09-11, 15:00–16:00 (Europe/Istanbul), Ped Otolaryngol 1 (ICC - B2 Floor - Beylerbeyi 2)
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.
Tomislav Baudoin is the founder and head of the Referral Center for Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology at the Ministry of Health, Republic of Croatia, Department of ORL-HNS, Sisters of Charity University Medical Center. He serves as a professor and head of the ORL-HNS department at the School of Medicine at Zagreb University. He established the Croatian Rhinologic Society, serving as its first president. Additionally, he is the president of the Croatian Society of ORL-HNS and the founder and leader of the „School of Pediatric ENT.” He founded and led the Training Center for Navigated Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (NESS) and was a founding member of the School of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ORL). He has been the primary researcher in four government-funded scientific projects focused on rhinology and pediatric otolaryngology. He is the author of the Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery textbook and has served as an Erasmus invited lecturer. He has written numerous articles in indexed, peer-reviewed publications and is a reviewer and a member of the editorial boards for many prestigious ORL-HNS journals. He chaired the working group for the subspecialty training program in pediatric otorhinolaryngology within the UEMS (Union Européenne des Médecins Spécialistes) and is a member of the working group developing the EPOS guidelines. He also served on the Advisory Board of the European Rhinologic Society and the Council of ESPO, and he is a member and examiner for the European Board Exam. He is the President-elect of the Confederation of European ORL-HNS and the coordinator of the Academy of CEORL-HNS.
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.