Josephine Czechowicz, MD
Associate Professor
Otolaryngology
School of Medicine

In 2017, Dr. Czechowicz joined the pediatric OHNS team at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, caring for patients at both San Francisco and Oakland campuses.

Dr. Czechowicz has an extensive research background in global health. Her work has taken her around the world to Chile, Equatorial Guinea, Peru, and Zimbabwe. Her current research is focused on hearing outcomes in children with CMV-HIV co-infection in Kenya. Previously, as an NIH-funded Fogarty Clinical Scholar in Lima, Peru, she conducted a population-based study of factors contributing to hearing impairment and ear disease in school children. This work expanded to look at similar outcomes in children with HIV. Later, she spent time with a Ministry of Health taskforce on the design of the nation’s newborn hearing screening program. She also has experience working on optimization of malaria treatment delivery in Equatorial Guinea, and studying antibiotic resistance in Chile.

While Dr. Czechowicz has great passion for global health, she is equally passionate about providing outstanding, innovative care to her patients here at UCSF. She understands the importance of partnering with families, and is committed to helping children to achieve their full potential.

Specialty: Pediatric Otolaryngology

Expertise: Pediatric hearing loss, obstructive sleep apnea, laryngomalacia/noisy breathing, pediatric voice disorders, pediatric thyroid/parathyroid disease, vascular anomalies/birthmarks, microtia/external ear malformations

Professional Interests: Expanding early detection and diagnosis of hearing loss, utilization of ultrasound in management of pediatric thyroid nodules, surgical management of complex vascular anomalies, global surgical education

Education and Training:

• Medical School: Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
• Internship: Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
• Residency: Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
• Fellowship: Seattle Children’s Hospital – University of Washington - Pediatric Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery

Awards and Honors:

• 2009 - Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholar – NIH/Fogarty Institute for International Health. Training award to conduct 1-year research project on ear health in Peru
• 2013 – Center for Innovation in Global Health Seed Grant – Stanford University. $50,000 grant to study newborn hearing screening in Peru and India
• 2013 – Novel Education Clinical Trainees and Researchers (NECTAR) Program –University of Zimbabwe. Funding for one-month spent in Harare, Zimbabwe teaching ENT residents
• 2014 – American Academy of Otolaryngology Humanitarian Grant. Travel award for teaching/surgery trip to Zimbabwe

• Efficacy of endoscopic sinus surgery alone versus in combination with neurosurgical intervention for the treatment of pediatric subdural empyema.
  International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology 2021 Gillard DM, Cai Y, Rothey PK, Coleman N, Virbalas JM, Czechowicz JA, Weinstein JE
• Airway Hemangiomas in PHACE Syndrome: A Multicenter Experience.
  Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 2020 Czechowicz JA, Benjamin T, Bly RA, Ganti SN, Balkin DM, Perkins JA, Frieden IJ, Rosbe KW
• Association of Ebola Virus Infection With Hearing Loss in Regions Where Ebola Virus Infection Is Endemic: A Systematic Review.
  JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery 2019 Xu MJ, Stanford-Moore G, Czechowicz JA
• Sirolimus for management of complex vascular anomalies - A proposed dosing regimen for very young infants.
  International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology 2017 Czechowicz JA, Long-Boyle JR, Rosbe KW, Mathes EF, Frieden IJ, Shimano KA
• Survival and Surgical Outcomes for Pediatric Head and Neck Melanoma.
  JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery 2017 Richards MK, Czechowicz J, Goldin AB, Gow KW, Doski J, Goldfarb M, Nuchtern J, Langer M, Beierle EA, Vasudevan S, Gupta D, Parikh SR
• Catch-up growth in infants with laryngomalacia after supraglottoplasty.
  International journal of pediatric otorhinolaryngology 2015 Czechowicz JA, Chang KW
• Analysis of Growth Curves in Children After Adenotonsillectomy.
  JAMA otolaryngology-- head & neck surgery 2014 Czechowicz JA, Chang KW
• High prevalence of hearing impairment in HIV-infected Peruvian children.
  Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 2011 Chao CK, Czechowicz JA, Messner AH, Alarcón J, Kolevic Roca L, Larragán Rodriguez MM, Gutiérrez Villafuerte C, Montano SM, Zunt JR
• Synthesis and evaluation of substrate analogue inhibitors of trypanothione reductase.
  Journal of enzyme inhibition and medicinal chemistry 2011 Duyzend MH, Clark CT, Simmons SL, Johnson WB, Larson AM, Leconte AM, Wills AW, Ginder-Vogel M, Wilhelm AK, Czechowicz JA, Alberg DG
• Prevalence and risk factors for encephalomyocarditis virus infection in Peru.
  Vector borne and zoonotic diseases (Larchmont, N.Y.) 2011 Czechowicz J, Huaman JL, Forshey BM, Morrison AC, Castillo R, Huaman A, Caceda R, Eza D, Rocha C, Blair PJ, Olson JG, Kochel TJ
• Hearing impairment and poverty: the epidemiology of ear disease in Peruvian schoolchildren.
  Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery 2010 Czechowicz JA, Messner AH, Alarcon-Matutti E, Alarcon J, Quinones-Calderon G, Montano S, Zunt JR
• The anti-apoptotic activity of BAG3 is restricted by caspases and the proteasome.
  PloS one 2009 Virador VM, Davidson B, Czechowicz J, Mai A, Kassis J, Kohn EC
• The synthesis and inhibitory activity of dethiotrypanothione and analogues against trypanothione reductase.
  The Journal of organic chemistry 2007 Czechowicz JA, Wilhelm AK, Spalding MD, Larson AM, Engel LK, Alberg DG
• The role of proteomics in the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.
  Women's health (London, England) 2005 Tchabo NE, Guancial EA, Czechowicz JA, Kohn EC
• SELDI-TOF mass spectrometry for cancer biomarker discovery and serum proteomic diagnostics.
  Pharmacogenomics 2005 Simpkins F, Czechowicz JA, Liotta L, Kohn EC