He completed an M.D. at University of Oklahoma, Residency Training and a Research Fellowship in Otolaryngology at Duke University Medical Center, and a Research and Clinical Fellowship at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles. In addition to an active clinical practice and teaching responsibilities, Dr. Saunders has published many articles on sudden sensorineural hearing loss, the microbiology of chronic otitis, hearing loss genetics, surgical management of ear disease, and the epidemiology of hearing loss. He serves as an Associate Editor for the Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery journal and as a reviewer for many other scientific journals