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.
-
List of insurance plans we accept
- United Mamsi Life & Health
- HealthyBlue PPO
- Innovation Health: HMO & EPO Plus
- Aetna Choice POS & Choice POS II
- United Student Resources
- United Nursing Home Plan (C-SNP
- Kaiser Select-Added Choice
- CareFirst BC/BS Advantage Core/Enhanced
- Innovation Health: POS
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network (VA CCN)
- Health Services for Children with Special Needs (HSCSN)
- CareFirst Administrators
- D-SNP)
- Cigna True Choice Plus Medicare (PPO)
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage prescription drug benefit (PPO)
- Aetna Traditional Choice (PPO)
- United Community Plan - Maryland Health Choice Program
- Carefirst BlueChoice HMO
- Police and Fire Clinic
- CareFirst Maryland Indemnity or PPO
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthcare Alliance
- United MD IPA Preferred (POS)
- Virginia Premier
- UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange Plans
- Cigna Indemnity
- CareFirst MedStar PPO
- WellPoint Maryland - Maryland Health Choice
- Cigna POS Open Access & Open Access Plus
- Carefirst Healthy Blue (HMO/POS)
- CareFirst Blue Card Program (Out-of-area BCBS plans)
- Medicaid - Maryland
- United Core Essential (HMO)
- Amerigroup DC Alliance
- Aetna Signature Administrator PPO/TPA
- HumanaChoice Honor’s plan PPO
- Cigna EPO
- Aetna Managed Choice (POS)
- United GEHA (for all other states) Compass Rose
- Tricare Reserve Select
- Kaiser Select
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthcare Alliance
- Innovation Health: Network Only Plus
- Innovation Health: Indemnity
- Amerigroup DC Healthy Families
- Cigna TotalCare (HMO D-SNP)
- Carefirst BlueChoice Opt Out Plus Open Access (POS)
- Aetna Open Choice (PPO)
- Aetna Student Health Insurance
- Medicaid - District of Columbia
- Aetna HMO-Open Access/Select OA
- Uniformed Services Family Health Plan (USFHP)
- MedStar Family Choice DC Healthy Families
- Cigna True Choice Medicare (PPO)
- Cigna HMO Open Access
- Cigna Network Open Access
- Aetna Elect Choice/ EPO (Aetna Health Fund)
- United Navigate
- Kaiser Signature
- Veterans Affairs Community Care Network
- United Options (PPO) (includes Empire PPO)
- AmeriHealth Caritas DC Healthy Families
- Carefirst BlueChoice Open Access
- WellPoint Maryland
- CareFirst (NCA) Indemnity
- Aetna Select HMO/HealthFund/Health Network
- United Erickson Advantage Plans
- Private Health Care Systems (PHCS) (PPO)
- United MD IPA (HMO)
- Cigna Alliance Medicare (HMO) |
- Carefirst Blue Preferred PPO
- CareFirst Group Medicare Advantage
- Cigna PPO and PPO Plus
- Priority Partners - Maryland Health Choice
- Innovation Health: PPO
- Tricare for Life East
- Aetna Managed Choice Open Access (POS)
- United Select HMO - EPO/NPP
- Carefirst BlueChoice Opt Out Open Access
- Aetna Elect Choice/ Open Access (POS)
- Kaiser Flexible Choice
- Innovation Health: Open Network Only Plus
- United Medicare Advantage DSNP District of Columbia
- Innovation Health: Open POS Plus
- HumanaChoice PPO
- Innovation Health: POS Plus
- Tricare East Select
- Kaiser HMO Plus and DHMO Plus Member
- United Group Medicare Advantage Plans
- Maryland Point of Service Plan (MPOS)
- Tricare East Prime
- CareFirst MedStar Select PPO
- United Golden Rule
- Innovation Health: Open POS II
- Medicaid - Virginia
- United Choice
- Aetna HealthFund/Health Network Option OA
- Cigna Choice Fund PPO
- Aetna Medicare Advantage HMO & PPO Plans
- Aetna Quality Point of Service (POS)
- Cigna Preferred Medicare
- Cigna POS/Network POS
- Kaiser Medicare Advantage Signature and Select
- Traditional Medicare Fee for Service
- Kaiser Maryland Medicaid MCO
- CareFirst NASCO
- United Choice Plus
- Choice Care Network/HUMANA (PPO)
- United Optimum Choice
- Kaiser Permanente Signature-Added Choice
- Aetna Open HMO/Open HMO Option/Open EPO Plus
- I-SNP
- Cigna Achieve Medicare (HMO C-SNP)
- United Optimum Choice Preferred (POS) & OCI Direct (HMO)
- Carefirst EPO
- United AARP Medicare Complete
- Federal Employee Program (Std/Basic PPO/Blue Focus)
- Aetna HMO
- United Select Plus (POS)
- Cigna HMO & Network (HMO)
- Kaiser Medicare Plus
- First Health PPO
- Great-West Healthcare POS/CIGNA
- MedStar Family Choice - Maryland Health Choice
- Coventry Health Care National Network PPO
- Coventry of Delaware HMO/PPO
- Coventry Health Care of Virginia
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>