Justin Turner, M.D., Ph.D., was recently named the fourth holder of the John S. Odess Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery in the UAB Department of Otolaryngology.

"I am honored to become the fourth holder of the John S. Odess Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery," Turner said. "The endowment is a continuing and much-appreciated investment in me and in this department, and I will do my utmost to continue the stewardship and spirit of excellence embodied among the previous holders and leaders who preceded me." 

John S. Odess, M.D., was a prominent physician and civic leader who, along with his wife, Carol, chose to establish the endowment in 1989 to support the field of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery specifically. According to the resolution establishing the endowment, individuals selected to serve as the John S. Odess Endowed Chair, "shall be someone who has established a national and international reputation as a teacher, researcher, scholar, and clinician in the field of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery. In addition, this individual shall have demonstrated foresight, judgment, and leadership, and shall be capable of leading the (Department of Otolaryngology) to national and international prominence." 

Turner, who became chair of the Department of Otolaryngology in May 2024, earned his bachelor of engineering from Vanderbilt University in 1998 and his M.D. and Ph.D. from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2006.

After earning his medical degree, Turner began his postgraduate training and completed residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in 2011 at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He went on to complete a fellowship in Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery at Stanford University in 2012. He became board-certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology that same year.

He began his career as an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University in the departments of Otolaryngology and Biomedical Engineering and was later promoted to associate professor (2016) and professor (2023) before being recruited as the second permanent chair of the UAB Department of Otolaryngology in 2024. 

He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and has secured approximately $7 million in research funding from the NIH.