I am a medical surgeon graduated from the Universidad de Oriente de Venezuela, with a specialty in Phoniatrics and Audiology. I currently work as a Specialist in the Phoniatrics Service at Dr. Luís Razetti University Hospital. Active member (vice president) of the Venezuelan Society of Phoniatrics (SOVEFO) and the Union of European Phoniatricians (UEP). Passionate about continuous improvement in the care of the voice, hearing and swallowing, as well as the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of functions due to damage or consequences of pathologies related to the different areas of human communication (language, speech, voice and hearing). Eager to contribute my skills and experience.

Dr. Mariam Shadi is an Assistant Professor of Phoniatrics, ENT Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. She has a special interest in the diagnosis and managment of voice and swallowing disorders in adults and pediatrics with over 20 years of experience. She is also an active member of the UEP (Union of European Phoniatricians) Swallowing Committee.

Ramón Hernández-Villoria [ra.ˈmoŋ|eɾ.ˈnan.des.bi.ˈʝo.ɾja.]

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7361-2919

I was born in Caracas, Venezuela, where I graduated as Medical Doctor in 1995. Four years later I got my postgraduated degree as Specialist in Phoniatrics. Some years later I got a degree as M.Sc. in Linguistics. From 2000 to 2020 I was Titular Professor in Instituto Universitario Venezolano de la Audición y el Lenguaje. I runned also like Invited Professor in Universidad Central de Venezuela (Occupational Medicine) Universidad de los Andes-Mérida (Applied Phonetics), Universidad Santa María (Pediatric Dentistry) and now, in Universidad de Oriente. From 2008 through 2012, I coordinated the academic teamwork that designed the non-medical National Training Program in Fonoaudiología (speech therapy and technical audiology), which led to the opening of the respective degree in seven public universities. I have participated as a speaker in numerous conferences on phoniatrics, language and speech therapy and audiology at an international level like the International Congress of the former International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (at Turin 2013) and World Congress of Audiology (at Melbourne, 2014). Also, I have been part of Faculty of 31^st UEP (Union of European Phoniatricians) Congress in Praga, 2025.

From 2008 to 2016 I was National Coordinator of Ministry of Health for Hearing, Voice and Speech Disabilities. In this function I developed the setting of the National Hearing Aids Laboratories Network in 16 of 24 States. Also, I set the National Neonatal Hearing Screening in 120 Hospitals in 24/24 States. Thirty two Phoniatics Services over 18 States were developed in this period. Since 2016 I have been dedicated to private practice in my own 2008 founded clinic: "Centro Clínico de Audición y Lenguaje Cealca" and also I work in the "Hospital de Clínicas Caracas" since 2018.

I focus on audiovestibular medicine, voice acoustic analysis, swallowing, language in children and adults. I am an independent researcher, investigating about auditory electrophysiology and voice acoustic analysis. In this field, I am co-editor of the book “Voice-related biomarkers”, published in 2025.

Currently, I am a member of Union of European Phoniatricians (UEP), since 2016, and now I am integrating these UEP-Committees: Education, Hearing & Language and Biomarkers in Phoniatrics. I am a member since 2024 of the Collegium Medicorum Theatri, an international medical society on artistic voice. I have been member of International Association of Phoniatrics and Logopedic (IALP), of International Society of Audiology (ISA) as well as International Phonetics Association (IPA). Besides, I am member of International Society for Clinical Physiology and Physiopathology (ISCPP) based in Moscow. In Venezuela, I was Board Secretary of the "Sociedad Venezolana de Foniatría" since 2006 until 2022

Laura Matrka, MD, is a Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery. She graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College with a BA in English and concentrations in Anthropology and Spanish, completed medical school at University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, completed her residency in Otolaryngology at The Ohio State University, and completed a Laryngology fellowship at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, San Antonio with Blake Simpson.  She is a full-time clinician who devotes significant additional time to clinical research, focusing on complicated airway management, recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, dysphagia after anterior cervical spine surgery, neurogenic chronic cough, and many other topics. She is also devoted to improving gender-affirming health care and addressing issues of diversity in medicine and education. She was inducted into the American Laryngologic Association in 2020, the Triological Society in 2019, and the American Bronchoesophageal Association (ABEA) in 2015; she has held several leadership roles in these societies, and is currently a Councilor-at-large for the ABEA. She has been awarded the Exceptional Physician Peer Award, the Faculty Teaching Award, Press-Ganey recognition for patient satisfaction, and has consistently received Castle Connolly’s Exceptional Women in Medicine and Top Doctors awards since 2019. She has served as Course Director for conferences including the annual Advanced Practices in Voice and Dysphagia and the national ABEA conference, and she is the author of over 50 publications.

Title      Professor and Chair          

Name     Yoshihiko Kumai

Country Japan    

Affiliation    Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences    

I graduated from Kumamoto University Medical School.in 1999.

2007- 2009 Harvard Medical School, Institute of Laryngology & Voice Rehabilitation, Research Fellow (Professor Steven Zeitels)

2009- 2017　Assistant Professor in Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Kumamoto University Hospital

2017- 2019 Associate Professor in Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Kumamoto University Hospital

2020~present Professor and Chair, Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

Major interest are laryngology and dysphagia.

Prof. Mohamed Farahat Ibrahim Desouky is a Professor of Otorhinolaryngology at King Saud University and former head of the Communication and Swallowing Disorders Unit and supervisor or swallowing clinics in the university hospitals. He is the International Coordinator of World Swallowing Day and Co-Chair of the Union of European Phoniatricians' Swallowing Committee. His expertise spans clinical phoniatrics, evidence-based dysphagia management, machine learning applications in voice pathology detection, and healthcare quality improvement. Prof. Farahat has published 51 peer-reviewed articles and currently contributing to research in agentic AI systems for voice disorder diagnosis. He is an accomplished international speaker, keynote lecturer, and mentor dedicated to advancing clinical practice and professional education in phoniatrics across Europe and the Middle East.