The Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine is pleased to welcome four new physicians to its five-year residency program.
Beginning July 1, Maria Feucht, MD; Samuel Kaefer, MD; Prashant Puttagunta, MD; and Anu Sharma, MD joined the department’s 19-member team of otolaryngology residents.
Throughout their training, residents gain comprehensive clinical experience across a wide range of subspecialties, including facial plastic and reconstructive surgery, head and neck oncologic surgery, laryngology, neurotology, pediatric otolaryngology, rhinology and skull base surgery and sleep surgery.
We caught up with the incoming residents to learn more about what drew them to the field of otolaryngology — and what excites them most about training at IU School of Medicine.
Maria Feucht | IU School of Medicine
Where did you grow up? Morton, Illinois
What is your medical school / undergraduate background? Undergraduate: Baylor University, BS Engineering. Medical school: IU School of Medicine
Why are you pursuing a career in ENT? Singing was a huge part of my life growing up, so I’ve always appreciated how vital our senses — and especially our voices — are to how we connect with the world and each other. What drew me to ENT is the ability to restore those essential functions: to help someone speak, hear, breathe, smell, or taste again. I find it incredibly meaningful to be part of a field where you can make such a profound impact on someone’s quality of life.
What intrigued you about the IU School of Medicine? What stood out to me right away was the culture — this is a place where people genuinely enjoy working and learning together, and that creates an environment with outstanding teaching and support. I was also drawn to the breadth and depth of clinical experience IU offers. I knew I would be exposed to the full spectrum of ENT care and have the opportunity to pursue research in areas I’m passionate about, like applications of machine learning in ENT. Having grown up in central Illinois and attended medical school here, I care deeply about serving this region’s patients, and I’m grateful for the chance to do that at IU.
What do you want to learn most from the faculty and residents in the Department of Otolaryngology? More than anything, I want to learn how to become a confident, capable and compassionate otolaryngologist. I’m excited to build my surgical and clinical skills, but I also hope to learn how to communicate effectively with patients during difficult moments, support colleagues through challenging days, and maintain curiosity and joy in this work. I’m also eager to grow as a teacher of both patients and future trainees.
Sam Kaefer | IU School of Medicine
Where did you grow up? Indianapolis, Indiana
What is your medical school / undergraduate background? Undergraduate: IU Bloomington. Medical school: IU School of Medicine
Why are you pursuing a career in ENT? ENT is an incredible field with such a wide range of surgeries, with a good mix of quality of life and life-saving procedures. I was always intrigued by the ability to operate in the area of the body that houses all of the major senses.
What intrigued you about the IU School of Medicine? I was very fortunate to go to medical school here at IU and very fortunate to get a true sense of the culture of the ENT residency program. The inspiring faculty, resident camaraderie and high operative volume are just a few of the many reasons I was hoping to match at IU.
What do you want to learn most from the faculty and residents in the Department of Otolaryngology? Training within the Department of Otolaryngology at IU allows one to be exposed to the entire breadth of the field of ENT. The faculty have trained at a variety of institutions which offers the unique opportunity to learn multiple different perspectives of patient care. Ultimately, my goal is to learn how to be an effective comprehensive ear, nose, and throat surgeon.
Prashant Puttagunta | University of Michigan Medical School
Where did you grow up? I was born in Edmonton, Alberta and grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
What is your medical school / undergraduate background? I attended both undergrad and medical school at the University of Michigan. I took two years in between where I worked abroad in global health and health policy.
Why are you pursuing a career in ENT? I love ENT for how personal it can be, helping people regain aspects of their identity they may have lost. I also love the variety of skills and surgical procedures we will learn.
What intrigued you about the IU School of Medicine? I was interested in Indiana for the high clinical volume, variety of pathology and incredible culture of the program.
What do you want to learn most from the faculty and residents in the Department of Otolaryngology? I hope to learn a comfort and competence in surgical skill and clinical acumen that can carry me through the rest of my career.
Anu Sharma | Case Western Reserve University
Where did you grow up? I grew up on Long Island, New York, but my family moved down to Gainesville, Florida, when I was in high school, so I consider both to be my hometowns!
What is your medical school / undergraduate background? I went to Duke University for undergrad where I studied biology and global health. I then worked in the health policy space at Duke and North Carolina Medicaid for a year before starting medical school at Case Western.
Why are you pursuing a career in ENT? I became interested in ENT early on in medical school after discovering a love for head and neck anatomy and the wide variety of medical and surgical approaches that the field encompasses. I soon learned that ENTs are uniquely positioned to tackle conditions that can fundamentally shape our interactions with the world around us, both in how we express ourselves and how we are perceived by others. This ability to have a profound impact on patients’ lives, whether it is resecting a tumor, restoring their hearing or literally giving them their voice back, is what drew me to the field, and I’m so excited to be beginning my career as an ENT here!
What intrigued you about the IU School of Medicine? I was initially drawn to IU’s program because of the strong surgical training across all subspecialities of ENT, as well as the robust research and global health opportunities offered by the department. After meeting the faculty and residents on my interview day, I was most impressed by the close-knit culture and camaraderie at every level, and I knew that this was the kind of environment I wanted to be a part of for residency.
What do you want to learn most from the faculty and residents in the Department of Otolaryngology? I’m looking forward to learning how to effectively treat a wide range of ENT pathologies and developing strong operative skills from the guidance of the faculty and residents!
