John Kveton, MD, is an otolaryngologist and section chief of Yale Medicine otology and neurotology, two subspecialties devoted to disorders of the ear and the portion of the skull in which the ear is located. He treats hearing loss, balance disorders, infections, and tumors in the ear and surrounding skull. He also works closely with neurosurgeons to remove intracranial tumors and to manage patients with acoustic neuromas.
“I became a physician to help people—to improve their condition in some way—and find that as a surgeon I can often directly affect people's lives,” Dr. Kveton says. A personal medical emergency inspired him to pursue otolaryngology, and working with patients made him even more passionate about it. “Restoring the sense of hearing or improving the sense of balance is incredibly fulfilling,” he says.
Dr. Kveton’s career has included performing the first cochlear implant at St. Louis University, and launching the first cochlear implant programs at Lahey Clinic in Boston and Yale. “Hearing restoration with cochlear implants and other assistive hearing devices continues to be a major interest and source of extreme gratification,” he says.
In addition to providing clinical care, Dr. Kveton has a long list of research accomplishments. In the field of skull-base surgery, he participated in Food and Drug Administration clinical trials to study the use of hydroxyapatite cement, a biomaterial used to repair skull defects after surgery. He continues to publish on several aspects of skull-base surgery, including management of acoustic neuromas and cerebrospinal fluid leaks.
