Prof. Evren Hizal, MD, PhD, FEBORL-HNS is an otologist–neurotologist and ENT surgeon from Türkiye, with academic interests in vestibular disorders, otology, neurotology, and audiology. He serves as Secretary of the Otology & Neurotology Scientific Committee for the XXIII IFOS World Congress 2026 in Istanbul. His work focuses on vestibular physiology, balance disorders, and clinical outcomes in otologic surgery. Prof. Hizal is actively involved in international scientific collaboration, graduate and postgraduate education, and peer-reviewed research in otorhinolaryngology.

Dr. Iman Ibrahim is a highly accomplished medical professional and researcher with expertise in otolaryngology, audiology, and health sciences. Holding an <u>M.B.B.Ch</u>, <u>M.Sc</u>. (Audiovestibular Medicine), Ph.D. (Hearing Science), and <u>M.Sc</u>. (Otolaryngology), she was trained at prestigious institutions such as Cairo University, Western University, and McGill University. Dr. Ibrahim has extensive academic experience as an Assistant Professor at Western University, and her research focuses on hearing, balance disorders, and head and neck cancer.

Her work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals (20+ journal papers), and she is an active reviewer for several scientific publications, including Otology & Neurotology and Audiology & Neurotology. Fluent in English,  Arabic,  French, Italian, and Turkish.

Seiji Kakehata, M.D., Ph.D. is best known for his work in pioneering endoscopic ear surgery in his home country of Japan and around the world. He served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Yamagata University Faculty of Medicine until March of 2023 after which he became Professor Emeritus. In May of 2023, he opened the Endoscopic Ear Surgery Center in the Ota General Hospital in Kawasaki Japan to make TEES more accessible to the wider public. He is also the immediate past Chair of Board of Directors, Japan Otological Society. He is a director of the Japanese Society of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. In addition, he is a founding board member of the International Working Group on Endoscopic Ear Surgery (IWGEES) and its immediate past president as well as the president of the Pan-Asia Working Group on Endoscopic Ear Surgery (PAWGEES).

Dr. Kakehata’s clinical interests include minimally invasive endoscopic ear surgery, conductive and sensorineural hearing loss, and facial nerve palsy. Dr. Kakehata’s research has focused on cochlear hair cell physiology and hearing regeneration. His funded research includes the study of outer hair cell motility, effects of cholesterol alterations on outer hair cells, regeneration of the facial nerve, and regeneration of auditory nerve fiber growth and synapse formation after ear injury.

Dr. Kakehata hosted the 4th World Congress on Endoscopic Ear Surgery in 2022 and is the president-elect of the 36th Politzer Society Meeting to be held in 2028 in Kyoto. He organized and conducted the first endoscopic ear surgery courses in Asia and has continued to host an annual hands-on course since 2012. He has delivered numerous presentations at regional and national meetings in Japan, as well as at international conferences and courses, particularly in the field of endoscopic ear surgery.