MUSC Health ENT at North Area Medical Pavilion

Tyler M. Rist, M.D. is a fellowship trained facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon who has a passion for treating patients with facial weakness from Bell's Palsy, Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, head and neck cancer, and a variety of other conditions. He also received specialized training in other areas of facial plastics including facial trauma, nasal breathing/deviated septum surgery, cancer reconstruction, eyelid surgery, and cosmetic surgery of the head and neck including facelifts, revision rhinoplasty, and blepharoplasty. Dr. Rist grew up in Alabama before playing Division 1 soccer and graduating with honors with a Biomedical Engineering degree at the University of Memphis. He then attended medical school at the University of Tennessee and completed his residency training in ENT head and neck surgery at the Medical University of South Carolina. He was then selected to be the only facial plastics fellow at one of the top fellowships in the country at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where he received additional training in facial paralysis and complex rhinoplasty. During fellowship, he received awards for his excellence in teaching residents. He has published widely in many areas of facial plastics and continues to perform clinical research at MUSC. Dr. Rist has come to love the Lowcountry and is proud to return to South Carolina where he was trained as a resident. He believes that each patient is unique and is excited to partner with you to achieve your goals.

**Peter R. Dixon, M.D., MSc** is an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor) specializing in ear care. He provides the full spectrum of hearing and balance care. Examples of conditions he treats include eardrum perforations, cholesteatoma, otosclerosis, and other causes of hearing loss. He is part of a multidisciplinary team that provides cochlear implants to restore hearing for certain forms of hearing loss. Dr. Dixon is also an expert in the area between the ear and the brain, called the skull base. He treats tumors (acoustic neuromas, meningiomas, glomus tumors), CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) leaks, and other skull base conditions. In addition to being a surgeon, Dr. Dixon is a scientist who researches hearing healthcare. He analyzes healthcare data with artificial intelligence and other methods. His work helps us understand how to best organize and deliver hearing care to the people of South Carolina and the United States. Dr. Dixon was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. He completed his M.D., master's degree in health services research, and residency in otolaryngology at the University of Toronto. He completed fellowship training in Otology and Neurotology (ear and skull base surgery) at the University of California, San Diego. He is board-certified in Otolaryngology and is an Assistant Professor at MUSC.

**Taryn Bentler, PA-C, MPAS** is a board-certified Physician Assistant in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head \& Neck Surgery, Nose \& Sinus Division at MUSC. Taryn grew up in Phoenix, AZ and obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Science with a minor in Biochemistry from the University of Arizona. Taryn went on to receive her Master of Medical Science in Physician Assistant Studies at Charleston Southern University. Taryn is passionate about providing patient-centered and excellent care to patients with ear, nose and throat disorders. She is particularly interested in the comprehensive management of patients with sinus disease, nasal obstruction and allergic rhinitis. She sees patients at both the North Charleston and Downtown Charleston locations. Outside of clinical practice, Taryn has a strong interest in international medical mission trips that have previously included providing free clinical care to citizens in rural Dominican Republic.

Michelle S. Hwang, M.D. is a facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon and assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. She is originally from Chicago, IL and completed her bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned her medical degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Hwang then completed her residency training at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. She continued into fellowship training in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery and microvascular reconstruction at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. Her clinical interests include facial paralysis, facial reconstruction, cosmetic surgery, facial trauma, functional and cosmetic rhinoplasty, and hair restoration. She believes in patient-centered care and working together with the patient for the best outcome.

Teddy McRackan, MD, MSCR, is a fellowship‑trained neurotologist, ear surgeon, and lateral skull base surgeon whose clinical and research expertise focuses on cochlear implantation, acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma), and advanced hearing restoration. His work integrates complex otologic and skull base surgery with a rigorous, outcomes‑driven research program aimed at improving functional hearing, quality of life, and long‑term outcomes for patients with hearing loss, particularly hearing aid and cochlear implant users. He is widely recognized for advancing patient‑centered approaches to hearing care. As Director of the Skull Base Center and Medical Director of the Cochlear Implant Program, Dr. McRackan specializes in acoustic neuroma surgery, cochlear implant surgery, and comprehensive surgical management of complex ear and lateral skull base disorders. His clinical expertise includes the management of hearing loss, cholesteatoma, otosclerosis, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks in both children and adults. His high‑volume surgical practice directly informs research focused on real-world outcomes and durable functional benefit. Dr. McRackan leads a nationally funded research program examining the communication, health, social, and functional benefits of hearing aids and cochlear implantation in adults, with a long‑term goal of developing scalable, patient‑centered interventions to improve outcomes and quality of life. His work spans basic science, translational research, and clinical outcomes research, establishing him as a leader in hearing and cochlear implant research. His research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences), the American Cochlear Implant Alliance, and the Doris Duke Foundation. In 2022, Dr. McRackan received the Triological Society's Harold Mosher Award for Outstanding Clinical Research for his leadership in developing the Cochlear Implant Quality of Life (CIQOL) instruments. These tools are widely used in hearing loss and cochlear implant clinical care and research, and have helped redefine how patient‑reported benefit is measured across the field. Dr. McRackan holds a Master of Science in Clinical Research (MSCR) and has formal training in epidemiology, clinical trial design, biostatistics, mixed-methods research, dissemination and implementation science, and intervention development. Through his combined roles as an ear and skull base surgeon, cochlear implant specialist, and funded investigator, Dr. McRackan continues to advance the science and practice of hearing improvement worldwide.

**Habib G. Rizk, M.D., MSc**, grew up in Beirut, Lebanon. He attended the French Faculty of Medicine at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon. He pursued an Otolaryngology - Head \& Neck Surgery residency at Hôtel-Dieu de France Hospital in Beirut, followed by a one-year Otologic Medicine and Surgery Fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Teixido and a two-year Neurotology fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Rizk's interests pertain to all areas of otology and neurotology with a specific focus on medical and surgical management of vestibular disorders. He is an associate professor in the MUSC department of Otolaryngology, Head \& Neck Surgery, and is the Director of the Multidisciplinary Vestibular Program. Dr. Rizk is currently on the board of directors and is vice-president of the Vestibular Disorders Association. He is a member of the Bárány society and a fellow of the American Neurotology Society. He is also a member of the American Balance Society and of the Otology and Neurotology Education Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.