Peter J. Koltai

Biography

Peter J. Koltai MD is Professor of Otolaryngology and Pediatrics in the in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. He has been a member of the Stanford University School of Medicine faculty since 2004. Born in Hungary and educated in the New York City schools, Peter graduated Albany Medical College in 1975, completed his otolaryngology residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch (1980) and did a fellowship in Pediatric Otolaryngology in London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children (1989). Before coming to Stanford, Peter was Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics in the Division of Otolaryngology at Albany Medical College and then Head of the Section of Pediatric Otolaryngology at the Cleveland Clinic. He served as Division Chief of Pediatric Otolaryngology at LPCH from 2004 – 2013. He served as Medical Staff President of Lucile Packard Children’s hospital from 2012 – 2014. Peter has held multiple leadership positions in organizations within the scope of his interest and is past President of the American Broncho-Esophagological Association and of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Author of several books, many chapters, and over a hundred publications, many self-illustrated, Peter’s academic and clinical interests have focused primarily on creative solutions to difficult surgical problems. These have included establishing new techniques for the management of pediatric facial fractures, a novel method of tracheostomy, refinements in laryngotracheal reconstruction and approaches to choanal atresia, the development of microdebrider shaver blades for “powered” adenoidectomy and “partial” tonsillectomy, and the design of high pressure balloons for airway dilation. Peter’s current focus is secondary sleep apnea surgery in children having pioneered pediatric sleep endoscopy and developed endoscopic techniques of pediatric tongue base surgery. Peter has several current advocacy interests. One is the multi-organizational Task Force that he established as ABEA president and which is devoted to the prevention of button battery ingestion by young children. Peter recently became a Senior Fellow in Stanford’s Center for Innovation in Global Health and has been working with colleagues at the University of Zimbabwe in Harare, establishing a Pediatric Otolaryngology clinic at the Harare Children’s Hospital.

Research Interest

Pediatric obstructive sleep disordered breathing