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James A. Burns, MD

4.9

834 ratings Read Reviews

Northwestern Medical Group

Primary Specialty

Laryngology

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Practice Focus Areas

This medical professional has a particular interest or expertise in:

Benign & Malignant Laryngeal Tumors
Care for Singers & Voice Professionals
Endoscopic Airway Reconstruction
Endoscopic Laser Surgery
Laryngeal Papilloma
Spasmodic Dysphonia
Vocal Fold Paralysis
Voice Affirmation

Education

Medical Education:: MD, University of Virginia School of Medicine - 1991
Internship:: University of Virginia Medical Center - 1992
Residency:: University of Virginia Medical Center - 1996
Fellowships:: Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School - 2003

Board Certifications

American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery - Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (Certified)

Faculty Profile

Professor, Feinberg School of Medicine

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Practice Groups and Affiliations

Medical Group:: Northwestern Medical Group
Alignment Category:: Northwestern Medicine Physician Network
On Medical Staff At:: Northwestern Memorial Hospital

Ratings and Reviews

At Northwestern Medicine, our patient’s feedback is important to us. While different care providers have their own unique strengths, we strive to be as transparent as possible with our quality of care.

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Overall Rating

4.9

4.9

834 Ratings

Reviews from Patients

100 Most Recent Reviews

Reviews from Patients

100 Most Recent Reviews

February 27, 2026

5.0

Seemed very honest and professional

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February 26, 2026

5.0

I felt He was very thorough and knowledgeable. He took the time to discuss his findings and answer all questions I had. I left feeling much more at ease about my condition and that I was well taken care of.

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February 23, 2026

5.0

Dr. Burns listened to my concerns and addressed them. He is very personable and professional.

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February 23, 2026

5.0

Dr Burns was patient, very polite honest and thorough. Excellent bedside manner

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February 16, 2026

5.0

Very nice explains everything answered all questions with no judgement in his voice

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February 12, 2026

5.0

He was thorough and took time to explain everything

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February 12, 2026

5.0

Doctor Burns was thorough, made me feel comfortable, explained everything to me clearly, and went through everything, and made me feel welcome and I could tell he cared. One of the best doctors I've ever seen.

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February 11, 2026

5.0

Very knowledgeable and helpful

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February 06, 2026

5.0

He was great, knowledgeable and kind!

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February 04, 2026

5.0

Kind, professional, very helpful, efficient

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February 04, 2026

5.0

He was understandable with my prognosis. Fast at calling you in.

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February 03, 2026

5.0

He is a very good doctor in my opinion

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February 02, 2026

5.0

Please see in first box. An absolute amazing DR!!!

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February 02, 2026

5.0

It was a pleasant experience and a learning time.

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January 30, 2026

5.0

Thorough.

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January 29, 2026

5.0

Dr. Burns is both a knowledgeable and thorough physician, with an impeccable bedside manner. I have been immensely pleased with the treatment and progress I have made under his care and would have no hesitation recommending him to others.

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January 28, 2026

5.0

Good man, knows his field

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January 26, 2026

5.0

He is very kind, informative and spends time explaining everything.

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January 26, 2026

5.0

Expertise, compassion and Communication

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January 26, 2026

5.0

I would definitely recommend Dr. Burns. I think he is a very good doctor.

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January 21, 2026

5.0

The whole session from start to finish was amazing

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January 20, 2026

5.0

Calm, obviously knowledgeable and the staff is great as well.

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January 19, 2026

5.0

Good bedside manner

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January 15, 2026

5.0

I mostly explained already, but he actively listened about my problem. Did an examination and just talked to me. Took care of the rest for referral.

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January 12, 2026

5.0

His expertise, thorough discussion and examination. Solid plan of care.

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January 08, 2026

5.0

Great doctor. Keeping me talking

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January 07, 2026

5.0

Dr. Burns was extremely knowledgeable and explained all aspects of my care/plan. He allowed substantial time for questions and provided thorough explanations to any questions raised.

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January 02, 2026

5.0

He is very knowledgeable on his field.

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January 02, 2026

5.0

He calm presence made me feel calm. He answered question and was not rushed. Made sure I was cared for and comfortable.

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December 31, 2025

5.0

Thanks for the detailed attention, Dr. Burns!

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December 31, 2025

5.0

Congenial, attentive, and open to conversation, Dr Burns is approachable.

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December 29, 2025

5.0

Very good doctor

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December 18, 2025

5.0

Dr.James A. Burns is a very professional and patient doctor. I am extremely grateful for his help to me.

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December 15, 2025

5.0

Patient and kind, . I felt he was very concerned regarding my issue

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December 15, 2025

5.0

Very kind and reassuring. He explained the procedure. It went so smoothly, not at all like I anticipated. He offered a couple of possibilities for what is causing my swallowing problems.

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December 12, 2025

5.0

he is pleasant, confident, skilled, intelligent, patient, not pushy. excellence for the team starts at the top...

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December 12, 2025

5.0

Dr. Burns is my surgeon and the results of my last procedure made a huge difference in my swallowing. Since 2018, I've worked with four doctors. Dr Burns is the only doctor to present a solution to help me more than just an esophageal dilation. I am so grateful.

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December 10, 2025

5.0

Dr Burns is personable and knowledgeable. He has an incredible bedside manner and always puts me at ease

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December 08, 2025

5.0

Because he's a very nice person.

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December 08, 2025

5.0

he is professional, knowledgable, patient, pleasant, answers all questions and asks if i have more.

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December 04, 2025

5.0

Ditto to the answer about. Superior care is priceless!!

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December 04, 2025

5.0

Good communication, knowledge and personality.

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November 26, 2025

5.0

Dr Burns was excellent in discovering and communicating my voice issues

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November 25, 2025

5.0

He is patient centered, and experienced.

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November 24, 2025

5.0

Provider was clear and took his time to explain to my dad and was thorough through the entire process.

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November 21, 2025

5.0

Dr. Burns showed vidieo of the larynx, now it works and condition of the larynx

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November 19, 2025

5.0

He is the best in his field.

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November 19, 2025

5.0

Dr. Burns is a wonderful physician. He is extremely knowledgeable and kind.

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November 18, 2025

5.0

Great dr.

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November 17, 2025

5.0

he is patient, knowledgable, answered all my questions, didn't have his hand on the door knob:).

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November 12, 2025

5.0

Caring, considerate, compassionate

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November 12, 2025

5.0

I gave Dr. James Burns all the history of me being a firefighter. About all the irritants that is caused throat cancer to fireman and elder cancer. He listened to my whole report and told me you gave me a lot of good information thank you here's what we're going to do. As I said above, you treated me with the shots for three months, went back for one more today. I highly recommend this ENT Dr. James Burns.

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November 10, 2025

5.0

He listens and explains everything carefully and clearly.

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November 09, 2025

5.0

he knows what he's doing

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November 06, 2025

5.0

Dr. Burns explains everything slowly, clearly and thoroughly - the equipment used, the procedure and what I can expect, which is much appreciated.

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November 05, 2025

5.0

Best voice doc in USA

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October 30, 2025

5.0

He helped me and I trust his conclusions.

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October 27, 2025

5.0

Loved him listen to my problems and addressing them so I could understand

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October 27, 2025

5.0

Doc is a very caring fella, makes you feel at ease.

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October 27, 2025

5.0

Took the time to answer questions, very caring

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October 21, 2025

5.0

Excellent Doctor. Friend and very professional.

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October 20, 2025

5.0

He heard my concerns, explained what they had just examined, explained the medicine course, and why I had a return appointment at a certain time.

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October 17, 2025

5.0

Dr. Burns is personable, highly skilled, and compassionate.

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October 16, 2025

5.0

Very efficient and caring

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October 15, 2025

5.0

Excellent professional. Knowledgeable, caring and personable.

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October 14, 2025

5.0

He very knowledgeable, great experience in his field and delivers great results

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October 13, 2025

5.0

Listened to my problems. Thoroughly explained the procedure he was going to do. Explained the results.

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October 13, 2025

5.0

Very efficient and knowledgeable!

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October 06, 2025

4.0

He was good & at least he gave a decent diagnosis.

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October 05, 2025

5.0

He is a great doctor.

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October 04, 2025

5.0

His experience and intelligence was truly impressive.

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October 01, 2025

5.0

Fantastic doc

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October 01, 2025

5.0

Friendly, thorough, and informative

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September 23, 2025

5.0

Honest, straightforward, caring

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September 20, 2025

5.0

He was able to think beyond the typical response to my issues and willing to try this surgery. His easy bed-side manner but excellent skill and expertise put me at ease soon after our first meeting

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September 17, 2025

5.0

He has both exceptional medical knowledge AND interpersonal skills.

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September 15, 2025

5.0

Friendly, knowledgeable, explained all procedures

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September 10, 2025

5.0

Outstanding rapport; clearly focused on engaging with me _ continual eye contact, thorough explanations, completely open to any and all questions. Superior clinical knowledge and skills _ a model physician.

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September 10, 2025

5.0

He was Reassuring, Caring. And Compassionate

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September 10, 2025

5.0

Straight forward telling the plusses and minuses of future surgery.

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September 09, 2025

5.0

I am so fortunate to have Dr Burns as my doctor! He is a true professional by taking the time to explain the care plan for my issue.

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September 09, 2025

5.0

He has been my Otolaryngology for seven years and he is an excellent physician.

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September 08, 2025

5.0

World class care by a caring and highly skilled specialist! Very responsive to patient's needs!

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September 08, 2025

5.0

He explained things and gave advice on what to going forward

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September 05, 2025

5.0

Very responsible and clear with his arguments

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September 05, 2025

5.0

Amazing doctor and goes out of his way to work with patients.

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September 03, 2025

5.0

Tells it like it is

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September 03, 2025

5.0

Like I said above, please read above your questions are repetitious

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August 29, 2025

5.0

Thorough and excellent exam

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August 29, 2025

5.0

He was knowledgeable, kind and empathetic!! He explained each part of the procedure and answered all my questions in a caring way. He then set me up with voice therapy.

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August 29, 2025

5.0

He is so personable. Makes me feel comfortable. I feel like I'm in very good hands.

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August 26, 2025

5.0

Knowledgeable, patient, caring

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August 25, 2025

5.0

Very thorough and I have finally seen some results.

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August 22, 2025

5.0

Dr. Burns has a very good vibe. He is positive, encouraging and understands the issues faced by professional singers. The therapist in his department, Emma, is also a real gem!

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August 20, 2025

5.0

Explained everything greatly Dr Burns is an extraordinary doctor Very compassionate caring takes time making sure we understood everything

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August 18, 2025

5.0

Dr Burns did a good job when he scoped me, plus he explained everything very well.

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August 18, 2025

5.0

Dr. Burns did a great job explaining my diagnosis and the next steps to getting better. He was patient and thorough.

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August 15, 2025

5.0

Explained everything he was doing

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August 14, 2025

5.0

Very caring and professional. East to talk to.

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August 14, 2025

5.0

Excellent treatment

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Disclosures

James A. Burns, MD reported no external professional relationships for calendar year 2024.

External Professional Relationships

Pharmaceutical, device, and biotechnology companies frequently collaborate with basic scientists and physicians within an academic medical center to help advance science and improve patient care. These relationships are important in achieving scientific breakthroughs and in establishing the effectiveness and safety of promising new therapies. In order to assure objectivity in clinical research and patient care, the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Feinberg), Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, Children's Hospital of Chicago Medical Center, and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab have adopted integrity policies that require research and clinical faculty (in full-time, part-time, and unpaid/voluntary categories) to report compensated and uncompensated external industry relationships. Patients are encouraged to discuss these disclosures with their physician as well as to inquire as to how these relationships are overseen by Feinberg. To learn more about our Disclosure and Professional Integrity Policy, and the conflict of interest policies of our joint affiliate survey partners, please go to our Office for Regulatory Affairs Policies page.

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