Constantine Kotsanis

Constantine A. Kotsanis, MD, Medical Director Board Certified Otolaryngologist, Certified in Clinical Nutrition I was born in Greece and came to the states as a teenager. My family settled in Chicago, where I attended Austin High School and went to Northern Illinois University (go Huskies!). I then returned to Greece for medical school at the University of Athens. I did my specialty training in otolaryngology, head and neck surgery at Loyola University of Chicago which is when I met and married my wife Beverly. Life has always been an adventure. Bev and I have two wonderful children, Andrew and Katerina who add spice to an already busy schedule. Both of the kids have participated in the practice over the years, and someday I hope one or both of them can take it over. Although I began my medical career quite conventionally, at one point some years after beginning medical practice I began to experience health problems. After extensive testing, I was told nothing was wrong with me. All I knew was that I was in pain, fatigued and experiencing severe gastrointestinal issues. This experience taught me that sometimes you have to look for answers in less conventional places. This was before Google existed and before the Internet was readily available to most people. I had to find my answers the old-fashioned way - books, journal articles and other sick people. I come from a large family. My father was the eldest of 18 siblings and I am the youngest of seven, three brothers and four sisters. As you can imagine, with a family that large, and with people as mobile as they are these days, we now have family all over the world. So, we travel often to visit the many friends and family we have amassed over the years. While traveling we always connect with local medical people and learn what they are doing. We love exchanging ideas. Bev and I are also conference junkies. Being up on trends and new research findings is important, so our travels help us learn while we catch up with people. Additionally, because my patients know that we are open-minded and interested in new technologies, they are constantly bringing us new information. Although we keep an open mind, a certain degree of skepticism should always exist to balance the enthusiasm that may come with an idea that sounds too good to be true. Because we still ask a lot of questions, we do some original research in house to test and research new ideas before offering these to patients. We have done and continue to do clinical trials in house under Investigational Review Board (IRB) guidelines. These studies have brought important findings that are then shared with other health professionals. In addition, our contribution to our local community includes various types of interns who spend time learning and doing projects in our Institute. These range from short high school projects to lengthy one-year studies at the post-graduate level. We always look forward to the next challenge and hope you will decide to become a part of the family of patients and professionals who will help lead us into a healthier and brighter future.