Paul R. Lambert, M.D., grew up in Charleston, West Virginia. He graduated from Duke University summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He then attended Duke University Medical School, graduating in 1976. His otolaryngology – head and neck surgery training was completed at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles. This was followed by a fellowship in otology-neurotology at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles. This institute is considered by most to be one of the world’s premier training centers for the treatment of ear and ear-related diseases.
Dr. Lambert began his professional career at the University of Virginia in 1982 and was on faculty there until 1999. He was director of otology-neurotology and became a professor and vice-chairman of the department. In 1999, he moved to his present position as the professor and chair of the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Dr. Lambert has been involved in hearing-related research all throughout his career. In 1987, he published the seminal discovery that inner ear hearing hair cells could regenerate in birds. His subsequent work in this area was widely published in prestigious journals including Science. In 1994, he was awarded otolaryngology’s highest award for basic science research, the Edmund Prince Fowler Award for work in this field. He is a recipient of NIH support.
Nationally, Dr. Lambert is well recognized within the broad specialty of otolaryngology and especially within the subspecialty area of Otology-Neurotology. He has, for example, served on the board of directors, and then vice president, for the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, and as a Director for the American Board of Otolaryngology, which is the certifying body for the specialty. He is past president of that organization, as well as for the American Neurotology Society and the American Otological Society. Dr. Lambert has been listed in both the Best Doctors in America and America’s Top Doctors continuously since 2001.
Dr. Lambert has an active clinical practice. In addition to his clinical responsibilities, he directs the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, is extensively involved in the training of the residents within that program, and continues his research in hearing-related diseases. Dr. Lambert has authored over 150 publications and book chapters, and several textbooks related to ear diseases and ear surgery.
