The UCSF Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery is proud to congratulate Steven D. Pletcher, MD, and Taylor S. Erickson, MD, on being named 2026 recipients of Honorary Awards from the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and its Foundation (AAO-HNS/F). The Academy’s annual Honorary Awards recognize individuals whose contributions to clinical care, education, mentorship, research, and service have advanced the specialty.
That the two are being honored in the same year is especially fitting. Dr. Pletcher has been a mentor to Dr. Erickson throughout her training, and their paths share a lot: both trained in otolaryngology at UCSF, both chose rhinology, and Dr. Erickson is now completing her fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear, where Dr. Pletcher trained in rhinology himself.
Dr. Steven Pletcher – YPS Model Mentor Award
Dr. Pletcher, Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery and Vice Chair for Education, has received the Young Physicians Section (YPS) Model Mentor Award, which honors the vital role mentorship plays in the early careers of young physicians.
As Residency Program Director since 2013, Dr. Pletcher has mentored a generation of UCSF graduates, encouraging each of them to become leaders in whatever path they choose. His mentees have gone on to fellowships in facial plastic surgery, laryngology, pediatric otolaryngology, head and neck surgical oncology, rhinology and skull base surgery, and otology/neurotology, and many now hold academic faculty positions. When clinical coverage gaps arose in the department, he expanded his own clinical role to work directly with junior residents during their most formative rotations. Nationally, he has served on the editorial board of the Otolaryngology Core Curriculum and on Academy committees, and he is a frequent panelist and moderator at the AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting.
This national recognition follows another honor close to home: Dr. Pletcher is the most recent recipient of the UCSF OHNS Francis A. Sooy Award for Clinical Excellence, an award recognizing exemplary clinical skill, leadership, and unwavering dedication to patient care that sets the highest standard for our field.
Dr. Taylor Erickson – WIO Exemplary Senior Trainee Award
Dr. Erickson, a recent graduate of the UCSF residency program, has received the Women in Otolaryngology (WIO) Exemplary Senior Trainee Award. The award recognizes an outstanding senior resident or fellow who demonstrates excellence in leadership, research, education, and mentoring that characterized her residency and continues in fellowship.
Dr. Erickson is currently a fellow in Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery at Massachusetts Eye and Ear. Her interests include leadership development, medical education, improving the residency match process, and outcomes research in rhinology. She serves as the resident representative to the AAO-HNS Education Steering Committee and to the ACGME Otolaryngology Review Committee.
We are delighted that Dr. Erickson will return to UCSF in late 2027 as an assistant professor in the Division of Rhinology and Skull Base Surgery.
Going the Distance, Together
Their partnership extends well beyond the clinic. In April 2025, Dr. Pletcher and Dr. Erickson both ran the 129th Boston Marathon, alongside fellow UCSF rhinology-bound runner Dr. Jacquelyn Callander. Dr. Erickson, then a PGY-4 resident, finished in 3:15:22, and Dr. Pletcher, running Boston for the second time, finished in 3:21:47. The same discipline and endurance that carried them through 26.2 miles shows up every day in their commitment to patients, trainees, and the specialty. (Read more about their Boston Marathon run.)
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Pletcher and Dr. Erickson on these well-deserved honors!
Read the full list of 2026 AAO-HNS/F Honorary Award recipients in the AAO-HNS Bulletin.
