Professor Norberto Martinez, MD earned his Doctor of Medicine in 1982 at the University of Santo Tomas, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery where he likewise completed his residency training in Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. The first graduate of the Department, he pursued further studies as Fellow in Neuro-Otology at a WHO Collaborating Center for Prevention of Deafness - The Siriraj University, Bangkok Thailand and Zurich University Hospital, Switzerland. With an ardent desire to free Filipinos from the bondage of silence, he joined the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery where he pioneered the science and clinical practice of hearing and balance function by establishing the first hospital-based Center earning the IFOS – ISA – HI Accreditation in the country. With its establishment, he selflessly shared his knowledge by leading various post-graduate courses for Physicians, and other stakeholders in the aural rehabilitation of deaf individuals and those suffering from balance disorders.

Later on, he partnered with Macquarie University in developing the curriculum for Master of Clinical Audiology which, to date, graduated leaders and professionals that form the building blocks of the nation’s ear and hearing health program. For his contributions and excellence in both teaching and research, he was appointed to various administrative posts including Chairman of the Department of ENT – HNS, and Faculty Council of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. The only Professor of the Department, he continues to lead the innovation in teaching to ensure that Filipinos live with healthy ear and hearing, free from disabilities.

Norio Yamamoto is the director of the Department of Otolaryngology at Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, Kobe, Japan. Before joining Kobe City Medical Center, Dr. Yamamoto was an associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery at the Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan. Before that, Dr. Yamamoto worked as a visiting fellow at the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, National Institutes of Health, USA. Dr. Yamamoto graduated from the medical school of Kyoto University and obtained a PhD from the Graduate School of Medicine at Kyoto University. Dr. Yamamoto specializes in Otology and Neurotology surgeries, including CI surgeries, as well as basic research on cochlear regeneration.