Annual Herbert S. Birkett Memorial Lecture

Professor, Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, McGill University

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Dr. Kost did her undergraduate studies and residency at McGill University in Montreal. She completed a fellowship in Voice and Head and Neck Oncologic Surgery at the Institute of Laryngology and Otology in London England under the stewardship of Sir Donald Harrison. She is a Professor of Otolaryngology at McGill University and is the Director of the Voice and Dysphagia Laboratory at McGill University. Areas of special interest include Head and Neck Oncology, Airway problems, and Voice. She is the past president of the Otolaryngology division of the McGill Med-Chi Society, and sits on several local committees associated with McGill university.

Dr. Kost has an ongoing interest in Global health. She worked in the Canadian Arctic for over 20 years, performed the first surgical procedure in Northern Quebec and played an instrumental role in repatriating medical and surgical services to Nunavik in Northern Quebec. In 2014 and 2015, Dr. Kost participated in 2 humanitarian medical missions in remote villages of the Himalayas in Nepal accessible only by foot, with no running water and no electricity. In addition to practicing medicine, she provided teaching and instruction to local healthcare providers.

Dr. Kost has been, and continues to be heavily involved in the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and has served as chair of Bylaws, Regional Representative of Quebec, and President of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Fund. In 2013, she served as the President of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Society - the second female president of the society since its birth in 1946. She established the Women in Otolaryngology (WIO) section of the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery in 2013, went on to form a committee, secure funding for the WIO, and serve as its chair from 2013-2017. She continues to serve as chair of the Laryngology committee within the Society.