ENT Doctor Serving the Omaha, NE, Area

Welcome to our website. As the senior ear, nose, and throat specialist in the Omaha area, I certainly never envisioned writing anything for a webpage, let alone even knowing what a webpage is.

I grew up in Omaha in the Benson area. I was a Benson Bunny. I was the classic scholar-athlete playing football (quarterback and defensive back, since we went both ways in those days), basketball (point guard), and baseball (centerfield). I did pretty well in football. I was second in scoring to a guy you might have heard of: Gayle Sayers.

I sucked at basketball but I made up for it in baseball.

After I graduated from Benson, I kept playing football and baseball. I started on defense in the second Shrine Bowl football game (we were massacred by the South team led by Bob Hahn who was later a star at Nebraska). I began (and ended) my football career at Stanford where, thanks to an angry linebacker, I blew out my knee. After losing my scholarship, I transferred back to Nebraska where I played three years of baseball, ending up the captain of the team my senior year.

I went to the UNMC where I graduated in 1968. I was elected to AOA when is the medical equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa. Off I went to Parkland Hospital in Dallas (yep, the one were President Kennedy was taken). I then did my ENT training at the University of Kansas, finishing in 1973. My last year I was also an NIH fellow.

I might have stayed in academic medicine but I was drafted into the United States Air Force, where I served for two years as a major at Wilford Hall in San Antonio.

I was in practice at Clarkson Hospital until I moved to Bergan in 1998.

And now my last move to our new offices at 117th and Center. This location is the best one I’ve found for my patients: it is easily accessible being only two blocks from the Interstate. Parking is close to the building and there is a surgery center one floor below.

I’ve found that surgery is not the only answer to all of your ENT problems. In fact, 95% of the time, I can find the solution without it.

By listening to your history, something that younger doctors don’t seem to do much anymore. I don’t order unnecessary tests. As an example, a CT x-ray of your sinuses should be done when you are well. If I take one when you are sick, I still have to take another one when you are well to see if you are cured, doubling your cost.

Inflammation is the enemy to most of you and allergy is one component of that. Thus, I offer full allergy testing if that becomes necessary. I also have in our office full hearing test capabilities and if necessary, CT scanning so you don’t have to leave the office for this.

I feel very strongly about this: if you need to be seen, our staff will make every effort to make your appointment on the same day.

In summary: I am here to make a diagnosis and help you understand why you are having a problem. And then what to do about it. Surgery? Don’t ask because that is far down the road if it is even necessary.

Oh, one more item. You will see lots of pictures of my family on the walls of the office. My daughter Tina was for 12 years a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. She retired from that and had three kids: Kerry, Macy, and Nick. Her husband Jeff is the Bureau Chief for Bloomberg. They live in Mill Valley California, just outside of San Francisco.

My son Jimmy graduated with an MFA in film from USC. He makes movies and directs plays in New York City. He is married to Julia Morrison who shares the same passion about film. And now he goes by: James E. Duff if you Google him.

I have a step-daughter, Brittany Simon, who lives in Denver and works in the energy industry. She plans to be married to Luke Haynie this Memorial Day. My lovely wife Mindy can’t wait for another grandchild.

And me: I finally had my right knee fixed by a total knee replacement and I probably should have done it several years ago. I am looking forward to resuming all my athletic activities now on two legs. Working out and golf are my main focus, but they will always take second place to practicing ENT, being the best grandpa, dad and husband I can be, and writing books my reward at the end of the day after picking noses.

I write thriller/mysteries and hopefully, the first one, Déjà Boom!, will be published early this summer.