About me
Selena Heman-Ackah Briggs, MD, MBA, PhD, FACS, is the Vice Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology at MedStar Health Washington Hospital Center. Dr. Briggs is a neurotologist-skull base surgeon. She completed her medical degree at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, followed by a surgical internship and otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency at the University of Minnesota, and a fellowship in neurotology at New York University. Dr. Briggs earned an MBA from the University of Cincinnati. She also earned a doctorate in otolaryngology from the University of Minnesota for her research on prevention and management of age-related hearing loss. She previously served as the director of Otology, Neurotology and Audiology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and as an assistant professor of otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Briggs is an associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at Georgetown University and a Wellness Champion.
Dr. Briggs treats patients with a wide variety of ear and skull base-related concerns. She has a clinical interest in cochlear implantation and hearing loss (congenital and acquired), treatment of chronic ear disease and cholesteatoma, management of ear canal atresia or stenosis, repair of encephalocele and meningocele of the middle ear and mastoid, management of temporal bone fractures, care of vestibular and balance disorders, and treatment of tumors of the skull base (e.g. schwannomas, meningiomas, chordoma, etc.). In caring for patients with these concerns, she strives to provide each patient with the individualized, personalized and caring treatment that they deserve. Dr. Briggs maintains that it is critical to listen, to understand and to take the time to provide holistic care that prioritizes the patient's individual goals for their own best exceptional outcome, optimized care and quality of life.
Clinical areas of focus
- Acoustic Neuroma
- Cholesteatoma
- Cochlear Implants
- Facial Nerve Palsy
- Hearing Loss
- Meniere's Disease
- Otosclerosis
- Pulsatile Tinnitus
- Sudden Deafness
- Superior Canal Dehiscence
Conditions and procedures
Conditions I treat
- Acoustic Nerve Injury
- Acoustic Neurofibromatosis
- Acoustic Neuroma
- Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak
- Cholesteatoma
- Cochlear Nerve Damage
- Disorder Of Balance
- Dizziness
- Ear And Temporal Bone Cancer
- Ear Anomalies
- Ear Canal Cancer
- Ear Canal Lesions
- Ear Cyst
- Ear Drainage
- Ear Mass
- Ear Pressure
- Earache
- Facial Nerve Disease
- Facial Nerve Injury
- Facial Nerve Palsy
- Facial Nerve Palsy And Paresis
- Foreign Body (EAR)
- Hearing Loss
- Hearing Loss (ASYMMETRICAL)
- Hearing Loss (CENTRAL)
- Hearing Loss (CONDUCTIVE)
- Hearing Loss (MIXED)
- Hearing Loss (NEURAL)
- Labyrinthitis
- Malignant Otitis Externa
- Mastoiditis
- Meniere's Disease
- Meningioma
- Missing Eardrum
- Neurofibromatosis
- Osteoma
- Otitis Externa
- Otosclerosis
- Ototoxicity
- Positional Vertigo
- Pulsatile Tinnitus
- Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
- Ruptured Eardrum
- Sudden Deafness
- Superior Canal Dehiscence
- Temporal Bone Fracture
- Tympanic Membrane Perforation (TMP)
- Vertigo
- Vestibular And Balance Disorders
- Vestibular Neuritis
- Vestibular Neuronitis
Procedures I perform
- Acoustic Neuroma Removal
- Bone Anchored Hearing Aid Surgery
- Cochlear Implants
- Ear And Temporal Bone Cancer Surgery
- Encephalocele Repair
- Eustachian Tube Balloon Dilation
- Middle Ear Exploration
- Myringotomy
- Ossicular Chain Reconstruction
- Tympanoplasty/Mastoidectomy
Insurance
MedStar Health accepts most major health insurance plans. If you are uncertain as to whether your individual health insurance plan is accepted at MedStar Health, please call your insurance company.
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List of insurance plans we accept
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Advantage Signature and Select (aka Senior Advantage)
- Blue Choice Advantage & Healthy Blue (HMO, POS)
- UnitedHealthcare and AARP Medicare Complete Plans/ UHC Group Medicare Advantage Plans HMO, POS, PPO
- United Healthcare Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO, GEHA, Compass Rose)
- UHC Community Plan of MD
- Kaiser Virginia Premier
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- Kaiser Permanente Signature
- Medicare Fee for Service
- CFBCBS Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- CFBCBS EPO
- Kaiser MD Medicaid MCO
- Kaiser Permanente Flexible Choice POS
- UnitedHealthcare Medicare Adv/Special Needs Plans
- Kaiser Permanente Medicare Plus (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Select
- Kaiser PermanenteSelect-Added Choice
- Aetna Innovations: HMO & EPO Plus
- Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- Aetna HMO
- Open POS II
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- Choice POS & Choice POS II
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- Open EPO Plus
- Opoen HMO Option
- Open HMO
- Innovation Health: POS
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA/HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- Innovation Health: PPO
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- BlueChoice Open Access
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Open Access
- HealthyBlue PPO
- CFBSBC Blue Preferred PPO
- Choice Fund PPO
- PPO and PPO Plus
- CIGNA EPO
- POS OA & OA Plus
- Network OA
- CIGNA HMO Open Access (OA)
- United Healthcare Choice
- M.D. IPA (HMO)
- First Health PPO
- United Healthcare Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- CFBCBS Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- Mamsi Life & Health (Indem./PPO)
- FIRST HEALTH
- CFBCBS BlueChoice HMO
- United Healthcare Choice Plus
- MedStar Select (MedStar Associates' Plan)
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- United Healthcare Select Plus (POS)
- Aetna Worker's Compensation Network
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- Tricare Prime
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund) Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- CIGNA HMO & Network (HMO)
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
- CIGNA POS/Network POS
- United Student Resources
- CIGNA Indemnity
- CFBCBS Blue Choice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- CFBCBS Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- Tricare for Life (Medicare Supplemental Plan)
- Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- M.D. IPA Preferred (POS)
Education
Board Certification: American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Neurotology
Board Certification: American Board of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Otolaryngology
Fellowship Program: New York University Langone Medical Center (2012)
Residency Program: University of Minnesota (2010)
Medical School: University of Cincinnati (2004)
Hospital affiliations
Podcasts
<ul> <li><p><a href="http://www.medstarwashington.org/podcastlibrary/#q={}#q={}">Cochlear Implantation for Hearing Loss</a></p></li></ul>