CONTACT: ZLATKO ANGUELOV
8788 John Pappajohn Pavilion
Iowa City IA 52242
(319) 356-7124
e-mail: zlatko-anguelov@uiowa.edu

Release: July 10, 2000

UI Health Care specialist to lead online chat on otoplasty

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Al S. Aly, M.D., professor of surgery and otolaryngology, and a plastic surgeon with University of Iowa Health Care, will lead an hour-long, online question-and-answer discussion on otoplasty with a nationwide audience from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 11.

The online chat will be hosted by AmericasDoctor.com and can be accessed by entering through the www.AmericasDoctor.com home page under "Upcoming Events."

Otoplasty (or ear surgery) is a procedure performed to reshape the ear and give it a more normal appearance. The surgery usually is done on ears that are too large or that protrude from the head. During his on-line hour, Aly will provide a basic understanding of the procedure -- when it can help, how it is performed, and what results you can expect -- and will answer questions from the audience.

After receiving his medical degree from Georgetown University in Washington, DC, Aly completed residencies in otolaryngology at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee and in plastic and reconstructive surgery at The University of Miami. He completed a fellowship in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at The University of California, Irvine. Aly joined the UI College of Medicine faculty in 1997.

Aly is board-certified in plastic surgery and otolaryngology. He is the editor-in-chief of the first and only plastic surgery textbook on the Internet. His clinical expertise is in plastic surgery, reconstructive surgery, and cosmetic surgery of the face, nose, breast, and body as well as total body contouring and breast reconstruction. Aly is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery.

A calendar of other upcoming chats by UI Health Care professionals and dialogue from past chats can be accessed by logging on to www.uihealthcare.com and clicking on the AmericasDoctor.com logo at the bottom of the page.

University of Iowa Health Care's partnership with AmericasDoctor.com is part of an increasing trend in health care toward enhancing consumer services through the Internet. According to recent statistics compiled by Cyber Dialogue, a New York firm that tracks Internet commerce, there are approximately 22 million World Wide Web users seeking health information over the Internet. Cyber Dialogue projects that number to increase to 33 million over the next year.

University of Iowa Health Care describes the partnership between the UI College of Medicine and the UI Hospitals and Clinics and the patient care, medical education and research programs and services they provide.