Naotaro Akiyama, MD, PhD, is a Senior Assistant Professor in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. He is a board-certified otolaryngologist with expertise in otology and middle ear diseases. His research focuses on the molecular and epigenetic mechanisms underlying middle ear cholesteatoma and external auditory canal carcinoma. He has published extensively in leading otolaryngology and pathology journals. He is an active member of several national and international scientific societies.