Dr. Judith Kempfle is an otologist, surgeon-scientist, and Director of Research in the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at UMass Medical School. She also holds an appointment at the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories at Mass Eye and Ear. Her NIH- and foundation-funded research focuses on regenerative strategies for inner ear hearing loss, including cellular reprogramming, gene therapy, and small-molecule therapeutics. She has a particular interest in the role of Schwann cells and glia in repair and hearing restoration within the auditory system. Clinically, Dr. Kempfle maintains a busy surgical practice specializing in pediatric and adult endoscopic ear surgery for chronic ear disease, otosclerosis, and cochlear implantation for both single-sided deafness and bilateral hearing loss.

Dr. Yilai Shu is a physician-scientist in the department of otolaryngology at Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University. He obtained both an M.D. and Ph.D. degree in otolaryngology. From 2010 to 2014, he studied as a PhD student in the joint training program and continued his research as a postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts Eye and Ear-Harvard Medical School. Now, he serves as the vice president of Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University and Director of the Diagnosis and Treatment Center for Hereditary Deafness. His clinical interests are Otology and Neurotology. He is an expert in gene therapy and translational medicine of hereditary deafness based on gene replacement or CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, hair cell regeneration in the inner ear, and hearing protection. He has developed a gene therapy candidate drug—AAV-hOTOF—for the treatment of hearing loss caused by genetic defects and successfully spearheaded the world’s first clinical trial in this groundbreaking field. He was awarded the 2025 ARO Award for Clinical Innovation and the XPLORER PRIZE for his commitment to advancing gene therapy treatments for hearing restoration.