Dr. Karen M. Kost

Associate Professor, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, McGill University
Director, Montreal General Hospital, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery
Director, McGill University Voice and Dysphagia Laboratory
Specializing in Voice and Swallowing Disorders, Head and Neck Surgery, Botox and Fillers

Dr. Karen M. Kost completed her undergraduate studies and residency at McGill University in Montreal, followed by a fellowship in Voice, Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery at the Institute of Laryngology and Otology in London, England. She is a Professor of Otolaryngology and Director of the Voice and Dysphagia Laboratory at McGill University, specializing in Head and Neck Oncology, airway issues, and voice disorders.

Dr. Kost is recognized for her leadership, having served as President of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (CSO-HNS), where she also established the Women in Otolaryngology section and chaired its committee. She has held executive roles in several international societies, including the American Society of Geriatric Otolaryngology, and is active on numerous committees with the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

With a passion for global health, Dr. Kost worked over 20 years in the Canadian Arctic, pioneering surgical services in Northern Quebec and leading medical missions to remote Nepal. She teaches widely, directs the Laryngology Fellowship, and has served as an examiner for the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

A prolific researcher, Dr. Kost has published extensively on voice, tracheostomy, and geriatric otolaryngology, authored 20 book chapters, and edited three textbooks. She is a member of over a dozen medical societies and sits on editorial boards for leading otolaryngology journals. Dr. Kost is the first Canadian woman inducted into the Triological Society and has received multiple prestigious awards, including the Helen B. Krause Trailblazer Award and the American Academy of Otolaryngology Distinction Award.

See blogs related to Dr. Kost’s work at the ENT Specialty Group 

“Understanding Salivary Gland Tumors: Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment”