Ryan Branski, Ph.D., Series Editor

The development of the Classics series was stimulated by the desire to recognize prominent figures who have made significant contributions to, and advanced, their respective fields. The term 'classic' in academia is not novel. In 1977, Eugene Garfield's essay entitled, "Introducing Citation Classics: The human side of scientific papers" recognized significant contributions to science. This initial document was comprised of selections from the 500 most-cited manuscripts published between 1961-1975 including Oliver H. Lowry's 1951 paper, the most-cited in the history of science.

In Dr. Garfield's original publication, authors of the classics were asked to write an abstract and commentary regarding the publication emphasizing the human side of research including how the project was initiated, obstacles encountered, and their opinion of why the work was highly-cited.

This model was employed in the Classics series. The most highly-cited manuscripts within a particular subspecialization or allied health profession were compiled and in some cases, reprinted in their entirety. However, the real value of this series is the commentaries. For each manuscript, author and/or peer commentaries provide unique insight into the work.

Michael S. Benninger, MD, FACS, Series Editor

Dr. Michael S. Benninger is the Chairman of the Head and Neck Institute at The Cleveland Clinic and is a Professor of Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. The Head and Neck Institute comprise the specialties of Otolaryngology, Audiology, Speech and Language Sciences, Oral Surgery and Dentistry.

In addition to his work at the hospital, Dr. Benninger has been very involved in Regional, National and International medical organizations. He is the President of the International Association of Phonosurgery, is the immediate past-President of the American Laryngologic Association, and Vice-President and a member of the Board of Directors of the Voice Foundation. He served on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) for 12 years, having been a former Vice President and Chairman of the Board of Governors of that organization. He is also a Past-President of the American Rhinologic Society and the Michigan Oto-Laryngological Society. He is the former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, which is the largest peer-reviewed journal in the world for that specialty. He has served on the Residency Review Committee for Otolaryngology and as a member of the Medical Advisory Board for WebMD. He is the Past-Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Sinus and Allergy Health Partnership.

Dr Benninger has authored or edited 7 books, including his most recent books, Botulinum Toxin Injections in the Head and Neck and The Singer’s Voice. He has 2 additional books in press. He has also has written over 70 book chapters and over 175 scientific articles, focusing primarily on voice care and laryngology, nasal and sinus disease and health care management. He has lectured extensively across the country and throughout the world.

A graduate of Harvard University, Dr. Benninger received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He completed his residency at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.