Virtual Congress: "HEAR·T Initiative: Pioneering the Future of Hearing Healthcare" World Hearing Day 2024

Maura Cosetti, M.D.

Maura Cosetti is a Board Certified Otolaryngologist with additional qualification and board certification in Neurotology. She is an Associate Professor of Otolaryngology -Head and Neck Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine and the fellowship director of the Neurotology Fellowship program. She currently serves as Director of the Ear Institute at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary (NYEE) of Mount Sinai, leading a highly specialized and comprehensive multidisciplinary team of professionals focused on ear and balance disorders, which includes the Cochlear Implant Program. She has authored over 100 articles and text book chapters and presented at various national and international specialty meetings. Her clinical interests and expertise include all areas of hearing and balance across the lifespan, and include cochlear implantation, vestibular disorders, endoscopic ear surgery, skull base surgery, facial nerve disorders, chronic ear disease, otosclerosis, and sensory integration for balance. She has experience leading federally funded research projects as Principal Investigator and she also leads a number of manufacturer initiated research studies on novel implantable auditory devices.

Michal Luntz, M.D.

Dr. Michal Luntz is a physician-scientist and surgeon specializing in Otology and implantable hearing solutions, and a passionate advocate for hearing health. Dr. Luntz is deaf and uses cochlear implants to hear. She experienced gradual hearing loss, using hearing aids for a decade before moving to cochlear implants. In 2024 she will mark her 20th year as a CI user. With over 40 years of experience in patient-centered hearing care, ear and cochlear implantation surgery, post-market surveillance, and bionics, her unique perspective enables her to create innovative solutions for those living with hearing loss. She serves as the president of the Israel Society for Auditory Research and sits on the board of Bekol, Israel's organization for hard-of-hearing individuals. She is also a member of the Global Cochlear Implant Living Guidelines Task Force, a founding member of CIICA, and a co-founder of Humelan. This tech-enabled platform is dedicated to empowering individuals with hearing loss to achieve their full hearing and communication potential.

Regina Presley, Au.D., FAAA, CCC/A

Dr. Presley has served as an audiologist for 30 years within a pediatric hospital, private ENT practice, and for the last 22 years, in the field of cochlear implantation. She is currently the Director of Audiology at the Presbyterian Board of Governors Cochlear Implant Center of Excellence at GBMC. Her role consists of in-person and remote patient care to pediatrics and adults, outreach, patient and professional education, research, and further development of the multidisciplinary program.  Research includes quality of life, hybrid technology, use of artificial intelligence in the clinical space, and the development of a new standard care clinical model.  Dr. Presley is a contributing member of the CI Living Taskforce, the Hearing Health Collaborative, and the MSTB-3.

Eliana Cristofari M.D. PhD

Since her university studies, Eliana has been fascinated by otology and auditory neurophysiology. She is the Director of the Audiovestibology Department and Cochlear Implant Center at Varese Hospital, where a team of thirty professionals manages deafness from diagnosis to rehabilitation with a holistic view of patients and their families.

With three female surgeons, she manages mainly Cochlear implant surgeries both in small babies and in adults. In July 2022, she and her team performed the first Robot assisted cochlear implant surgery in Italy.

As the Scientific Director of the Varese Audiological Foundation she promotes research and the international exchange of experiences by welcoming young students from across Italy and abroad to the Cochlear Implant Center.

Hearing loss is a global challenge and she is convinced that we can change a disability into an opportunity by working together.

Tom Pritsky

Tom is a Stanford graduate student currently completing his master's in biomedical informatics. Due to a bilateral hearing loss, he's particularly interested in hearing research, with the hope of achieving communication parity for the Deaf/HOH one day. With his company TranscribeGlass, he believes such a future may be within our grasp. He's worked to improve Deaf/HOH outcomes from multiple angles, including conducting academic research in hearing regeneration, founding Stanford's first club for the Deaf/HOH, and performing volunteer/advocacy work for hearing loss.

Jodi Michelle Cutler

Producer, Co-author RALLY CAPS

From the moment she received her son Jordan’s Deafness diagnosis, Jodi dedicated herself to finding the most suitable tools for improving quality of life for such disabilities, rising to a high level of professionalism as a consultant and advocate for inclusion rights through various international initiatives. Since RALLY CAPS, among her many professional accomplishments, Jodi has published 4 books both in English and Italian. She is also a founding member of the Global Coalition of Parents of Children who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (GPODHH), the creator of Affrontiamo la Sordità Insieme: Forum Impianto Cocleare (15k members), and a Board Member of the Joyful Life Cochlear Implant Fund (JCLIF).

Gil Kaminski, MBA

Gil Kaminski is a product management and clinical operations leader, with over 15 years of experience in healthcare Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI/ML). She is the co-founder of Humelan, a Public Benefit Corporation committed to helping individuals navigate the complexities of hearing health and wellness. Through its person-centered approach, community support, and an AI companion app, Humelan provides a comprehensive solution to those experiencing hearing loss.

Her career is rooted in technology R&D and clinical operations, having contributed to various healthcare and medtech organizations including Laguna Health, DaVita Kidney Care, WideMed Ltd, and the Israel Defense Force (IDF)’s Naval Medical Institute. Gil holds an MBA from the Wharton School and a BS in Biomedical Engineering from the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.