Dr. Douglas Hetzler practices general otolaryngology in Santa Cruz, California, initially in 1988 with the Santa Cruz Medical Clinic, which then integrated with the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in 2008.  He grew up in Iowa City, Iowa; received his undergraduate degree from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota; subsequently completed medical school at the University of Iowa and received his otolaryngology training through the Kaiser Permanente residency based in Oakland, California. His particular areas of interest include refining surgical approaches to treat ear canal exostoses ("surfer's ear") and educating the public regarding measures to protect their hearing.