Karthik Balakrishnan

Susan B. Ford Surgeon-in-Chief at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital

Dr. Balakrishnan joined the Stanford Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford faculty as associate professor in early 2020. He also serves in several other leadership roles in Stanford Medicine, including co-chair of the Teamwork Advisory Council, co-lead for the Otolaryngology Department’s diversity/equity/inclusion program, and NSQIP Pediatric Surgeon Champion.

Dr. Balakrishnan is a renowned pediatric otolaryngologist specializing in the care of children with complex disorders of breathing, voice, and swallowing. He is an expert in complex surgical reconstruction of the larynx (voice box) and trachea (windpipe); innovative approaches to pediatric airway reconstruction; and vascular anomalies of the head and neck. He earned his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, did his residency at the University of Washington in otolaryngology, and completed a pediatric ENT fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.