At the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, research is more than academic enrichment—it’s a pathway to discovery, mentorship, and clinical clarity. For third-year medical student Maddie Bald, engaging in research has been a transformative experience that shaped her understanding of patient care and ultimately guided her toward a future in Otolaryngology.
Currently completing the final rotation of her MS3 year, Bald has been deeply involved in clinical research on facial nerve paralysis. Under the mentorship of Benjamin Greene, M.D., an associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology and facial nerve specialist in UAB Heersink School of Medicine, her primary project examines the use of contralateral constraint-based chemodenervation and facial therapy in patients with unilateral facial nerve paralysis. “This project is a part of a large database looking at patients with various types of facial nerve injuries, what treatments and therapies they have completed, and what their results are,” Bald said.
As part of the project’s primary clinical work, the team assessed the impact of the combined therapy through detailed statistical analyses. “We compared patients' results before and after receiving treatment using two standardized scores for facial movement and symmetry as well as overall satisfaction.” The FACEs evaluation tool focuses on the patients' subjective evaluation, whereas the Sunnybrook scoring system offers an objective evaluation.
Within the broader database of patients with facial nerve paralysis, a subset of individuals who underwent a specific intervention—contralateral constraint-based chemodenervation and facial therapy—were included in a focused analysis. This approach is referred to as constraint-based therapy, a novel technique that involves weakening the unaffected side of the face (via chemodenervation) to encourage improved movement and function on the paralyzed side through therapy. Because this intervention is relatively new and only a limited number of patients have received it, the group was analyzed as a case series rather than compared against other treatment combinations. “Our sample size is certainly small at the moment, given that this is a new therapy,” said Bald. “However, we’re hopeful that, given our encouraging data, more patients will be inclined to enroll.” In the future, the research team plans to use the larger database to evaluate outcomes across various treatment combinations.
The immersive nature of the research experience gave Bald a deeper understanding of ENT and opened her eyes to career possibilities she hadn’t initially considered. “I have had the opportunity to learn a lot about ENT, which has been so helpful for me in determining what career path to pursue in the future,” Bald said. “Being involved in research while balancing academic and clinical responsibilities teaches you a lot about time management and gives you the opportunity to meet faculty and find out what things interest you.”
At the heart of Bald's research experience was the mentorship she received from Greene—a relationship that helped define her specialty focus. “This ended up being one of the best things that happened to me because it helped me decide that I wanted to apply to Otolaryngology,” Bald said. “Finding a mentor that is encouraging and willing to teach and help you learn more is so important.”
Bald’s dedication to research began early in her journey. “I knew that with my interest being in plastic surgery and ENT, having research experience would teach me more about each specialty, give me the chance to meet faculty and residents, and give me the opportunity to learn skills in manuscript writing and conducting research.”
As first author, her work has been presented at several major conferences, including:
- Plastic Surgery the Meeting (San Diego)
- Southeastern Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (virtually and in Sea Island, GA)
- Academic Surgical Congress (Las Vegas)
- Southern Medical Association (Atlanta)
This year, Bald is also preparing to present at the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the American Academy of Plastic Surgeons in Austin, Texas.
Looking ahead, Bald envisions a career that blends clinical practice, ongoing research, and mentorship. "I think it would be really cool in the future to work with medical students on research projects,” she said. “I have really benefited from their mentorship and would love to one day pay it forward.”