Steven Pletcher, MD

Professor
Otolaryngology
+1 415 353-2757

Steven D. Pletcher, MD, is a Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology and he is the Director of the Residency Program in the Department of Otolaryngolgy – Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) at the University of California, San Francisco. After graduating with honors from Yale College, he received his medical degree from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine. Dr. Pletcher completed his OHNS residency from UCSF, followed by a Rhinology fellowship from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston.

Dr. Pletcher’s primary research interests focus on investigation on the role of microbes and host immune response in sinonasal inflammatory disease. He also has specific interests in improving treatment of sinus disease for adult patients with cystic fibrosis, process improvement in Graduate Medical Education, and improving surgical techniques for chronic sinusitis and refractory epistaxis.

Dr. Pletcher is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, the American Board of Otolaryngology, the Society University Otolaryngologists, and the UCSF Academy of Medical Educators.

Professional Interests:
Endoscopic Sinus Surgery, Chronic Sinusitis, Cystic Fibrosis, Epistaxis, CSF leaks, Endoscopic Orbital Surgery, Skull Base Disorders

Education and Training:
• Yale College
• Medical School: University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine
• Internship: University of California, San Francisco
• Residency: University of California, San Francisco - Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
• Fellowship: Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Boston, MA - Rhinology

Awards and Honors:
• 1994 American Heart Association - American Heart Association Student Research Award
• 2009 University of California, San Francisco - Roger Boles MD Teaching Award
• 2015 University of California, San Francisco - Francis Sooy MD Award for Clinical Excellence

Publications: 

Medical Literature: Discovery, Education, and Advancement.

American journal of rhinology & allergy

Pletcher SD

Leadership Training Curriculum for Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Residents: A Scoping Review.

Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Standiford TC, Eltawil Y, Durr ML, Pletcher SD, Chang JL

Determinants of physician assessment of chronic rhinosinusitis disease control using EPOS 2020 criteria and the importance of incorporating patient perspectives of disease control.

International forum of allergy & rhinology

Sedaghat AR, Caradonna DS, Chandra RK, Franzese C, Gray ST, Halderman AA, Hopkins C, Kuan EC, Lee JT, McCoul ED, O'Brien EK, Pletcher SD, Pynnonen MA, Wang EW, Wise SK, Woodworth BA, Yao WC, Phillips KM

Impact of the Standardized Interview Offer Date Initiatives: A Survey of Otolaryngology Applicants and Programs.

Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Standiford TC, Thorne MC, Chang CWD, Malekzadeh S, Pletcher SD

Interview Invitations for Otolaryngology Residency Positions Across Demographic Groups Following Implementation of Preference Signaling.

JAMA network open

Pletcher SD, Chang CWD, Thorne MC, Malekzadeh S, Francis CL, Naemi B, Costa J, Dunleavy D

Interleukin-13 associated epithelial remodeling correlates with clinical severity in nasal polyposis.

The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology

Kotas ME, Patel NN, Cope EK, Gurrola JG, Goldberg AN, Pletcher SD, Seibold MA, Moore CM, Gordon ED

Two-Year Interview and Match Outcomes of Otolaryngology Preference Signaling.

Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Chang CWD, Thorne MC, Malekzadeh S, Pletcher SD

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Otolaryngology Trainee Surgical Case Numbers: A Multi-institutional Review.

Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Mann S, Duffy J, Muffly T, Tilva K, Gray S, Hetzler L, Kraft S, Malekzadeh S, Pletcher S, Cabrera-Muffly C

Impact of Preference Signaling on Residency Interview Distribution Among Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Applicants.

Journal of Surgical Education

Standiford TC, David Chang CW, Thorne MC, Malekzadeh S, Pletcher SD

IL-13-programmed airway tuft cells produce PGE2, which promotes CFTR-dependent mucociliary function.

JCI insight

Kotas ME, Moore CM, Gurrola Ii JG, Pletcher SD, Goldberg AN, Alvarez R, Yamato S, Bratcher PE, Shaughnessy CA, Zeitlin PL, Zhang IH, Li Y, Montgomery MT, Lee K, Cope EK, Locksley RM, Seibold MA, Gordon ED

Factors affecting operative autonomy and performance during otolaryngology training: A multicenter trial.

Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology

Chen JX, Miller LE, Filimonov A, Shuman EA, Marchiano E, George BC, Thorne M, Pletcher SD, Platt M, Teng M, Kozin ED, Gray ST

Multi-institutional Study of Otolaryngology Resident Intraoperative Experiences for Key Indicator Procedures.

Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Chen JX, Deng F, Filimonov A, Shuman EA, Marchiano E, George BC, Thorne M, Pletcher SD, Platt M, Teng MS, Kozin ED, Gray ST

The Otolaryngology Residency Program Preference Signaling Experience.

Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges

Pletcher SD, Chang CWD, Thorne MC, Malekzadeh S

Proposal for the Standardization of Otolaryngology Residency Interview Offer Dates.

Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Standiford TC, Pletcher SD, Thorne MC

Septum submucosal glands exhibit aberrant morphology and reduced mucin production in chronic rhinosinusitis.

International forum of allergy & rhinology

Nnabue OE, Pletcher SD, Gurrola JG, Goldberg AN, Jordan KM, Knox SM, May AJ

Patient Use of Low-Cost Digital Videoscopes and Smartphones for Remote Ear and Oropharyngeal Examinations.

JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery

Cai Y, Zheng YJ, Gulati A, Butrymowicz A, Krauter R, Pletcher SD, Sharon JD, Goldberg AN, Chang JL

Giant septated petrous apex cholesterol granuloma.

Otolaryngology Case Reports

Arushi Gulati, Ramon Bustos, Yi Cai, Annick Aubin-Pouliot, Steven D. Pletcher, Steven W. Cheung

Preference Signaling for the Otolaryngology Interview Market.

The Laryngoscope

Chang CWD, Pletcher SD, Thorne MC, Malekzadeh S

Evolving Otolaryngology Resident Roles and Concerns at the Peak of the US COVID-19 Pandemic.

Head & neck

Cai Y, Gulati A, Jiam NT, Wai KC, Shuman EA, Pletcher SD, Durr ML, Chang JL

Otolaryngology Residency Interviews in a Socially Distanced World: Strategies to Recruit and Assess Applicants.

Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Chou DW, Pletcher SD, Bruss D, Sung CK, Diaz RC, Liang J, Durr ML

Surgical treatment for zygomatic implant related maxillary sinusitis: A method for implant salvage.

Otolaryngology Case Reports

Neil K. Mehta, Amit Arunkumar, Andrew H. Murr, Steven D. Pletcher

Silent sinus syndrome without opacification of ipsilateral maxillary sinus.

The Laryngoscope

Lee DS, Murr AH, Kersten RC, Pletcher SD

Fungal Microbiota in Chronic Airway Inflammatory Disease and Emerging Relationships with the Host Immune Response.

Frontiers in microbiology

Zhang I, Pletcher SD, Goldberg AN, Barker BM, Cope EK

Biocompatibility and pharmacokinetics of fluticasone-eluting sinus implant in a rabbit model.

American journal of rhinology & allergy

Patel VS, Walgama E, Psaltis A, Lavigne F, Pletcher SD, Hwang PH

Rethinking Pain Management in Endoscopic Sinus Surgery.

JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery

Pletcher SD

Surgical treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis after sinus lift.

American journal of rhinology & allergy

Jiam NT, Goldberg AN, Murr AH, Pletcher SD

Match Success Trends in United States Ophthalmology Residency Programs.

Journal of Clinical & Academic Ophthalmology

Todd H. Driver, Allison R. Loh, Fei Yu, Steven D. Pletcher, Ayman Naseri

Evaluation of Malassezia and Common Fungal Pathogens in Subtypes of Chronic Rhinosinusitis.

International forum of allergy & rhinology

Gelber JT, Cope EK, Goldberg AN, Pletcher SD

49 Upper Airway Disorders.

Murray and Nadel\u0027s Textbook of Respiratory Medicine

Mark S. Courey, Steven D. Pletcher

An unusual presentation of a lingual dermoid cyst.

Ear, nose, & throat journal

Durr ML, van Zante A, Pletcher SD

Risk factors for postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leak and meningitis after expanded endoscopic endonasal surgery.

Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia

Ivan ME, Iorgulescu JB, El-Sayed I, McDermott MW, Parsa AT, Pletcher SD, Jahangiri A, Wagner J, Aghi MK

Risk factors for cerebrospinal leak after endoscopic skull base reconstruction with nasoseptal flap.

Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Gruss CL, Al Komser M, Aghi MK, Pletcher SD, Goldberg AN, McDermott M, El-Sayed IH

Risk Factors for Cerebrospinal Leak after Endoscopic Skull Base Reconstruction with Nasoseptal Flap.

Journal of Neurological Surgery Part B Skull Base

Calvin Gruss, Ivan El-Sayed, Mohammed Al Komser, Steven Pletcher, Andrew Goldberg, Michael McDermott

Nasal Polyps.

Encyclopedia of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery

Steven D. Pletcher, Andrew N. Goldberg

Nasal and Sinus Trauma.

Sara Immerman, Ashlin Alexander, W. Matthew White, Mike C. Sheu, Jason D. Bloom, Minas Constantinides, Corrie E. Roehm, Amy Lawrason, Tulio A. Valdez, Steven D. Pletcher, Andrew N. Goldberg, Callum Faris, Hade D. Vuyk, Kofi Derek O. Boahene, Tara L. Rosenberg, Christine B. Franzese, Marcela Fandiño, Eugene Yu, Ian J. Witterick, Matthew J. Ward, P. L. Ramchandani, Emma V. King, Alan R. Grimm, Alan R. Grimm, Jason M. Leibowitz, Zoukaa B. Sargi, Michael M. Kim, David F. Smith, Emily F. Boss, Milan Stankovic, Dragan Mihailovic, Verica Avramovic, Dusan Milisavljevic, Ivona Stankovic, Michael H. Rivner, Kofi Derek O. Boahene, Alex Mammen, Dilip A. Thomas, Wojciech K. Mydlarz, Kofi Derek O. Boahene, Wojciech K. Mydlarz, Kofi Derek O. Boahene, Sydney Ch’ng, Irene Low, Jonathan R. Clark, Matthew Ng, Drew M. Horlbeck, Sébastien Schmerber, Arnaud Attye, Ihab Atallah, Cédric Mendoza, Alexandre Karkas, Derek Robinson, Bradley W. Kesser, Alex Mammen, Sirikishan Shetty, Dilip A. Thomas

Sinus microbiome diversity depletion and Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum enrichment mediates rhinosinusitis.

Science translational medicine

Abreu NA, Nagalingam NA, Song Y, Roediger FC, Pletcher SD, Goldberg AN, Lynch SV

A novel sinonasal endoscopy scoring system: the discharge, inflammation, and polyps/edema (DIP) score.

International forum of allergy & rhinology

Durr ML, Pletcher SD, Goldberg AN, Murr AH

Some chronic rhinosinusitis patients have elevated populations of fungi in their sinuses.

The Laryngoscope

Murr AH, Goldberg AN, Pletcher SD, Dillehay K, Wymer LJ, Vesper SJ

Endoscopic anterior maxillotomy: infratemporal fossa via transnasal approach.

The Laryngoscope

El-Sayed I, Pletcher S, Russell M, McDermott M, Parsa A

An Unusual Presentation of a Lingual Dermoid Cyst.

The Laryngoscope

Megan L. Durr, Annemieke van Zante, Steven D. Pletcher

Endoscopic Treatment of Silent Sinus Syndrome with Dramatic Resolution.

The Laryngoscope

Jonathan George, Megan Durr, Steven Pletcher

Treatment of recurrent sinonasal polyposis with steroid-infused carboxymethylcellulose foam.

American journal of rhinology & allergy

Pletcher SD, Goldberg AN

Nucleic acid extraction efficiency and bacterial recovery from maxillary sinus mucosal samples obtained by brushing or biopsy.

American journal of rhinology & allergy

Roediger FC, Slusher NA, Allgaier S, Cox MJ, Pletcher SD, Goldberg AN, Lynch SV

CHAPTER 15 Head and Neck Manifestations in the Immunocompromised Host.

Cummings Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

Theresa B. Kim, Steven D. Pletcher, Andrew N. Goldberg

CHAPTER 69 Chronic Aspiration.

Cummings Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery

Steven D. Pletcher, David W. Eisele

Rheologic properties of sinonasal mucus in patients with chronic sinusitis.

American journal of rhinology & allergy

Saito DM, Innes AL, Pletcher SD

Postoperative packing after septoplasty: is it necessary?

Otolaryngologic clinics of North America

Dubin MR, Pletcher SD

Endoscopic transorbital ligation of the anterior ethmoid artery.

Operative Techniques in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Steven D. Pletcher, Ralph Metson

Interactive image-guided endoscopic dacryocystorhinostomy.

Ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgery

Day S, Hwang TN, Pletcher SD, Bhatki A, McCulley TJ

Computed tomography imaging of the paranasal sinuses: direct versus reformatted coronal images.

Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Pletcher SD, Hoxworth JM, Goldberg AN, Murr AH, Glastonbury CM

The frontal wishbone: anatomic and clinical implications.

American journal of rhinology

Goldsztein H, Pletcher SD, Reh DD, Metson R

09:48: CT Imaging of the Sinuses: Direct vs. Reformatted Images.

Otolaryngology

G Joseph Parell, Maria C Veling, Steven Daniel Pletcher, Joseph Michael Hoxworth, Andrew N Goldberg, Andrew H Murr, Christine M Glastonbury

Endoscopic optic nerve decompression for nontraumatic optic neuropathy.

Archives of otolaryngology--head & neck surgery

Pletcher SD, Metson R

Minicricothyrotomy approach with fiberoptic guidance for management of posterior glottic stenosis.

The Laryngoscope

Mau T, Pletcher SD, Cavanagh PW, Courey MS, Wang SJ

Microdebrider eustachian tuboplasty: A preliminary report.

Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery

Metson R, Pletcher SD, Poe DS

Endoscopic ligation of the anterior ethmoid artery.

The Laryngoscope

Pletcher SD, Metson R

Endoscopic orbital and optic nerve decompression.

Otolaryngologic clinics of North America

Pletcher SD, Sindwani R, Metson R

09:10 AM Microdebrider Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Preliminary Report.

Otolaryngology

Steven D. Pletcher, Dennis S. Poe, Ralph B. Metson

Endoscopic orbital and optic nerve decompression.

Otolaryngologic clinics of North America

Metson R, Pletcher SD

Use of acupuncture in the treatment of sinus and nasal symptoms: results of a practitioner survey.

American journal of rhinology

Pletcher SD, Goldberg AN, Lee J, Acquah J

Management of superior canal dehiscence syndrome with extensive skull-base deficiency.

ORL; journal for oto-rhino-laryngology and its related specialties

Pletcher SD, Oghalai JS, Reeck JB, Cheung SW

Complications and the time to repair of mandible fractures.

The Laryngoscope

Biller JA, Pletcher SD, Goldberg AN, Murr AH

Current concepts in cheek reconstruction.

Facial plastic surgery clinics of North America

Pletcher SD, Kim DW

Pathology quiz case 2. Giant cell lesion (brown tumor) of the mandible, associated with primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT).

Archives of otolaryngology--head & neck surgery

Perlman JS, Pletcher SD, Schmidt BL, Eisele DW

Management of cervical metastases in advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the base of tongue.

Archives of otolaryngology--head & neck surgery

Pletcher SD, Kaplan MJ, Eisele DW, Singer MI, Quivey JM, Lee N

Syphilis and otolaryngology.

Otolaryngologic clinics of North America

Pletcher SD, Cheung SW