Anil K. Lalwani, M.D. earned his medical degree from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1985 and subsequently completed his internship in General and Thoracic Surgery at Duke University Medical Center and his residency in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at UCSF. Following subspecialty training in Neurotology and Skull base surgery, he served as Senior Staff Fellow at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institute of Health. In 1994, he joined the faculty at UCSF as an assistant professor and rose to the rank of Professor in 2002. In April 2003, Dr. Lalwani was recruited to New York University School of Medicine to serve as Mendik Foundation Professor and Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology—a position he held until December 2009. During his tenure, the previously unranked department rose to #22 on the US News and World Report survey and was #13 in research funding.

Dr. Lalwani joined the faculty of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 2012. He is considered one of the leading ear surgeons for children and adults in the country. His clinical specialties include cochlear implantation, middle ear implants, chronic ear disease, cholesteatoma, facial nerve disorders, otosclerosis, superior semicircular canal dehiscence, glomus tumors, cerebellopontine angle tumors (e.g. acoustic neuromas), and skull base surgery, and gamma knife therapy.

Dr. Lalwani's basic research has previously focused on two key areas: identifying genes that are critical for hearing through the use of molecular genetic and molecular biologic methods, and developing and investigating gene transfer technology for the treatment of hearing disorders. More recently, his research endeavors include developing technology to navigate a cochlear implant electrode atraumatically into the cochlea, enhancing music enjoyment in cochlear implant recipients, designing microneedles for introducing stem cells through the round window membrane, defining the otomicrobiome, and studying the role of obesity and tobacco in childhood hearing loss.

Author of more than 180 peer-reviewed articles, and numerous book chapters, Dr. Lalwani serves on the editorial board of leading otolaryngology journals; he is the Section Editor of Triological Society Best Practice – a popular feature published in Laryngoscope. He has published numerous books including the textbook defining the subspecialty of Pediatric Otology and Neurotology. The 3rd edition of his highly successful second book, Current Diagnosis & Treatment in Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, has been translated into Spanish, Turkish, and Portuguese. The 4th edition of Recent Advances in Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, has just been published in January 2015.