09-10, 14:00–15:00 (Europe/Istanbul), Hearing Implant 1 (ICC - B2 Floor - Üsküdar 3)
Despite growing clinical evidence supporting cochlear implantation in adults, utilization remains low in many countries due to financial barriers, limited public awareness, and delayed referral pathways. This presentation explores the gap between evidence and real-world access, highlighting current challenges and practical strategies to improve adult cochlear implantation uptake through multidisciplinary collaboration, patient education, and policy development.
To discuss the barriers limiting adult cochlear implantation and propose practical approaches to improve access and adoption in real-world clinical practice.
head of ENT Department and Professor en Autonoma University Medicine School
Dr. Juan Manuel Garcia received his medical degree from the University of Rosario in Bogota, Colombia. He later was a visiting research associate at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary where he actively participated in the Neurotology Section from 1984 to 1985. Furthermore, he graduated as an Otolaryngologist from the University of Rosario. He decided to focus his training in Otology and Neurotology, and earned his fellowship at the Fundación Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud ( Health Sciences University ) in Bogotá. He was a visiting fellow at the Silverstein Ear Institute, the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary and the University of Miami Ear Institute. Dr. Garcia was the President of the 34th Pan-American Congress in 2014; he was the Chair of the Pan-American Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology from 2014-2016. Currently, he is the chair of the Departmet of Otolaryngology at Fundación Santa Fé de Bogotá, and a clinical professor of the Faculty of Medicine at University of Los Andes, as well as the past Director of the Otology Neurotology and professor of fellowship program at the Fundacion Universitaria de Ciencias de la Salud in Bogotá . He is a corresponding Member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology (AAO-HNS ) and nominated Ambassador of the Academy in 2011, and likewise Fellow of the American Neurotology Society and past the Vice – president of the Panamerican Association of Otolayngology. He is currently IFOS representative in South America . He received an Honor Award from the the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery in September 2025 for his outstanding contributions and volunteer service to the Academy of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.
He performed the first cochlear implant surgery in Colombia in 1992 and organized a renowned Cochlear Implant program. Alongside with his team, he has visited many Latin American countries and several hospitals and clinics around Colombia, to train and help them organize their own cochlear implant and implantable hearing devices programs. He has been invited to share his scientific experience as a guest speaker and faculty in various national and international meetings and congresses aound the world . The main research interest and publications of his group are in cochlear implants and implantable hearing devices. In fact, his publications include more than 50 scientific articles and book chapters, and he is a co-author of a published book on Otorhinolaryngology, which is vastly read and studied throughout Latin America and Colombia.
Dr. Hồng Anh Lê, MD, PhD, is Head of the Otology Department at the National Otorhinolaryngology Hospital of Vietnam. She specializes in otology, neurotology, cochlear implantation, and hearing rehabilitation for both pediatric and adult patients. With extensive experience in cochlear implant surgery across all age groups, Dr. Hồng Anh is dedicated to expanding access to cochlear implantation so that more children and adults can benefit from timely hearing restoration. Her clinical practice focuses not only on surgical excellence but also on restoring communication, independence, and quality of life for people with hearing loss. Her academic interests include adult cochlear implantation, evidence-based auditory rehabilitation, and multidisciplinary approaches to improving hearing healthcare.
Professor Abdulrahman Hagr is a distinguished Otolaryngology consultant and Otology–Neurotology surgeon at King Saud University (KSU), where he has served since 2013. He is the founder and former Director of the King Abdullah Ear Specialist Center (KAESC) (2011–2023) and the founder of the largest cochlear implant program in Saudi Arabia, with more than 2,000 implantations performed.
Professor Hagr established the Saudi National Neonatal Hearing Screening Program and launched KSU’s Otology–Neurotology Fellowship in 2008. He has pioneered multiple hearing implant technologies in the Kingdom, including BAHA, Hybrid CI, ABI, ABCI, Bonebridge, Vibroplasty, and Vistafix, positioning Saudi Arabia as a regional and international leader in hearing rehabilitation.
He is the President of the Saudi ORL Society (since 2010) and the founder of the Arab Academy of Otology and Cochlear Implant (AAOCI). Internationally, he serves as an advisor to the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, Middle East Secretary for IFOS, and is a Goodwill Ambassador for the Academy. He was also Program Chair of the IFOS Congress 2023.
Professor Hagr holds fellowships from the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada (FRCSc) and Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (ad hominem). With over 70 peer-reviewed publications, 10 books, 8 patents, and more than 1,500 citations, his research focuses on cochlear implantation, hearing preservation, and implant technology. He is internationally recognized for the rapid and safe “Saudi Method” of cochlear implantation, including participation in a world record of 66 cochlear implant surgeries in 24 hours.