Steven Sobol
Dr. Sobol is Professor of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. He served as the Pediatric Otolaryngology Fellowship Director for over a decade before transitioning to his current leadership role as Associate Surgery Director at CHOP King of Prussia Campus. Dr. Sobol has devoted his clinical and research career to the wellbeing of children and among other roles has served as the Chair of the Section on Otolaryngology at the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Sessions
Decision making in difficult airway cases
Pediatric otolaryngology training and practice in different parts of the world
Background: Pediatric otolaryngology is practiced throughout Latin America, but almost never as a formally recognized subspecialty. A direct survey of otolaryngologists from 18 Latin American countries (collected August 2026) found that only 4 of 18 countries have a dedicated pediatric ORL society, and just 3 offer a distinct credential separate from general ORL certification. Fifty-eight percent of respondents were unaware of any formal pediatric training program in their own country, and 63% reported zero pediatric airway simulation capacity — for a subspecialty whose highest-risk procedures depend on hands-on preparation. Training capacity is concentrated in two regional hubs, Mexico and Brazil, which together train the majority of specialists who train outside their own country. Despite this fragmentation, support for a regional minimum curriculum reached 100% among respondents — the strongest point of consensus found anywhere in the survey.
Description:This project translates that consensus into action: a regional initiative, developed with IAPO and IFOS, to standardize pediatric otolaryngology training across Latin America. It combines four components drawn directly from the survey findings — development of formal fellowship programs anchored in existing centers of excellence; standardization of minimum clinical competencies for pediatric ORL training, including pediatric airway management; strengthening of regional referral centers to extend training capacity beyond Mexico and Brazil; and a simple public registry of pediatric ORL specialists and training pathways.
Outcome Objectives: By the end of the initiative: (1) establish at least one formally accredited pediatric ORL fellowship program with regional intake; (2) publish an IAPO-endorsed minimum curriculum for pediatric airway management, adopted by participating national societies; (3) launch a regional registry of pediatric ORL specialists and training programs, closing the visibility gap identified in the survey; and (4) measurably increase the number of countries reporting a formal pediatric training structure.