Image
Robert K. Jackler, MD
Professor Emeritus-Hourly, Otolaryngology (Head and Neck Surgery)
Member, Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute
Residency: University of California San Francisco (1984) CA
Internship: University of California San Francisco (1980) CA
Medical Education: Boston University School of Medicine (1979) MA
Board Certification: American Board of Otolaryngology, Neurotology (2004)
Fellowship: House Ear Institute (1985) CA
Board Certification: American Board of Otolaryngology, Otolaryngology (1984)
MD, Boston Univ School of Medicine, Medicine (1979)
Affiliation:
Committee:
Dr. Jackler was raised in Waterville, Maine, attended college and medical school in Boston, and moved west to the University of California, San Francisco for residency in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery (1979-84). After completing a Neurotology fellowship at the House Ear Clinic (1985), Dr. Jackler joined the faculty at UCSF where he remained until 2003 when he was appointed the Sewall Professor and Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery and professor in the departments of Neurosurgery and Surgery at the Stanford University School of Medicine. During his 18 years as Chair the faculty grew from 6 to 53, residents/fellows from 14 to 35, and basic and translational research greatly expanded. In both 2023 and 2024, Stanford OHNS was ranked #1 on US News.
Prior to his retirement from clinical practice in 2024, Dr. Jackler served as otologist-neurotologist specializing in complex ear diseases with a special interest in tumors of the lateral and posterior cranial base. He has contributed numerous analytical papers derived from his microsurgical series. A longstanding collaboration with medical illustrator Chris Gralapp has produced @3000 original illustrations of ear and cranial base surgery. For over 3 decades Dr. Jackler offered a fellowship program in neurotology & skull base surgery which trained many academic leaders in the field.
Dr. Jackler has authored 200+ peer reviewed papers, 40+ chapters, numerous editorials, published four books Neurotology (1994, 2004, planned 3’rd edition 2025), Atlas of Neurotology & Skull Base Surgery (1996, 2008), Tumors of the Ear and Temporal Bone (2000), and Ear Surgery Illustrated (2019). Along with Professor Stefan Heller, Dr. Jackler created the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss whose mission is to create biological cures for major forms of inner ear hearing loss through a research effort that is sustained, large-scale, multidisciplinary, focused, goal–oriented, and transformational. He is past president of the American Neurotology Society, editor-in chief emeritus of the journal Otology & Neurotology, and is an honorary member of the Royal College of Surgeons in both London and Edinburgh.
In 2006, Dr. Jackler founded the interdisciplinary research group Stanford Research Into The Impact of Tobacco Advertising which conducts research into the promotional activities of the tobacco industry. SRITA has collected >62,000 original tobacco advertisements which now reside in the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution. SRITA maintains an extensive online digital collection of tobacco advertisements for use by scholars (tobacco.stanford.edu) which has had over 1.1 million unique users from around the world.
Among other accomplishments, SRITA research was instrumental in exposing the promotional activities which underlay JUUL’s viral popularity among teens. Current SRITA research is focused upon emerging tobacco products such as IQOS, Puff Bar, Elf Bar, and recreational oral nicotine products with a special emphasis upon how these new devices are marketed to adolescents via use of social media and influencers. Following retirement from his clinical practice and leadership roles, Dr. Jackler’s primary career focus is research into the advertising practices of the tobacco industry with studies designed to provide the analysis needed by regulators and legislators to inform policy decisions.
Prior to his retirement from clinical practice in 2024, Dr. Jackler served as otologist-neurotologist specializing in complex ear diseases with a special interest in tumors of the lateral and posterior cranial base. He has contributed numerous analytical papers derived from his microsurgical series. A longstanding collaboration with medical illustrator Chris Gralapp has produced @3000 original illustrations of ear and cranial base surgery. For over 3 decades Dr. Jackler offered a fellowship program in neurotology & skull base surgery which trained many academic leaders in the field.
Dr. Jackler has authored 200+ peer reviewed papers, 40+ chapters, numerous editorials, published four books Neurotology (1994, 2004, planned 3’rd edition 2025), Atlas of Neurotology & Skull Base Surgery (1996, 2008), Tumors of the Ear and Temporal Bone (2000), and Ear Surgery Illustrated (2019). Along with Professor Stefan Heller, Dr. Jackler created the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss whose mission is to create biological cures for major forms of inner ear hearing loss through a research effort that is sustained, large-scale, multidisciplinary, focused, goal–oriented, and transformational. He is past president of the American Neurotology Society, editor-in chief emeritus of the journal Otology & Neurotology, and is an honorary member of the Royal College of Surgeons in both London and Edinburgh.
In 2006, Dr. Jackler founded the interdisciplinary research group Stanford Research Into The Impact of Tobacco Advertising which conducts research into the promotional activities of the tobacco industry. SRITA has collected >62,000 original tobacco advertisements which now reside in the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution. SRITA maintains an extensive online digital collection of tobacco advertisements for use by scholars (tobacco.stanford.edu) which has had over 1.1 million unique users from around the world.
Among other accomplishments, SRITA research was instrumental in exposing the promotional activities which underlay JUUL’s viral popularity among teens. Current SRITA research is focused upon emerging tobacco products such as IQOS, Puff Bar, Elf Bar, and recreational oral nicotine products with a special emphasis upon how these new devices are marketed to adolescents via use of social media and influencers. Following retirement from his clinical practice and leadership roles, Dr. Jackler’s primary career focus is research into the advertising practices of the tobacco industry with studies designed to provide the analysis needed by regulators and legislators to inform policy decisions.