Airway Reconstruction: A Winning team | Cincinnati Children's

When Dr. Robin Cotton came to Cincinnati Children’s in 1972, the field of airway reconstruction didn’t exist.

Robin Cotton, MD: "When I came down here, after I’d done the basic research in how to construct the airway, I became basically the first person in the United States or the world who was doing this particular technique. Slowly the airway program grew over the years.”

A pioneer and innovator, Dr. Cotton established Cincinnati Children’s as a destination for children with airway disorders.

Mike Rutter, MD: “He made a proactive decision that if he was going to be able to provide care on an ongoing basis to as many children as possible, it couldn’t be just about him. He realized that children were getting more and more complex, and he established an aerodigestive team to provide for the multifaceted needs of the children we were increasingly looking after.”

Daniel Choo, MD: "Not only was he creating a new field at that time, but then the concept of being collaborative across surgeon to pediatric specialist was really probably unheard of at that point.”

Dr. Cotton was one of the first to put the patient in the center and have doctors coordinate around that child’s needs.

Now, after 47 years at Cincinnati Children’s, Dr. Cotton is retiring, leaving the program in the capable hands of Dr. Mike Rutter.

Dr. Cotton: “I hired my colleague Dr. Rutter probably in about 1998, and he has become the backbone of this program now.”

Because of the strong team of caregivers Dr. Cotton has established, the airway reconstruction program at Cincinnati Children’s remains the premier program in the country for children with complex airway disorders.

Dr. Rutter: “We’ve never stood on our laurels, we’ve always looked forward. What we do now isn’t what we did 5 years ago or 10 years ago. It’s trying to keep moving forward, as best we’re able to”

Dr Choo: "“It’s the culture, it’s the systems, it’s the practices, it’s that global expertise that just continues on.”

Dr Rutter: “It’s multi-faceted and it’s built around the needs of the children we serve."

Dr Choo: "“It’s a truly singular place.”

Dr Cotton: "It’s a great happiness for me that we’ve developed such a great program with strong, strong colleagues. They will continue to do as they are doing, evolving new surgical techniques, improving care for the child and and better and better outcomes.”

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