Herbert Silverstein, MD, FACS president and founder of Florida Ear & Sinus Center and the Ear Research Foundation, has been consistently recognized since 1979 as one the "Best Physicians in the USA." He has been a leader in otology (science of the ear) for more than 25 years, developing surgical and diagnostic procedures; inventing instruments (such as the facial nerve monitor/stimulator); teaching medical students, residents and fellows; and helping people from all walks of life.

Born in Philadelphia, he received his BS degree from Dickinson College (cum laude), and both MS (in physiology) and MD degrees from Temple University Medical School. Before coming to Sarasota in 1973, he served on the teaching staff of Harvard University Medical School, Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary, as director of the Walker Biochemistry Research Laboratory, and as associate professor and director of the Otological Research Laboratory at University of Pennsylvania Medical School.

He is internationally regarded as a leading authority on Meniere's disease, having received the Prosper Meniére Societys' prestigious Gold Medal Honor Award in 1996 for his contributions to understanding the biochemistry of Meniere's disease and his surgical developments to treat the disease. Dr. Silverstein was one of the first physicians in the U.S. to use a laser in ear surgery to restore hearing in patients with otosclerosis. He was a co-investigator of the cochlear implant to bring sound to profoundly deaf persons. He has developed a new procedure for otosclerosis the Laser STAMP (Laser Stapedotomy Minus Prosthesis), that does not require a prosthesis to restore the patients' hearing, and many minimally invasive surgical techniques including the Silverstein MicroWick for treating Meniérè's disease through the ear canal.

Dr. Silverstein serves as a Clinical Professor of Surgery on the teaching faculty of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School and at the University of South Florida. He is Board Certified in Otolaryngology and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is an active member of many medical societies, including the prestigious American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society and the Triologic Society. He is on the active staff at Sarasota Memorial Hospital and Doctors Hospital of Sarasota, Cape Surgery Center, The Surgery Center of Sarasota and Bon Secours Hospital in Venice, FL.

In 1979, Dr. Silverstein founded the Ear Research Foundation. Today, he serves as its president, as well as its Medical Director and Director of Research. An active researcher, Dr. Silverstein speaks at many annual international medical meetings and is the author of over 200 scientific papers, several textbooks, and videos.

Among his many honors and accolades are the 2nd Howard P. House Award for Excellence in Ear Surgery, and the 10th Prosper Meniere Society Gold Medal Honor Award. He is one of 25 Otologists in America to be elected to the Best Doctors in the U.S.A. repeatedly since 1979.