Keynote Speakers

Dinesh Chhetri

Speech therapy: indications, techniques and their rationale form STL and surgeon perspective
Keynote Lecture Voice/Phoniatrics - Thursday 11:00 – 11:30

Dr. Dinesh Chhetri is a Professor of Head and Neck Surgery and a Laryngologist at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He serves as Vice-Chair of the UCLA Department of Head and Neck Surgery and directs the UCLA Swallowing Disorders Program, the Head and Neck Cancer Survivorship Program, and the Laryngology Fellowship.
An accomplished academic laryngologist and head and neck surgeon, Dr. Chhetri has authored over 140 publications focused on voice and swallowing disorders, with a primary research interest in the neuromuscular control of the larynx. He is a Fellow of the American Laryngological Association (ALA), the American College of Surgeons, and the American Head and Neck Society. A past President and current Council Member of the ALA, he also serves as Associate Editor for Laryngology at The Laryngoscope.
Beyond his academic and clinical contributions, Dr. Chhetri is dedicated to global surgical education and has led numerous international medical missions to train surgeons worldwide.

Paula Aragon

Evaluation and treatment of swallowing in children
Keynote Lecture Swallowing - Thursday 11:00 – 11:30

Graduated in Medicine from the University of Zaragoza (2012).
Enrolled in the Doctorate Program in Medicine focusing on Pediatric Dysphagia in Spinal Muscular Atrophy at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid.
Specialist in Otorhinolaryngology with training at La Paz University Hospital (2013-2017).
Interim Head of the Pediatric Section of the Department at La Paz University Hospital.
Head of the Multidisciplinary Pediatric Dysphagia Clinic since 2021.
Member of the Pediatric Aerodigestive Pathology Committee. Member of the Multidisciplinary Pediatric Thyroid Cancer Unit. Member of the Pediatric Dysphagia Working Group (Infant Nutrition Commission).
Co-Director of the University Expert Program in Pediatric ENT (University of Barcelona).
 

Gauthier Desuter

Timeliness of interventions for UVFP: new developments
Keynote Lecture Voice - Thursday 14:30 – 15:00

Dr G. Desuter completed his Medical Degree and his Master in ENT- Head & Neck Surgery at the Louvain University, Belgium. He obtained a Master of Science degree in Health Care Management from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA, and a medical PhD degree from Leiden University, The Netherlands. He directed the Voice & Swallowing center of the St-Luke University hospital in Brussels, Belgium, and teaches, as professor of surgery and speech therapy at Louvain University up to August 2022. He is now working as a head of clinics and invited professor at the Antwerp University Hospital of the University of Antwerp. Finally, Dr Desuter is vice president of the European Laryngological Society. He is the author of numerous articles and books chapters on laryngology.



 

Nick Gibbins

Voice and the musculoskeletal system
Keynote Lecture General - Thursday 14:30 – 15:00

Mr Nicholas Gibbins is a Laryngologist based in Lewisham, South London. He trained in the UK and Australia and was awarded an MD for his research on tongue cancer. He is clinical director for the voice centre in Lewisham and has a 3-decade long track record of research, writing and teaching.
He is Secretary and President-Elect of the British Laryngological Association. He has lectured nationally and internationally on his specialist subjects: vocal fold scars, care of the professional voice, and muscle tension patterns and biomechanics of the voice. He has the only practice in the world that deals in distal musculoskeletal issues effecting the voice and swallow. He leads a multi-disciplinary team that covers all aspects of vocal care.
He has published journal articles, invited articles and text book chapters. He is the current Editor for the Larynx Chapter of Grays Anatomy (43rd Ed) and Grays Surgical Anatomy.  
 

Rehab Awad

Voice and the musculoskeletal system
Keynote Lecture General - Thursday 14:30 – 15:00

Dr. Rehab Awad Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist University Hospital Lewisham, London, UK, Associate Professor of Phoniatrics Sciences Cairo University, Egypt: MBBCh, MSc, MD, PG Dip (Voice Disorders). Rehab has been leading the voice services for both adults and children in the Speech and Language Therapy Department and providing voice therapy input in the Multidisciplinary voice clinic, being the main therapist providing pre- & post-operative voice rehabilitation for patients who undergo phonosurgery. She has also been leading the Parallel Voice Clinic at UHL since 2011. She is also an Associate Professor of Phoniatrics Sciences at Kasr Alaini Hospital, Cairo University since 2017.
Rehab has a long experience in managing voice disorders in both adults and children, providing a holistic approach to improving voice quality and ensuring the multidisciplinary approach to addressing voice problems. She has special interest working with professional voice users (singers, actors, performers) with special interest in using treatment naso-endoscopy.
She has special interest in research and has published a few research articles in national and international journals and has been a speaker in many national and international conferences.

Anna Rzepakowska

Impaired vocal fold mobility diagnostic steps, timely treatment
Keynote Lecture National - Thursday 14:30 – 15:00

Otorhinolaryngologist, audiologist and phoniatrics with 20 years of experience in diagnostic and surgical practice of head and neck pathology, in particular of the larynx and salivary glands. Committed researcher at the leading Polish medical school, the Medical University of Warsaw. Experienced in managing scientific projects and supervising the development of young scientists in the student scientific research group.
Areas of expertise:
- Larynx, throat, salivary gland and neck surgery
- Upper respiratory tract endoscopy
- Ultrasonography of superficial organs of the neck
- Voice rehabilitation
- Functional endoscopic swallowing assessment
 

Cesare Piazza

Summary Cancer Symposium
Keynote Lecture Voice - Friday 11:00 – 11:30

The use of free flaps in laryngeal cancer and their functional outcome
Keynote Lecture Swallowing - Friday 14:30 – 15:00

Cesare Piazza, MD, born in Cremona in 1971, is Full Professor and Chief of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery of the University of Brescia, School of Medicine since 2020. He received his MD degree at the University of Pavia, Italy in 1996 and completed his Residency Program in Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery in Brescia in 2001. He became Assistant Professor in 2007 and Associate Professor – Chief of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Maxillofacial, and Thyroid Surgery of the National Cancer Institute, University of Milan, Italy in 2017. His clinical and research activities are focused on head and neck oncology, with special emphasis to laryngo-hypopharyngeal, tracheal, oral, thyroid, parotid, sarcoma, laser, and reconstructive microsurgery.
Prof. Piazza is an active member of the European Laryngological Society since 2000, part of its Scientific Council since September 2010, and Past President since June 2023. He authored or co-authored 312 papers in peer-reviewed journals as well as 82 book chapters. He delivered over 1100 proffered papers and invited lectures in national and international Congresses and Courses. He serves as Editor of the Current Opinion in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery journal for the Head and Neck Oncology issue since 2010 and is Member of its Editorial Board since 2013. He is Editor in Chief of the Acta Otorhinolaryngologica Italica journal since January 2023.
His surgical activity has been always mainly devoted to head and neck cancer treatment, with nearly 8000 surgical procedures performed in this field (of whom 1400 free flaps).

Ashley O’Rourke

How to use high resolution manometry in clinical practice
Keynote Lecture Swallowing - Friday 11:00 – 11:30

Ashli O’Rourke, M.S., M.D., is a Professor and Director of Laryngology at the Evelyn Trammell Institute for Voice and Swallowing at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. Dr. O’Rourke began her professional career as a speech-language pathologist, earning her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from Florida State University. After more than seven years of clinical speech therapy practice at Emory University Hospital, she attended medical school at the Medical College of Georgia. She completed her residency in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and her fellowship in Laryngology – Voice and Swallowing disorders at the Medical College of Georgia.
In her clinical practice, Dr. O’Rourke manages adult patients presenting with pathologies of the larynx, airway, and esophagus, including dysphonia, dysphagia, and airway stenosis. She has a particular interest in the diagnosis and management of swallowing disorders and laryngopharyngeal reflux disease.
Dr. O’Rourke has made significant contributions to the scientific literature, including pioneering studies on the application of High-Resolution Pharyngeal Manometry (HRPM) in the diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia. Renowned for her expertise, she is a sought-after speaker at national and international conferences, where she shares insights on HRPM and advances in dysphagia management.
Dr. O'Rourke is board certified through the American Board of Otolaryngology and serves on the Board’s Exam Council. She is Treasurer and on the Executive Council of the Board of Directors for the Dysphagia Research Society and holds the Mark & Evelyn Trammell Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology.

Kishore Sandu

Airway stenting: A double edged sword
Keynote Lecture Airway - Friday 11:00 – 11:30

Kishore SANDU heads the Airway Sector - a quaternary care center of excellence in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head Neck Surgery, Lausanne University Hospital CHUV, Switzerland.
He is a teaching staff at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Lausanne, and the Ecole Politechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Awarded the Privat Docent from the University of Lausanne, he has been invited to more than 200 international conferences, as an expert speaker on compromised and critical airway in neonates, children, and adults.
He performs outreach airway surgeries in 16 countries in Asia, Africa, South America and Europe. He collaborates closely with the Terres des Hommes Organization that works actively for children from the sub-Saharan countries and who suffer from laryngotracheal stenosis and caustic pharyngo-esophageal stenosis.
Dr Sandu is a member of the working group of the Swiss association of Head & Neck surgeons, the Swiss Pediatric ENT working group and the scientific council of the European Laryngological Society (ELS). He has received research grants from the Swiss National Foundation and his current research activity includes development of bio-stents for tracheomalacia and bio-engineered tracheal graft.

Alberto Paderno

AI in laryngology
Keynote Lecture Translated - Friday 11:00 – 11:30

Alberto Paderno is an otolaryngologist with expertise in head and neck oncology, minimally invasive surgery, reconstructive surgery, and artificial intelligence in medicine. After earning his medical degree and completing a residency in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Brescia, he undertook further training as a visiting scholar at Stanford University, where he focused on integrating AI and advanced imaging techniques into cancer diagnostics and treatment. He also completed a PhD in Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, specializing in the application of AI to improve personalized treatment strategies for head and neck cancers.
Dr. Paderno’s clinical practice includes advanced surgical methods such as transoral laser microsurgery and the use of endoscopic imaging techniques to enhance the precision of cancer diagnosis and treatment. His research has contributed to the development of non-invasive biomarkers for early detection of oral cancers and the integration of AI-driven assessment tools for laryngeal pathologies.
In addition to his clinical and research activities, Dr. Paderno is an assistant professor at Humanitas University, where he mentors medical students/residents and collaborates with the AI Center. He also actively contributes to international scientific organizations and has been involved in numerous multicenter clinical trials and educational events. Through his work, Dr. Paderno aims to combine cutting-edge research with clinical expertise to advance the care of patients with head and neck cancers.

Clark Rosen

Development and Validation of EMG-guided Laryngeal Neurotoxin Injection: Hands-On Demonstration
Keynote Lecture Training Devices - Friday 14:30 – 15:00

Clark Rosen, MD is a Co-Director of the UCSF Voice and Swallowing Center, Chief of the Division of Laryngology, Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and the Lewis F Morrison MD Endowed chair of Laryngology
Dr. Rosen originated the outstanding Fellowship in Laryngology and Care of the Professional Voice at the University of Pittsburgh in 2002 and trained over 20 fellows in Laryngology and numerous visiting Otolaryngologists until 2018. He is now the director of the Laryngology fellowship at the UCSF Voice and Swallowing Center.
Dr. Rosen has had amazing productivity as a clinician scientist. He has authored over 300 peer reviewed publications, 39 book chapters, 9 books including being the co-editor for Bailey’s Head and Neck Surgery-Otolaryngology which is one of two main textbooks in our field. Dr. Rosen also authored (with Blake Simpson MD) a key operative atlas, Operative Techniques in Laryngology (1st and 2nd edition) which has international reach and has been translated into to Mandarin and Spanish.
Dr. Rosen has been a co-Investigator on numerous NIH grants as well as grants from the Triological Society, the VA, and private industry.
Dr. Rosen has been a sought-after speaker internationally and has had major service to multiple publications and professional societies. He is a founding member of the Fall Voice Conference, was the Vice Chair of the Annual Meeting Program Committee for the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAOHNS) and has served as the Treasurer and President of the American Laryngological Association (ALA).

Susanne Wiegand

Immune checkpoint: a new strategy for organ preservation: what a surgeon should know
Keynote Lecture Cancer - Friday 14:30 – 15:00

Marc Remacle

Idiopathic subglottic stenosis: change of therapeutic paradigms?
Keynote Lecture Translated - Friday 14:30 – 15:00

Marc Remacle, M.D., Ph.D., is an Emeritus Academic Professor of Otorhinolaryngology at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL). He obtained his medical degree in 1978 and specialized in ENT and cervico-facial surgery at St. Luc University Hospital, Brussels, and the University Hospital in Lille, France. In 1992, he earned his Ph.D. with a thesis on Injectable Collagen in Vocal and Laryngeal Insufficiency.
Professor Remacle has played a significant role in academic and clinical training, serving as President of the Commission for the Master’s Degree in Logopedics and Director of the training program in speech and hearing rehabilitation. He has held multiple leadership positions, including Vice President of the NOPS academic department and Associated Head of the ENT Department at UCL.
His contributions to research include the supervision of numerous Master’s and Doctoral theses on voice, speech pathology, and surgical treatments for laryngeal conditions. As an external examiner and jury member, he has contributed to doctoral evaluations at institutions in France, Malaysia, and Egypt. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of Belgrade.
Beyond academia, Professor Remacle has been actively involved in clinical practice as a consultant for voice and speech pathology in Brussels, Charleroi, and Luxembourg. His extensive experience in phoniatrics, laryngeal surgery, and rehabilitation continues to shape advancements in the field.

Snehal G. Patel

Dr. Snehal G. Patel is an Attending Surgeon in the Head and Neck Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Professor of Otolaryngology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York.

He is an internationally renowned expert in the multidisciplinary treatment of complex tumors of the head and neck area and is especially interested in minimally invasive image-guided treatment approaches.

Dr. Patel has a special interest in developing new technology and approaches for the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer. The overall goal of his research is to improve outcomes of treatment, patient satisfaction and post-therapy quality of life. His multi-pronged research program includes development of new technology for in vivo imaging and minimally invasive treatment of tumors, evaluation of patient expectations and development of novel patient education techniques, development of statistical methods for predicting individualized outcomes, and assessment of quality of care, post-therapy patient satisfaction and quality of life. He holds several US patents for novel technology and methods for imaging and surgical applications of his research efforts. His research has been funded by competitive peer-reviewed intra and extramural grants. He is a member of several national and international societies and scientific committees, and is the Co-Chair of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Head and Neck Staging Task Force for developing the 9th version of the staging system for head and neck cancers. His clinical research has resulted in over 400 peer-reviewed scientific publications in addition to numerous book chapters and three textbooks on head and neck cancer.