Spencer C. Payne MD

Spencer Payne, MD received his B.A. summa cum laude in biology from the University of Delaware in 1997 and later his M.D. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 2001. His clinical training in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery was completed at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan where he received the Outstanding Resident Award . Dr. Payne went on to complete a fellowship in Rhinology and Sinus Surgery at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Massachusetts where an emphasis was placed on minimally invasive sinus techniques under the mentorship of Dr. Peter Catalano. During his time there, he participated in several clinical trials and was fully trained in the use of balloon dilating catheters for the sinuses, a newer and lesser invasive technique for opening the sinuses.

After the completion of his training, Dr. Payne came to the University of Virginia where he heads up the Division of Rhinology & Sinus Surgery for the Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery. He currently serves on the Quality Improvement committee for the University of Virginia Health System. Additionally, Dr. Payne has been actively involved in the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery where he serves on several committees and from which he recently received the prestigious Holt Leadership Award. His research interests include the immunologic mechanisms of chronic sinusitis and towards that end has collaborated with Dr. Larry Borish on both clinical and laboratory research projects to further delineate the most effective methods of diagnosing and treating patients with sinonasal diseases.