Margherita Bruni, MD

Margherita Bruni, MD, is an otolaryngologist who specializes in disorders of the ears, nose, and throat, including head and neck lumps, and sinus issues including polyps and breathing and swallowing issues. She's also assistant professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

"When I was 3 years old, I told my mom I wanted to be a doctor and I never wavered in that goal," she says. "I was always fascinated by the idea that we can heal other people." That focus sharpened when she was an undergraduate in college and her grandfather developed lung cancer. She was able to be part of his cancer journey from biopsy through treatment, and remembers how he was treated with compassion and dignity. "That just cemented by love for medicine," she recalls. "I wanted to offer that kind of care for others."

While attending the State University of New York at Buffalo for medicine, she chose surgery as her emphasis, and ENT as a specialty. She did her residency at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, becoming chief resident, and then did a fellowship at Lenox Hill Hospital in 2014 for cranial base surgeries, where she trained in complex sinus procedures. A year later, she became an attending physician for Northwell Health.

Dr. Bruni is also involved in research, particularly for sinus issues such as nasal polyps. She's currently working on issues related to hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, or HHT, a rare genetic disorder that can cause severe nose bleeds. Along with researchers from The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, she's focusing on starting an HHT center of excellence at Northwell.

Although Dr. Bruni appreciates every aspect of surgery and research, she is most drawn to patient care, and always keeps in mind that each patient is someone's beloved family member. The way her grandfather was treated is always top of mind, and sets a high standard of care for her approach.

"Now that I have children, I think about how I would want my kids to be treated, or how I would treat someone in my own family," she says. "Also important is that every interaction and process is meaningful, even if it's just ear wax cleaning. I want every patient to leave feeling better, no matter what they're facing, big or small."