Basic science, translational, and clinical research in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery is improving the way we diagnose and treat patients. A critical component of these research areas is the partnership among clinicians, clinician-scientists, and basic scientists. Herein, we propose to enhance a research training program designed to cultivate clinician-scientists who are interested in studying hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language. Our research training program is designed to provide residents and medical students with intense research experiences, a structured didactic program, and close mentorship and guidance. Trainees will be ingrained with the philosophy that research is collaborative between MD and PhD scientists. Our short-term goals are to recruit and train diverse and promising scientists studying communication health and diseases, who will make and share innovative discoveries. The ultimate long-term goal of our training program is two-fold: our graduates will 1) become independent NIH-funded investigators in faculty positions in academic departments, and 2) improve human health by advancing our field via scientific discovery that is translated to clinical care.