Mission
Our mission at Helsinki Laryngology Courses is to provide exceptional educational opportunities for medical professionals specializing in Laryngology and Phoniatrics. Through our Winter and Summer courses, we aim to promote in-depth understanding and advancement in the field. By offering a comprehensive curriculum and fostering a collaborative learning environment, we strive to cultivate expertise and excellence in Laryngology, phoniatrics and Phonosurgery.
Our Speakers
Speakers below are the ones with a passion for advancing knowledge and skills in the field of Laryngology. Meet some of the speakers below.
Ahmed Geneid
Prof. Ahmed Geneid is adjunct professor, laryngologist and phoniatrician. He is a head of department in Helsinki University Hospital of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. Prof. Geneid is serving as president and founding member of Finnish Laryngological Society and president of Union of the European Phoniatricians in addition to being vice-president and founding member of the International Association of TransVoice Surgeons.
• He leads a multidisciplinary team specifically focused on dealing with voice and swallowing patients in Helsinki University Hospital, Finland. Prof. Geneid authored over 60 peer-reviewed international articles and chapters of textbooks. In addition, he teaches regularly on different laryngology and phonosurgery topics. Prof. Geneid is merited as Finland’s ENT doctor of the year 2020 by Finnish association of Otorhinolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery. He also received different awards as best presenter for two times by Finnish association of Otorhinolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery. One of his articles received Journal of Voice Best Paper Award in 2013
Yakubu Karagama
Mr Yakubu Karagama MBBS, DLO, MSc, FRCS (ORL-HN). Consultant Ear, Nose and Throat and Laryngologist at Guy’s and St Thomas Hospital, London. He leads the multidisciplinary specialist voice clinic at Guy’s and St Thomas Hospital, London. He is the Founder and Course Director for London and Manchester Phonosurgery course. He is keen in voice research and has obtained an MSc in Advance Voice Research at the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 2005. He has presented his research and won prizes at National and international conferences, including North of England Otolaryngological Society meeting, Royal Society of Medicine, British Association Conference of Otolaryngologist (BACO). He has authored and co-authored over 27 publications. He is an Honorary Senior Lecturer at both University of Manchester and Edge Hill University. He was the first the Secretary of the British Laryngological Association and an Honorary Fellow at the Royal Northern College of Music Manchester.
Ton Langeveld
Ton Langeveld (1962, MD PhD) is head and neck surgeon / laryngologist at the Leiden University Medical Center (The Netherlands) since 1997. In 2001 he finished his thesis on Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia. He published several papers on topics related to head and neck cancer (prognostication and HPV) and laryngology (AdSD – btx-treatment and bilateral endoscopic TA-myoneurectomy and lasersurgery in early laryngeal carcinoma). But above all he is dedicated to his patients. When there is time left, he can be found in his motorcycle museum amongst his English and Italian classic bikes
Markus Hess
Markus Hess, MD, is a dedicated otolaryngologist and phoniatrician, subspecializing in laryngology, phonosurgery, and professional voice use.
Teemu Kinnari
Dr. Kinnari is a founding member and former president of the Finnish Society for Laryngology. His experience in laryngeal surgery includes over 10 years of office-based procedures. His main research interests are laryngology, phonosurgery, biofilm related infections and implant materials.
Antti Kinnunen
Antti Kinnunen has been a specialist in specialist in clinical neurophysiology since 2016. His main interest is in laryngeal neurophysiology, partially attributed to being Amateur singer (male & mixed voice choirs).
Currently he is also PhD student (Artificial intelligence & neurophysiological tools in early dementia diagnostics).
Every second week he is the main clinical neurophysiologist in diagnostics and treatment of patients with laryngeal dystonia, pareesis and paralysis of the vocal folds.
Elisabeth Sjögren
Although she works as an all-round laryngologist and Head and Neck surgeon her clinical and scientific focus is on endoscopic treatment of early and intermediate stage laryngeal cancer as well as reconstructive surgery for glottic closure defects. She has authored and co-authored many scientific papers both on benign and malignant laryngeal disease and is the director of several Ph.D. projects. Her aspiration is to expand the boundaries of the field of laryngology in Europe and to make the full scope of the discipline more accessible to young colleagues. She is the past General Secretary of the European Laryngological Society and the Confederation of European ORL-HNS and is currently involved in many of the teaching and training projects of these organisation.
Chadwan Al Yaghchi
Mr Chadwan Al Yaghchi is a consultant laryngologist at the National Centre for Airway Reconstruction, Imperial College Healthcare, London. He manages the full spectrum of laryngeal disorders with specialist interest in airway stenosis and complex dysphagia. He completed his higher surgical training in Ear Nose and Throat in the London North Thames regional rotation and laryngology training at Charing Cross Hospital.
Mr Al Yaghchi holds a PhD in Molecular Oncology from Queen Mary’s University of London studying oncolytic viruses in head and neck cancers. In addition, he has an active clinical research program in voice, airway and swallowing disorders. He published multiple book chapters, 30 peer-reviewed articles and is currently the Laryngology Section editor of Scott-Brown’s Otolaryngology textbook.
Mr Al Yaghchi is an internationally renowned specialist in gender-affirming voice surgery. He introduced a number of voice feminisation procedures to the UK including his own modification to the Wendler Glottoplasty technique and Vocal Fold Muscle Reduction. He is a founding member of the International Association of TransVoice Surgeons.
Mr Al Yaghchi is a founding member of the British Laryngological Association and the honorary treasurer. He is a board member of the UK Swallowing Research Group and former Vice president of the Royal Society of Medicine, Section of Laryngology and Rhinology.
Kirsten Meenan
Dr. Meenan is a laryngologist at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. She completed her fellowship in laryngology at the University of California, Los Angeles.
She serves on the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery/Foundation Airway and Swallowing Committee. Dr. Meenan is particularly interested in the diagnosis and treatment of spasmodic dysphonia and airway stenosis, for both of which she specializes in open transcervical surgery (denervation-reinnervation and open airway resections, respectively).
Kaarina Ruusuvirta
Kaarina Ruusuvirta is SLP who specialized over 20 years ago in voice problems. She works as part of the multidisciplinary team of the Phoniatrics Clinic of Helsinki University ENT hospital. Kaarina has been dealing with patients suffering from a diverse variety of voice and swallowing problems. Her patients with voice problem include those suffering from laryngeal dystonia as well non-organic voice problems.
Dinesh K. Chhetri
.Dr. Dinesh Chhetri is Professor of Head and Neck Surgery and a Laryngologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA. Dr. Chhetri currently serves as Vice-Chair of the UCLA Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Director of the UCLA Swallowing Disorders Program, the Head and Neck Cancer Survivorship Program, and Laryngology Fellowship. Dr. Chhetri is an academic Laryngologist / Head and Neck Surgeon and has authored over 140 publications related to voice, swallowing disorders, and head and neck oncology. He is a Fellow of the American Laryngological Association, American College of Surgeons and the American Head and Neck Society. His main research focus is neuromuscular control of the larynx. He is past-President and council member of the American Laryngological Association, and also serves as Associate Editor for Laryngology for the journal Laryngoscope. He is passionate about training surgeons throughout the world and has led many international medical missions.
Maja Rogić Vidaković
Maja Rogić Vidaković, Ph.D. is a Research Associate, neuroscientist, and speech and language pathologist. She is a Head of the Laboratory for Human and Experimental Neurophysiology at the Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine in Split, Croatia. She is the author of close to 50 peer-reviewed international articles and book chapters. Her research interests include the neurophysiology of voice generation, motor, speech, and language functions, and higher cognitive functions in neurological, neurosurgical and laryngological settings. The methodologies used in her research work mostly include e-field navigated TMS and electrical stimulation and other neurophysiological and neuroimaging techniques. Dr. Rogić Vidaković serves as a member of the Reviewer Board of the Diagnostics journal, Guest Editor of the Brain Sciences journal, Guest Associate Editor for Cognitive Neuroscience section of Frontiers in Human Neuroscience journal, and Review Editor for Speech and Language section of Frontiers in Human Neuroscience journal. She Peer review 100 reviews in 19 scientific journals. Dr. Rogić Vidaković holds two Dean’s awards, Rector’s award, and three awards for the Best Poster Award at International Symposium on Navigated Brain Stimulation in Neurosurgery & Neuromodulation, Berlin, Germany in the years 2012, 2015, and 2022.
Braco Bošković
Braco Bošković, MD is ENT specialist at the department of Otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the University Hospital Split, division of surgical oncology. His current field of work includes head and neck surgical oncology and phoniatrics, in-office laryngeal procedures, and soon-to-be trained in phono-surgery. Dr. Bošković is a member of the rehabilitation team for swallowing disorders and post-laryngectomy rehabilitation at the University Hospital Split. He is an active member of the Croatian society of Otorhinolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. Dr. Bošković is currently working on his PhD thesis on the Biology of neoplasm doctoral study program at the School of Medicine University of Split, with the PhD thesis related to neurophysiology of laryngeal dystonia. Currently, dr. Bošković is author of 5 peer-reviewed international articles.
Ivana Gunjača
Ivana Gunjača, Ph.D., is a molecular biologist and Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Split, School of Medicine, Croatia. She is the Head of the Laboratory for Biology and Human Genetics at School of Medicine. She has developed interest and expertise in the field of genetic statistics, especially in genome-wide association analysis (GWAS). The largest portion of her research has been focused on understanding and elucidation of genetic background underlying thyroid function and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. She is the author of 28 peer-reviewed international articles. As a collaborator on 3 scientific project she is involved in the analysis of phenotypic and genotypic data, conducting GWAS studies and meta-analyses. She is also involved in the biological interpretation of results from whole-genome meta-analyses, phenotypic correlations, and predictive analyses for all thyroid hormones and parathyroid glands. She has received several scholarships for excellence in work, where the scholarship for the advanced course on “Genetic Analysis of Population-based Association Studies” at the Wellcome Genome Campus in Cambridge stands out, as does the Young Investigator Award for best oral presentation at the International Symposium on Biophysical Approaches in Biomedical Studies. Dr. Gunjača serves as a member of the Guest Associate Editor for Metabolites journal and Genetics of Thyroid Gland section of Frontiers in Genetics journal.
Tiia Ojala
Tiia is a phonetician (M.Sc.) working in clinical field at Phonatrics outpatient clinic in Helsinki.
She works in voicelab doing recordings and acoustic analysis for patients diagnosed with variety of voice disorders.
Nupur Nerurkar
Dr. Nupur Kapoor Nerurkar is an ENT surgeon, who has graduated in 1994 from KEM Hospital with a first rank in the Bombay University. Since 2004, she is practicing exclusively as a Laryngologist and is currently heading the Bombay Hospital Voice & Swallowing Center. Dr. Nerurkar is also the DNB Co-ordinator of the ENT Department at Bombay Hospital and Director of the Laryngology Fellowship program. She is Course Director of the Annual Phonosurgery Workshops being conducted at Bombay hospital since the past 16 years.
Dr. Nerurkar is a past President of the Association of Phonosurgeons of India (APSI) and currently on the Governing Council of the Association. Nupur is the Chief Editor of the “Textbook of Laryngology” which is the Official Textbook of the APSI and has also authored an “Atlas of Phonomicrosurgery” in 2017.
Nupur is a fellow of the American Broncho-Esophagological Association as well as the American Laryngological Association, Founder and Board member of the International Association of TransVoice Surgeons and Executive Committee member of the International Association of Phonosurgeons.
Nupur is focused in Phonomicrosurgery, Neurolaryngology, Laser surgeries for early glottic cancer and Pitch alteration surgeries.
Emilie Dronkers
Emilie Dronkers, MD, MPH, PhD, is a laryngologist and clinical epidemiologist from the Netherlands. She was first to complete the 2 year UEMS European Laryngology Fellowship Program in 2023 in Nijmegen and Leiden, The Netherlands, and London, UK. During this international fellowship, she focused on laryngopharyngeal oncology, neurolaryngology, dysphagia management, office based procedures and reconstruction of complex airway stenosis. Emilie has a strong motivation to improve functional problems and quality of life of patients, focusing on innovative surgical procedures and the balance between voice, swallowing and breathing in a shared-decision making process. She is very passionate about creating visionary strategies and practical yet scientifically based solutions to improve patient-centered care. Emilie has authored over 25 peer-reviewed international articles and chapters of textbooks, and works closely together with many researchers in Europe and the USA on the topics of bilateral vocal fold immobility and laryngotracheal stenosis.
Tetsuji Sanuki
Prof. Tetsuji Sanuki is Associate Professor of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Japan. He spent his fellowship at the Isshiki Clinic Kyoto Voice Surgery Center with Emeritus Professor Nobuhiko Isshiki. He leads a multidisciplinary team specifically focused on dealing with voice and skull base tumor patients in Nagoya City University.
Taru Ilmarinen
Dr. Ilmarinen is the head physician of the Helsinki University Hospital ENT Emergency Department and Outpatient Clinics. She is an Adjunct Professor at Helsinki University, where she completed her PhD on Laryngeal Papillomatosis in 2013. Throughout her career, she has developed a diverse interest in research on Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis, Head and Neck Tumors, and their prognosis, as well as in the endoscopic and open surgical treatment of laryngeal carcinoma and chondrosarcoma. Currently, she serves as the president of the Finnish Society for Head and Neck Oncology and is a member of the board of the Scandinavian Society for Head and Neck Oncology.
Kate Heathcote
Kate has been a consultant laryngologist at the Poole Hospital Foundation Trust on the South Coast of England, She is known for her work on laryngeal reinnervation, which she has continued to develop, research and introduce into the UK. She has a special interest in laryngology and established the centre for Airway, Voice and Swallow at Poole Hospital. She has national and international research interests in the field of laryngology for which travels widely lecturing, teaching and mentoring international surgeons. She is on the council of the British European Laryngolgoical Association and the European Laryngology Society and as such has a depth of international colleagues to collaborate in her practice. disseminating good practice and educational content.
James P. Thomas
Guan-Min Ho
Dr. Guan-Min Ho, graduated from Medical University of Vienna, is senior consultant in otorhinolaryngology, head & neck surgery, subspecializing in laryngology and phonosugery. He was assistant professor at the National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences. His research is dedicated to treatment of glottic insufficiency and he is also the inventor of the VOIS-Implant for medialization thyroplasty, which can be adjusted both intra- and post-operatively.