The 2025 Albert C. Muse Prize recipient for Excellence in Research and Advancement of Care in Otolaryngology is Mark L. Urken, MD, FACS, FACE.

Dr. Mark L. Urken is an internationally renowned head and neck oncologic and reconstructive surgeon. He is widely recognized as a pioneer in head and neck microvascular surgery, having performed over 3300 free tissue transfers to the head and neck, which ranks among the highest of any single surgeon in the world. His expertise in the surgical management of advanced thyroid cancer attracts patients both nationally and internationally. He heads up the multidisciplinary thyroid nodule and thyroid cancer platform known as TIRO (Thyroid International Recommendations Online). Now in its 6th year, TIRO has attracted an international audience for its weekly virtual programs, tumor boards and podcasts. He has published 340 articles and 3 textbooks on head and neck reconstruction. He has lectured extensively throughout the United States and abroad. His former fellows are now leaders in academic medicine both in the US and around the world.

The 2025 Albert C. Muse Award recipient for Excellence in Innovation and Service in Otolaryngology is Carl H. Snyderman, MD, MBA.

Dr. Snyderman and his neurosurgery colleagues are pioneers in the development of minimally invasive endoscopic surgical techniques for the treatment of skull base and sinus tumors. Dr. Snyderman has been a pioneer in the education and training of skull base surgeons over the last 25 years.  He is the editor of multiple textbooks and founded a free educational website (www.skullbasecongress.com), which provides a global community for skull base surgery. In collaboration with vision scientists from the Department of Ophthalmology, Dr. Snyderman is currently studying visual cognition to improve pattern recognition during endoscopic surgery. He is a founding and advisory board member of Pittsburgh CREATES, a pipeline for surgical innovation, and has multiple patents related to surgical innovation. Dr. Snyderman is the founder and Chief Technology Officer of Respair, Inc., a Pittsburgh-based medical device manufacturing company that develops and builds airway devices to optimize clinical workflows and improve patient outcomes across critical care, starting with airway management.