Edith Whetnall lecture and paediatric otology

Dr. Michal Luntz, MD, is an Otologist, the director of the Ear and Hearing Center at A.R.M Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Assuta MC, Tel Aviv. Her clinical practice and research focus on middle ear diseases, middle ear aeration, cochlear implantation, and hearing restoration solutions. She is one of the first (2001) cochlear implant surgeons who insisted on the importance of bimodal hearing and is responsible for establishing the Israeli criteria for cochlear implantation in adults, allowing many individuals with moderate to profound hearing loss to be implanted early enough.

Michal graduated from Sackler School of Medicine (Tel Aviv University) and had her residency at Sapir MC (Tel Aviv University). At Sapir, she conducted research in Jacob Sage’s laboratory, focusing on basic research in histology, and the aeration function of the middle ear and Eustachian tube. After her residency, she divided her position between the Department of Otolaryngology at Sheba MC and the Biomedical Engineering department at Tel Aviv University. She then took a two-year fellowship in Otology, mentored by Tom Balkany and Fred Telischi at the University of Miami’s Ear Institute.

In 1997 she was appointed to chair the ENT department at Bnai Zion MC (Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology). Between 2008-2019 she served as the Head of the ENT Department, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion. In 2018, after over 20 years of service as the chair of ENT at Bnai Zion, she established the Ear and Hearing Center as part of A.R.M. Otolaryngology, in Assuta MC, Tel Aviv. Michal Luntz is an editorial board member in the Acta Otolaryngology, Laryngoscope, and Otology & Neurotology. Recently, she was appointed as the president of the Israeli Society of Auditory research.

Owen Judd is Consultant ENT Surgeon and Associate Medical Director at the Royal Derby Hospital.   He qualified from the University of Nottingham in 1998 and initially trained as a Physician and Paediatrician, and ultimately went on to train as an ENT Surgeon. 

His special interests are Neurotology, Laryngology and Total Endoscopic Ear Surgery.  He runs a regional balance clinic seeing complex balance patients, and those with facial pain, migraine and facial paralysis.  He performs total endoscopic ear surgery for all his otology work including ossiculoplasty and stapes surgery.  He uses the Laser extensively, combined with the endoscopic approach for minimally invasive cholesteatoma work and laser tympanoplasty.  He is faculty on a number of national courses for Balance, Voice and Endoscopic Ear Surgery and set up and runs the UK’s only course solely for trainees, in endoscopic ear surgery.

His research interests include vestibular migraine, balance problems, voice disorders and medical education. He has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers and two text books to date.  He holds a number of academic positions with both the University of Nottingham and abroad, and is Clinical Sub-Dean for the University of Nottingham School of Medicine.

Peter Rea is consultant Adult and Paediatric ENT Surgeon at The Leicester Royal Infirmary, Honorary Professor of Balance Medicine at De Monforte University, and Honorary Professor to the Departments of Neuroscience and Informatics at the University of Leicester. He is currently President of The British Society of Otology, and was Chairman of The British Society of Neuro-otology from 2013-2019.

His clinical interests include middle and inner ear surgery, and vestibular medicine. The Leicester Balance Centre he works at handles some 7,000 appointments per year for patients with balance disorders.

Current research interests include the higher cortical processing of balance, the use of artificial intelligence for balance diagnostics, and the development of novel tools to aid the diagnosis of balance disorders.

Philip Clamp is a Consultant in ENT and Skull
Base Surgery at University Hospitals Bristol and
Weston. He specialises in adult and paediatric
otology, neurotology, balance disorders,
hearing implants and lateral skull base surgery.
He is a council member of the Royal Society of
Medicine section of Otology, serving as
Honorary Secretary for the 2020-2021
academic season. He has twice served on the
council of the British Society of Otology.
Mr Clamp has an interest in medical education
and clinical research. He holds an honorary
appointment with the University of Bristol.
Current research interests include the
epidemiology of paediatric cholesteatoma and
managing balance disorders associated with
vestibular schwannomas.