The Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery at Indiana University School of Medicine is proud to welcome three new fellows to its fellowship programs for the 2025–2026 academic year:
- Nupur Bhatt, MD – Head and Neck Oncology and Reconstructive Surgery Fellow
- Joshua Smith, MD – Rhinology and Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery Fellow
- Montana Upton, MD – Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellow
These fellowship programs are designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders in academic medicine. In addition to providing advanced clinical training across multiple sites in Indianapolis, the programs emphasize research and the development of each fellow’s role as an educator.
We recently connected with this year’s fellows to learn more about their passion for otolaryngology and what drew them to IU School of Medicine.
Nupar Bhatt, MD
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Fishers, Indiana.
What is your residency / medical school / undergraduate background? Cornell University studying Cell & Molecular Biology and Computer Science/Game Design. Medical school and residency: NYU with a research focus in quality improvement and patient education.
Why are you pursuing a career in ENT? ENT is the perfect combination of complex anatomy, interesting pathology, and diverse surgical techniques. I was drawn to the breadth of the field and the creative problem-solving it requires.
What intrigued you about the IU School of Medicine? Indiana has incredible clinical volume and complexity. That in combination with faculty dedicated to teaching while providing high quality clinical care made IU seem like the perfect fit. Being close to family again is also a nice bonus!
Why did you choose your fellowship subspecialty? I chose head and neck because it allows me to combine complex surgical skills with long-term and meaningful patient relationships. It's the subspecialty that challenges me most, both technically and emotionally, and it’s where I feel I can make the most impact.
What do you want to learn most from the faculty in the Department of Otolaryngology? I hope to continue refining my surgical skills, learning how to be efficient and effective in the operating room, and honing the nuanced decision-making that's essential for being a successful head and neck oncologist. I'm also excited to experience Indy again after many years away with my co-fellows and residents!
Joshua Smith, MD
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Arlington, Texas.
What is your residency / medical school / undergraduate background? I completed my residency training at Saint Louis University. Prior to that, I lived in Houston where I attended medical school at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston (now known as McGovern Medical School). In undergrad, I majored in biology with minors in chemistry and psychology and was also very involved with the department of music.
Why are you pursuing a career in ENT? As a musician, I found that has a unique way of interfacing directly with the patient’s sensory experience of the world: with the way they hear and speak, with their sense of smell, and with the way they appear. To me, life as an ENT offers the opportunity to meet patients dealing with conditions affecting these domains and to provide care that makes a tangible, often immediate impact on how patients interact with the world
What intrigued you about the IU School of Medicine? I've always had great interactions with the faculty at IUSM, even when I applied here for residency back in the day. They're really great educators, keen researchers, and thoughtful clinicians.
Why did you choose your fellowship subspecialty? As a colleague of mine puts it, rhinology gives us the chance to do "big surgery through small holes." It's really an incredible intersection of complexity, nuance, and the opportunity for innovation.
What do you want to learn most from the faculty in the Department of Otolaryngology? I'm hoping to not only hone my clinical and surgical skills, but also to foster interdisciplinary collaboration to think about complex issues in rhinology from a novel perspective and set myself up for a career in academic otolaryngology.
Montana Upton, MD
Where did you grow up? I grew up in Napa, California.
What is your residency / medical school / undergraduate background? I attended UCLA for both my undergraduate and medical school education, and then completely my residency at Vanderbilt.
Why are you pursuing a career in ENT? I love ENT because of the breadth of the field and variety of complex surgeries, as well as the incredible people who are drawn to this specialty.
What intrigued you about the IU School of Medicine? IU is an academic powerhouse with strong training across all subspecialties within ENT.
Why did you choose your fellowship subspecialty? Similar to ENT as a whole, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery is an extremely broad field with capacity to cater your practice however you like. We can do everything from big cancer reconstructions to restoring movement to paralyzed faces to cosmetic facial rejuvenation. There is a nice variety in the lifestyle as well, leaving flexibility to join academics or move into private practice after training.
What do you want to learn most from the faculty in the Department of Otolaryngology? I am looking forward to furthering my training in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery while learning from some of the top experts in the field. I feel very lucky to be here and have already learned so much!
