmark, Japan, just to name a few. Dr. Osborne attended a private instructional session prior to joining the international physician group and was able to obtain surgical proficiency using the Storz equipment. Since this exchange, Dr Osborne is working closely with Storz to develop a regional referral center, such as the one in Erlangen. Dr. Ryan Osborne returned to Germany in February 2011 as a guest instructor for this year’s international course.
“My goal is to always provide the highest level of care using the latest and most cutting-edge and advanced surgical techniques. In order to keep current, one must continue to go out of the domestic boundaries.”
Ryan F. Osborne, M.D., FACS