Report by: Mehmet İlhan Şahin, MD, Faculty at Department of Otolaryngology, Erciyes University School of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey
The first International Congress of the Mirko Tos Ear & Hearing Research Centre and 4th International Congress of Istanbul Audiology was held in Edirne, Turkey, 15-17 January 2020. The scientific programme included the topics on clinical, experimental and translational research as well as innovative approaches in otology, neuro-otology, and audiology fields.
First day of the congress started with the courses on ethical, statistical and technical issues in animal experiments. The lecturers shared their experiences regarding the physiology and imaging of cochlea, genetic / epigenetic, therapeutic, and electrophysiological studies on hearing loss afterwards. The processes and the tricks of patenting and commercialising of the inventions were also discussed. The attendees were able to join the courses on the fundamental audiometric assessments, approaches to the hearing-impaired children, evaluation of the language and speech, and application of hearing aids, taking place in another hall in parallel. At the end of the first day, the Mirko Tos Ear and Hearing Research Centre was opened in Trakya University formally and visited by the attendees.
Second day started with the formal opening ceremony of the congress and a mini concert. Since the congress was dedicated to the name of Mirko Tos, President of the meeting and the Chair of the centre, Professor Cem Uzun and the speakers from several countries gave talks on the studies that they have made and their memories with Professor Tos. Innovations, controversial topics, and the prospects of auditory implants and vestibular pathologies were the topics of the following panels.
Third day started with the lecture of Professor Ahmet Ataş from Istanbul University, the co-president of the meeting. He gave a talk on the hearing-screening program in Turkey. Innovations in the treatment of cholesteatoma, the technology of hearing aids, the treatment of tinnitus, paediatric otology and audiology were the topics of the following lectures. The speakers from Balkan countries discussed the newborn hearing screening programmes and hearing aid applications in their countries in a panel at the end of the day.
The Opening Ceremony and 1st International Congress of the Mirko Tos Ear and Hearing Research Centre and the 4th International Congress of Istanbul Audiology, will take place in Trakya University, Edirne, on 15-17 January 2020.
Professor Mirko Tos, one of the best otorhinolaryngologists in the world, passed away on 16 January 2018, in Denmark, at the age of 87. His books are the leading textbooks used to teach otologic surgery. He published nearly 700 articles and was a very productive otolaryngologist at the peak of his career. Besides having many invitations from several countries, he also visited Trakya University and Edirne several times and gave important lectures here. He was the mentor of many otolaryngologists not only from Denmark but also from Turkey, Balkans and all world. That is the reason why we dedicated our International Ear and Hearing Research Centre in loving memory of Mirko Tos.
The 4th International Congress of Istanbul Audiology will be hosted at the at the same time of the centre’s opening and inaugural congress. Since audiology is a multidisciplinary field, it works in many areas such as otolaryngology, engineering, radiology, psychiatry, special education. Creation of a multi-centred culture and stimulation of research for the development of high technology in otology and audiology are the main axis of the congress. Thus, the main theme of the joint congress is ‘innovative approach in ear and hearing research’.
Led by congress Presidents, Cem Uzun and Ahmet Ataş, the congress will discuss the latest scientific developments in the field of audiology, otology, otoneurology, hearing physiology, animal experiments, electrophysiology and auditory rehabilitation will be discussed with the contributions of many competent speakers. Hearing physiology, scientific / ethical applications in animal experiments, electrophysiology, screening programs, auditory rehabilitation and engineering applications (speech signal processing, diagnostic equipment, artificial intelligence, machine learning) will also be discussed as main topics.
