Bharat A. Panuganti
MD, FACS
Assistant Professor
Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery
Washington University in St. Louis
MD, FACS
Assistant Professor
Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery
Washington University in St. Louis
I am an otolaryngologist–head and neck surgeon, subspecializing in laryngotracheal and hypopharyngeal (voice and airway) surgery, on faculty at Washington University in St. Louis, Barnes-Jewish Hospital. My clinical and research interests are predicated on advancing surgical management of early laryngeal cancers, surgical restoration of voice, and endoscopic/open airway reconstruction.
I believe it a professional responsibility to constantly seek to innovate, aiming to expand our understanding of human diseases and honing techniques to effectively treat them with minimal morbidity. I also believe strongly in the sanctity of the patient-physician relationship, and consider it a privilege to be trusted to provide care for the patients that seek it.
Originally from California, I have been fortunate to live and work across the country throughout my education, training, and professional career. I trained under Dr. Steven Zeitels at Massachusetts General Hospital, an internationally renowned laryngeal surgeon, where I had the privilege of learning in an environment defined by complex, high-stakes laryngeal surgery. My collective training and professional experience has been eclectic, but that background has solidified my belief in the traditional, historical model of medicine—one focused on building personal relationships with patients, rooted in persistence, honesty, and an unwavering commitment to advancing the craft through surgical innovation.
Improving surgical care for laryngeal cancer and complex airway disease through the development of advanced intraoperative imaging and innovative surgical techniques. Our work is rooted in a collaborative, interdepartmental approach—partnering across engineering, computer science, and surgical disciplines to translate emerging technologies into meaningful clinical impact. Visit the Panuganti Lab →
Employing optical imaging technologies—including targeted fluorescence-guided surgery and confocal laser endomicroscopy—to provide surgeons with superior visualization of tumor margins during transoral laser and robotic surgery, enabling more precise, tissue-conserving resections.
Developing machine learning platforms that integrate multiple imaging modalities for dynamic intraoperative tumor mapping, with the goal of real-time, automated delineation of cancerous tissue boundaries.
Adapting transoral robotic approaches, wound-healing substrates, and novel therapeutics to maximize functional outcomes in the management of laryngotracheal disease—preserving voice, swallowing, and airway while advancing surgical technique.
I believe transparency is fundamental to the medical decision-making process. By sharing my surgical work, I hope to give patients and colleagues a firsthand look at the techniques and outcomes that define my practice. I hope these videos reflect my belief that as surgeons, we have a professional responsibility to innovate—to safely push the boundaries of what is possible in order to improve patient outcomes and discover new approaches to problems once considered untreatable or inseparable from significant morbidity.
Surgical case video will be added here.
NIH R21 (2024)
Combination Optical Imaging to Guide Transoral Laser Microsurgery in Larynx Cancer
Principal Investigator
Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation (2025)
Fluorescein-Enhanced Confocal Endomicroscopy for Real-Time Tumor Mapping in Head & Neck and Brain Cancer Surgery
Principal Investigator
WashU ICTS Precision Health Grant (2025)
Integrative Sparse Feature Matching & AI-Based Tissue Characterization for Multi-Modal Tumor Mapping in Laryngeal Cancer
Principal Investigator
ALA Seymour Cohen Research Grant (2025)
Sustained-Release Triamcinolone in PLGA Microspheres in the Rat Subglottic Compartment
Principal Investigator
Midwest Stone Institute Research Grant (2026)
Quantitative Assessment of Collateral Thermal Injury During Office-Based Laser Treatment Using Blue-Light Laser Technology
Principal Investigator
Young Faculty Award (2026)
American Laryngological Association
Resident Research Award, Senior Author/Mentor (2024)
American Laryngological Association
Patient Experience Excellence Award (2023)
UAB Medicine
Awarded for exceeding the 95th percentile in patient experience
Humanitarian Travel Grant (2020)
American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
Distinction in Research (2015)
Saint Louis University School of Medicine
Selected peer-reviewed publications. Full list available on Google Scholar and PubMed.
Atkins A, Koch C, James S, Wodeyar A, Sievert M, Goncalves M, Jeyarajan H, Warram JM, Panuganti BA. Laryngeal Mucosal Tumor Mapping with Narrow Band Imaging and Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy. Laryngoscope. 2025;135(5):1767-1770.
Panuganti BA, Jeyarajan H. Transoral Robotic Posterior Glottic Scar Lysis and Partial Arytenoidectomy: Report of a Novel Application of TORS for Benign Glottic Surgery. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2025;134(4):294-296.
Bailey L, Stone LD, Gonzalez ML, Thomas CM, Jeyarajan H, Warram JM, Panuganti B. Panitumumab-IRDye800 Improves Laryngeal Tumor Mapping During Transoral Laser Microsurgery. Laryngoscope. 2024;134(4):1837-1841.
Panuganti BA, Carico C, Jeyarajan H, Flagg M, Tamayo P. Transcriptional Subtypes of Glottic Cancer Characterized by Differential Activation of Canonical Oncogenic Programming. Head Neck. 2023;45(11):2851-2861.
Panuganti BA, Voora R, Coffey C, Orosco R, Weissbrod PA, Califano J. Transoral Laser Microsurgery With Neck Dissection Versus Radiotherapy for T2N0 Supraglottic Cancer. Laryngoscope. 2023;133(3):601-606.
Panuganti BA, Pang J, Francis DO, Klebaner D, Asturias A, Alattar A, et al. Clinicodemographic Predictors of Tracheotomy Tube Size and Decannulation: A Multiinstitutional Retrospective Cohort Study. Ann Surg. 2023;277(5):e1138-e1142.
Voora RS, Panuganti B, Flagg M, Kumar A, Qian AS, Kotha NV, Qiao EM, Weissbrod PA, Rose B, Orosco RK. Salvage Following Transoral Laser Microsurgery for Early Glottic Cancer in National Veteran Database. Laryngoscope. 2021;131(12):2766-2772.
Panuganti BA, Jafari A, Shen S, Qualliotine JR, Schueth EA, Campbell B, Ngoitsi H, Cordes S. Predictors of Quality-of-Life Improvements Following Global Head and Neck Surgery Trips to Underserved Regions. Laryngoscope. 2021;131(9):2006-2010.
Panuganti BA, Finegersh A, Flagg M, Tu X, Orosco R, Weissbrod PA, Califano J. Prognostic Significance of HPV Status in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Large-Population Database Study. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2021;165(1):113-121.
Department of Otolaryngology–
Head & Neck Surgery
Washington University School of Medicine
St. Louis, MO
Disclaimer: The views expressed here do not represent Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine or Barnes-Jewish Hospital. The content contained herein is explicitly my own.
