Avi Shupak, received his cum laude MD degree from the Technion Israel Institute of Technology (1978). Completed his Otolaryngology residency at Carmel Lady Davis Medical Center (1989) and a fellowship in Pediatric Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh (1993). He established the human performance and motion sickness laboratory at the Israel Naval Medical Institute and was the director of the institute during 1993-2003. In 2003 he founded the Otoneurology Unit of Carmel and Lin Medical Centers, affiliated with Bruce Rappaport faculty of medicine, the Technion and chaired it until 2020. He is a professor emeritus at the Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, The University of Haifa, and former associate professor at the Bruce Rappaport faculty of medicine, the Technion. He conducts basic and clinical research focusing on middle and inner ear physiology, vestibular function tests, motion sickness and diving-related otological aspects, publishing over 140 peer reviewed articles and book chapters. He is the mentor of over 20 graduate and PhD students. He is currently the Secretary of Israel Otoneurology Society and its former chairman (2007-2018) and former scientific secretary of Israel Otolaryngology Head and Neck Society (2009-2013).  He is as an associate editor in Frontiers Neurology and serves as a reviewer in numerous international journals. He is a member of the Barany Society, Vertigo Academy International (member of the international executive committee), The French-Israeli Association of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and the American-Israeli Association of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.

Prof. Dr. Cem Uzun is Chair of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Koç University School of Medicine, Istanbul, Türkiye. He is the founder and first director of the Mirko Tos Ear and Hearing Research Center, reflecting his primary academic focus on otology, neurotology, hearing research, and cochlear implantation.

Prof. Uzun has held numerous leadership roles in national and international professional organizations. He has served as General Secretary of the Balkan Association of ORL-HNS for over a decade and is a Council Member of the International Cochlear Implant Society, President-Elect of the Turkish Otology-Neurotology Society, and Co-President of the German-Turkish ORL-HNS Society. He previously represented the ORL section at the European Union of Medical Specialists and has led major national initiatives, including newborn hearing screening programs and cochlear implant councils.

His academic contributions include more than 150 peer-reviewed publications, an H-index of 16, two patents, and four surgical techniques in otology and otoneurology. He has delivered over 250 invited lectures and instructional courses at international meetings and has organized numerous scientific events on otology, audiology, scientific writing, and publication ethics.

Prof. Uzun is also active in scholarly publishing and research policy. He is Past President of the European Association of Science Editors, founding president of the Scholarly Publishing Society, and Editor-in-Chief of Balkan ORL-HNS. His EU-funded project received the EASE Best Initiative Award (2025). His honors include the AAO-HNSF Goodwill Ambassador Award, Fulbright Scholarship (University of Miami, Miami Ear Institute), Danish Government Scholarship (University of Copenhagen), and multiple national scientific awards.

Dr Juan M. Juan Fernández is a Consultant ENT surgeon currently practising at Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi, with over 30 years of experience in otorhinolaryngology and a particular expertise in otology and neurotology.

He previously served as Head of the ENT Department at University Hospital Son Llàtzer (Palma de Mallorca) in Spain, leading a tertiary multidisciplinary ENT service with a strong focus on otologic surgery and clinical excellence.

He holds a Master's degree in Hyperbaric and Subaquatic Medicine from the University of Barcelona and has extensive clinical, academic, and teaching experience in diving-related ENT pathology, including barotrauma and inner ear disorders in divers.

Dr Juan has directed multiple courses on ENT diving pathology, contributed as editor to a monograph on diving and aviation ENT disorders, and is a frequent speaker on otology in diving and hyperbaric medicine.

His career uniquely bridges advanced expertise in otology and underwater medicine; having been a diver since childhood in the waters of Mallorca, both in apnea and scuba diving, and driven by a lifelong passion for the sea, his main professional focus is the integration of otological knowledge with underwater and diving medicine, establishing him as a recognized expert in the ENT aspects of diving.

She was born in Ankara in 1967. She graduated from Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, obtaining the title of Medical Doctor in 1991. In 1997, she completed her residency at the Department of Underwater Medicine and Hyperbaric Medicine, Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine. She participated in a research project with a scholarship programme at the Department of Underwater Medicine and Hyperbaric Medicine at Karolinska Hospital during her residency. Throughout her professional career, she obtained a Master’s degree in Business Administration and gained experience in marketing and human resources in the pharmaceutical industry. She is a member of the Health Board of the World Confederation of Underwater Activities (CMAS) and an active member of the European and National Society of Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine, as well as the Turkish Underwater Sports Federation. In her medical field, she helped establish hyperbaric oxygen therapy centers at two clinics: one at the medical faculty and the other at the Ministry of Health hospital. She was also appointed as a medical consultant during the production phase of the pressure chambers intended for use in eight hyperbaric oxygen treatment centers established in state hospitals under the Ministry of Health. Additionally, she has served as a medical consultant for the world championship competitions in both indoor and outdoor freediving, organized by CMAS. For many years, she has been actively involved in inspecting hyperbaric oxygen treatment centers located in both hospitals affiliated with the Ministry of Health and private clinics. She continues her research and studies in Underwater and Hyperbaric Medicine, disseminating her findings across a wide range of platforms and disciplines. She has authored numerous publications on diving and hyperbaric medicine in ophthalmology, dentistry, diving health, plastic surgery, ear, nose, and throat, and chronic wound care. She has been lecturing and training residents in the department. Three physicians have graduated with a thesis under her guidance in this field.  Furthermore, she has published numerous studies on injuries caused by marine animals. She continues her academic career at the University of Health Sciences, Hamidiye International Faculty of Medicine, and Kartal Dr. Lütfi Kırdar City Hospital, where she is an Associate Professor.