John A Rutka, MD, FRCSC

Dr. John Rutka graduated from Queens’ University in Medicine. He completed his ENT residency training at the University of Toronto. He then underwent subspecialty fellowship training in Otology/Neurotology at Sunnybrook Hospital, University of Toronto, and at Addenbrook’s Hospital, Cambridge, U.K. Upon returning to Toronto, he was awarded the Sir William Osler Scholarship from the Canadian Medical Association. Since 1986, Dr. Rutka has been on staff at the University of Toronto, UHN where he has an active interest in otological/neurotological medicine and surgery. Dr. Rutka has been a Professor of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto since 2007.

Dr. Rutka’s clinical practice focuses on disorders of inner ear dysfunction. His chief research interests have been in the field of surgical management of benign positional vertigo, multidisciplinary evaluation of the dizzy patient, topical and systemic ototoxicity, conservative management of vestibular schwannomas, critical appraisal of treatment for Meniere’s disease, time trends in chronic ear disease, and post-traumatic dizziness. His scholarly work and creative professional activities demonstrate over 115 peer-reviewed publications, 8 textbooks and self-instructional packages (including a textbook in the Thai language), 20 book chapters, and 23 supplements. Dr. Rutka has been invited as a national and international speaker to over 125 meetings.

Dr. Rutka provides tertiary consultation care on his monthly visits to a special neurotology outreach clinic in Niagara Falls and takes part in the Underserviced Areas Program care where he regularly helps the Northern Ontario communities of Sioux Lookout and Dryden. He also has close working relationships with the Chulalongkorn University and the Rural Ear Nose and Throat Foundation in Thailand where Dr. Rutka and his team provide ear care to remote communities in Thailand and contiguous countries in Southeast Asia.

Dr. Rutka is the Assistant Director of the UHN Centre for Advanced Hearing and Balance Testing, and the Hertz Multidisciplinary Neurotology Clinic. He is the Chief Consultant for the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT) for the province of Ontario. He provides consultation services for the St. Michael’s Hospital Ambulatory Head Injury Clinic. For 20 years, he had been the chief mentor for the Thomas Wickham Jones Foundation Fellowship (U.K.) and currently is the chief mentor for the Peter and Melanie Munk Foundation Fellowship in Otology/Neurotology. He has trained over 50 fellows (both in Canada and internationally) and continues to teach medical and undergraduate trainees at the University of Toronto.