River ENT

Dr. Esther Cheung-Phillips (also known as Dr. CP) was born in Cleveland, Ohio and completed her bachelor’s degree with a double major in Biology and Theatre Arts at Case Western Reserve University. Her family moved to Austin, where she worked briefly in the theatre scene before spending time in Southern California, Russia and Lithuania doing Christian missionary work. After returning to the US, she decided to pursue medicine and studied at UT Austin and earned her medical degree at UT Health Science Center in San Antonio. She found that her love of music and theatre was a great asset to the field of laryngology and became involved in research in voice disorders. She completed residency at Penn State Medical Center and UT Health Science Center at Houston, where she spent time in research on neonatal vocal fold paralysis as well as sinus disorders.

She is owner and president of River ENT, which was started in 2017. She is also the founder and past president of the Austin Society of Otolaryngology and continues to participate as an active life-time board member. She is also a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, Travis County Medical Society, Texas Medical Association, Texas Association of Otolaryngology, and the American Medical Association. She is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology. In addition to general otolaryngology, she has special interest in voice disorders, pediatrics, and sinus disorders.

In her spare time, Dr. Cheung-Phillips enjoys singing, playing guitar and piano, composing music with her two talented daughters, creative writing, cooking, and running the beautiful trails in Austin with her dogs.

Dr. Yi-Hsuan “Emmy” Wu was born in Taipei, Taiwan and moved to the United States when she was 5 years old. She grew up in Sugar Land, Texas and completed her bachelor’s degree majoring in Business Administration at the University of Texas at Austin. As a college student, she participated in a medical mission trip to Belize which inspired her to pursue a career in medicine. She continued her education at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston and completed her residency at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. She developed an interest in otology (study of diseases of the ear) and went on to complete a fellowship program at the Ear Research Foundation in Sarasota, Florida.

She is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology. In addition to general otolaryngology, she has special interest in the treatment of hearing loss with cochlear implants, chronic ear disease, Meniere's disease and other vestibular disorders. She is also a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, Travis County Medical Society, Texas Medical Association, Texas Association of Otolaryngology, and Austin Society of Otolaryngology. She is also serves on the board for the Texas School for the Deaf.

In her spare time, Dr. Wu enjoys participating in medical mission work and has done medical mission trips to Mexico, Nicaragua, Rwanda, and Guatemala. She also enjoys spending time running, traveling, and being in the outdoors. She has completed 6 marathons, including the Boston Marathon, and has plans to do more. On weekends, you will find her on one of the many picturesque trails in central Texas.

Dr. Sarah Williams specializes in cochlear implants and personalized hearing aid fittings. She has experience working in private practice and for a cochlear implant manufacturer that provides programming services and support to audiologists and surgeons. Beforehand, she worked with a small practice management company working to build reputable and ethical audiology and hearing aid practices across the country. Dr. Williams enjoys finding the best solutions for each patient to help toward better hearing and overall better communication. She will help you “geek out” on hearing technology for those interested in learning more, in addition to help with simplifying technology for those who want to “make it easy.” 

Dr.Williams earned both a bachelor of science and doctorate in audiology from the University of Texas at Austin. She maintains a certification from the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (CCC-A) and is a fellow member of the Texas Academy of Audiology, the American Academy of Audiology (F-AAA), and the Academy of Doctors of Audiology. Memberships in those professional organizations are important to her because of their relentless efforts in advocating for her patients with hearing loss.

Dr. Williams is a Texas native and is thrilled to be in Austin where she remains close to friends and family. She spent time in Southern Louisiana, Houston and Denver before she made her way back to Austin. She enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, yoga, traveling, reading and playing with her Jack Russell terrier, Sampson. 

Dr. Loraine Stuart is a licensed audiologist who earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in Austin and her Master’s degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. She is a member of the American Speech and Hearing Association for both Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. Dr. Stuart holds a certificate of clinical competence from the American Speech Language Hearing Association in audiology and speech language pathology.