Retired head and neck surgeon Anthony Maniglia dies at 80 after fall from his roof

Dr. Anthony Maniglia, who pioneered head and neck surgery at the University of Miami and Case Western Reserve University schools of medicine, died July 16 after an accident at his Bay Point Miami home.

His stepson Fernando Gomes said the retired surgeon was on his roof to check service that had been done to repair a leak when he fell. Maniglia was 80. After his retirement in 2008 he divided his time between Miami and his native São Paulo, Brazil.

Maniglia, who graduated from Ribeirão Preto Medical School at the University of São Paulo, had joined Dr. Ryan Chandler to become the second senior faculty member in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Miami in 1973. He taught and practiced in the areas of ear, nose, throat, head and neck at UM until 1985.

During his tenure he developed numerous surgical innovations, including outpatient tonsillectomy techniques and patenting early versions of implantable hearing aids, such as the cochlear implant.

Electronic cochlear implants for the ear’s inner chamber to restore some hearing were a major focus of the 12th World Congress of Otolaryngology in Miami Beach that Maniglia organized in May 1985. Maniglia was secretary general and president of the Pan-American Association of Otorhinolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery.

The event drew more than 4,000 surgeons and specialists from 77 countries. Maniglia aimed to inspire young surgeons.

“Dr. Maniglia was a devoted teacher, mentor, and then friend. I was blessed to have him in my life,” said Dr. W. Jarrard Goodwin, chief medical officer at UM’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Said Dr. Barth Green, co-founder and chairman of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and executive dean for Global Health and Community Service at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine: “His technical talents in the operating room combined with his leadership skills, thirst for knowledge and love for teaching made him a role model for others aspiring to be a professor and chairman of otolaryngology at leading institutions here and abroad.”

Maniglia left UM to establish and chair the Department of Otolaryngology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals at Cleveland Medical Center.

“Perhaps his most important accomplishment throughout his career, even in retirement, was his diligent oversight of not only the department but of all the faculty and residents and the mentorship he provided in encouraging and at times demanding the constant pursuit of excellence in clinical care, scholarly activities and the betterment of the specialty,” Case Western University said in a statement.

Maniglia’s take-charge reputation hadn’t dimmed, even as he passed his 80th birthday on June 14.

“It should be stated that Tony’s family, friends, neighbors and colleagues were not surprised to learn that at dawn last Sunday he was on top of his garage roof searching for a water leak, which unfortunately resulted in his untimely passing. There is no doubt that he will quickly assume a leadership role in heaven and be a hands-on role model for his new team up there,” Green wrote in an email last week to his colleagues at UM.

Maniglia’s survivors include his wife, Maria Teresa, his son Victor, stepchildren John Ludwick and Fernando and Maria Laura, his sister Rosa Monica, his brothers John and Jose Victor who followed him into otolaryngology and practice in Brazil, and three grandchildren. Services were held.

This story was originally published July 25, 2017 at 2:42 PM with the headline "Retired head and neck surgeon Anthony Maniglia dies at 80 after fall from his roof."