Alejandro Rivas, M.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Neurological Surgery at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. There he serves as the Associate Service Chief of Otology & Neurotology. He is a Fellow of the American Neurotology Society, American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, and Triological Society. Dr. Rivas is board certified in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, as well as Otology and Neurotology.
Dr. Rivas earned his medical degree from the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, School of Medicine in his hometown of Bogotá, Colombia. He completed a research fellowship and his residency in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at John Hopkins University in Maryland, and subsequently finished an ACGME accredited Neurotology fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee.
Dr. Rivas’ interests include endoscopic ear surgery, cochlear implantation, single-sided deafness, congenital ear canal atresia, bone conduction implantation, acoustic neuromas and other skull base surgeries. As an educator, he had the opportunity to host and be the co-director of the 2014 ACIA meeting in Nashville, TN. He has performed and taught endoscopic ear surgery and cochlear implant surgical approaches to other doctors across the globe, including countries such as Colombia, Italy, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, Japan, Australia, Peru, France, Spain, and Guatemala. He has presented at numerous international, national, and regional meetings. He also serves as a reviewer for a number of academic journals and is the secretary of the Iberoamerican Cochlear Implant Group (GICCA). He is also a board member of the International Working Group on Endoscopic Ear Surgery (IWGEES). His research endeavors on endoscopic ear surgery and hearing loss target the use of the least invasive and less morbid management options in order to improve auditory outcomes of hearing-impaired patients. On this subject he has contributed more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. Most recently, Dr. Rivas received the Honor Award in 2018 for distinguished service from the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Foundation.
