Physician, Assistant Professor
Otolaryngology
Department: Otolaryngology
A person’s ability to communicate defines who they are – and hearing is one of the most fundamental aspects of communication. That’s what drives my passion as an otolaryngology head and neck surgeon with a special focus on patients with hearing loss.
I specialize in treatment of disorders of the outer, middle and inner ear, as well as tumors of the temporal bone and skull base. I strive to deliver individualized, state-of-the-art and compassionate care to each patient. My goal is to get to know each patient so that together we can come up with the highest quality treatment plan using the most up-to-date technology.
I treat a range of conditions, including all conditions related to hearing and balance. Among these are infections of the ear (acute and chronic otitis media); cholesteatoma (abnormal skin growths in the ear); otosclerosis (fixation of the hearing bone resulting in hearing loss); vestibular schwannoma (a benign tumor growth on the hearing and balance nerve); Meniere’s disease; and superior semicircular canal dehiscence.
In addition, I have a PhD in medical engineering and medical physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a strong research interest in skull base tumor biology, neurofibromatosis type 2, nanotechnology for biomarker development and drug delivery, and clinical outcomes for patients after ear and skull base surgery. I’ve won multiple national awards and grants related to my research.
In my free time, I like to exercise, run, take photographs and travel.
Please note: Not all physicians schedule patients at each listed location.
I am a fellowship-trained otolaryngologist and lateral skull base surgeon, who specializes in treating patients diagnosed with hearing loss and disorders of ear and cranial base, such as vestibular schwannomas (also known as acoustic neuromas) and meningiomas. I am also a surgeon-scientist investigating new diagnostic biomarkers and therapies for skull base tumors. The goal of my research is to develop multi-functional nanomaterials that can specifically target tumor cells, query the tumor microenvironment, and deliver RNA therapeutics to suppress tumor growth. My work has been published in many prestigious journals including Science Translational Medicine, Cell, PNAS, and Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.
Engineering synthetic protease biomarkers for vestibular schwannoma and NF2
This project aims to establish proteases as new activity-based biomarkers for classifying vestibular schwannomas.
Nanotechnology for tumor-targeted drug delivery
The aim of this project is to develop tumor-targeted nanoparticles that can deliver drugs selectively to tumor cells.
Cochlear gene therapy for hearing loss
The aim of this collaborative project is to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of direct delivery of neurotrophic factors to the cochlea for the treatment of hearing loss in animal models.
Additional Research
Additional research programs include using tumor-associated fluorescence as an intraoperative guide to assist skull base surgeons during tumor resection, as well as a series of clinical projects investigating the natural history of vestibular schwannomas, identifying clinical and radiographic factors associated with hearing preservation after surgery, and improving patient’s quality of life.
The overall patient satisfaction rating is an average of all patient responses to the six doctor communication related questions shown below from the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. For additional information about the patient satisfaction survey, please visit our Patient Satisfaction Survey page.
The comments are submitted by patients and reflect their view and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.
At The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, we support a faculty member’s research and consulting in collaboration with medical device, research and/or drug companies because a faculty member’s expertise can guide important advancements in the practice of medicine and improve patient care. In order to provide effective management of these relationships, the University requires annual disclosures from all faculty members with external interests related to their University responsibilities.
As of 11/3/2025, Dr. Ren has reported no relationships with companies or entities.
The doctor is very patient oriented, he have concern for your wellbeing and improving your health condition.
Good wanted to help with my ear & hearing.
All good!!
Dr. Ren has been very helpful and attentive to my medical needs. Specifically, issues with my right ear.
Dr. REN is a wonderful doctor. Very respectful.
Thorough in explaining what was causing my symptoms and answering all my questions. Nice demeanor.
Awesome
Professional, patient, and sensitive to our concerns. Took the time necessary to answer all our questions and made sure we understood the surgical process. I would highly recommend Dr Ren to family and friends!
Everything was good
What he told me about my test results doesn't seem to agree with the results when I looked at the results.
Dr. Ren is a great doctor I am lucky to have him,
Good
Good exp: they made sure that I understood the state of my medical condition
Dr. Ren is excellent.
Very attentive when present, knowledgeable and kind.
Very good
Very lovely
Excellent
Very professional
He knows what his doing
Uninterested in listening or solving my issue
Was prepared and knowledgeable about why I was there
Excellent provider, kind and patient
The doctor provided good service
Very good
Fantastic
All good
None, he was very nice!
Dr Ren is a good and caring doctor.
Friendly and professional
All good
Dr. Ren took the time to describe the options for treating my condition to my wife and I. He was very thorough.
The doctor asked questions and checked both ears and commented that he was pleased with the outcome of the surgery that was done on the right ear 14 months ago.
He was efficient yet very friendly.
Thorough visit
Very nice..
He was great he listened to all I had to say and asked may questions and was great at explaining the procedure pros and cons, what would happen during the surgery and answered all my questions.
Ok
Very busy but is genuine
Dr Ren is a extremely caring. I had a cochlear implant replacement and he is also an excellent surgeon.
Very knowledgeable and listened to what I had to say with respect. Was a very friendly and caring physician!
She was great
Excellent care
Excellent care. Excellent plan to monitor my problem
We came with questions concerning loss of hearing due to exposure to neuro toxin and wanted to know about the health of the ear/injury to cochlea; all med info was sent to office but not referred to in appt; had to push and prod asking blunt questions to get very short blunt answers; I'm sure as a surgeon for cochlear implant he would be excellent just takes a lot out of a patient to have a health related question
Dr. Ren was excellent.
Dr. Ren showed concern for my condition and made recommendations as how to proceed. Showed compassion for my concerns.
We were very pleased with dr. REN .He is outstanding.
They listen to all comments from me and addressed them all
Great
Good
All good
Very understanding. Answered all questions. Explained everything to my understanding.
Very good
He was knowledgeable, setting up a surgery is daunting, he somewhat explained the procedure
He was very understanding and supportive of my issues. Great listener and problem solver. Made me feel important and someone could could help.
Very thorough
Very friendly. Definitely appeared to have a grasp on the situation.
He was very friendly, knowledgeable and got to the bottom of my problem quickly.
Good
Wonderful
Listened and wasn't rushed
All was great!.
Dr. Ren asked questions to fill himself in on my medical history and how it could affect my issue. He went through all the options with us in a clear manner and answered any questions we had about them. Out of the three options he gave us he allowed us to pick the one that we wanted even if it was not what he thought would be best - it was. He also had a resident with him that showed the same level of professionalism.
Very good
Good
Cut me off, laughed at one of my questions, didn't know my one allergy, and spoke rudely about CVS providers
The provider was very knowledgable and able to explain things to be in a way that was easy to understand. He was professional, patient, and provided a lot of information.
All good
Listened to me & did a procedure that day so I wouldn't have to come back, since I had all ready had a few cancelled appts from them in the past.