The First Vertigo Congress
in Romania
with International and Multidisciplinary Participation

Membru al Societatii de Neurologie din Romania

Membru al EAN (European Academy of Neurology)

Membru fondator si reprezentant legal al Fundatiei Societatii de Neurologie din Romania

Since joining the CNRS in 1997, Christian CHABBERT has devoted most of his research activity to studying how the vestibule, within our inner ear, shapes vestibular sensory information and how this process can be disrupted in certain pathological situations. He has used in vitro approaches to identify the different mechanisms involved in the control of endolymph ionic homeostasis and neurotransmission at primary vestibular synapses. He has developed various animal models of vestibular pathologies encountered in humans. These models allowed evaluating the benefits of various compounds in the attenuation of acute vertigo caused by excitotoxic or ototoxic vestibular lesions, and in the protection of vestibular synapses. Dr. CHABBERT is considered one of the leading world experts on vestibular plasticity mechanisms. He is the author of more than 90 scientific and clinical publications and has given more than 70 communications at conferences, including 40 international ones. He has supervised 10 doctoral theses. The E-Motion research project he is leading received the IRP (International Research Project) label from the CNRS in December 2024. Since 2015, Dr. CHABBERT has been director of the GDR Vertige (Unit GDR2074 CNRS; http://gdrvertige.com), a national federating group bringing together scientists, clinicians and industrialists involved in research on balance disorders and vertigo. He is leading the IREV (Institut de Recherche Équilibre et Vertige) project. Dr CHABBERT also founded Sensorion-Pharmaceuticals and VERTIDIAG, two biotechnology companies dedicated to the development of therapeutic solutions for vestibular disorders. Sensorion went public in 2015 and had a market capitalization of €230 million at the end of 2024. In 2016, he received the grand prize of the Japanese Society for Balance Research. He was associate editor of JARO (1st journal of ear physio & patho research) from 2012 to 2015.

Didier PORTMANN Didier Portmann is ENT – carrying on a century-long tradition in his family. His great grandfather was Professor Emile Moure, one of the founders of the discipline in 1880. He also founded a specialised journal, the “Revue de Laryngologie Otologie Rhinologie” ( European Review of ENT), which is still being published. At that time, Professor Moure started to teach and organize meetings in ENT. His son-in-law (and Didier Portmann’s grandfather), Professor Georges Portmann, has described the surgery of decompression of the endolymphatic sac for Menière’s disease in 1926. Didier Portmann’s father, Professor Michel Portmann, is well-known for his interest in otology and otoneurology. Didier Portmann has followed the steps of his elders with the same passion for teaching.

Dr DIMANCEA is a neurology specialist working at the National Institute of Neurology and Cerebrovascular Diseases in Bucharest, with a keen interest in vascular and interventional neurology. He completed his residency in the Neurology Department led by Prof. Cristina Tiu at the Emergency University Hospital in Bucharest, as well as an internship in the Neurovascular Department of Prof. Pierre Amarenco and in the Interventional Neuroradiology Department of Prof. Frederic Clarencon in Paris. Recently, he completed a fellowship in Interventional Neuroradiology at the Hautepierre Hospital in Strasbourg, under the guidance of Prof. Beaujeux and Dr. Pop, allowing him to further provide interventional stroke care in Romania.

Of equal importance, Dr. DIMANCEA focuses on non-invasive imaging and interventional treatment of pulsatile tinnitus and idiopathic intracranial hypertension. He wishes to translate the experience accumulated during his internship in France into a similar „chain of care” in Romania, starting from proper diagnosis, treatment and patient follow-up. He strongly believes that an interdisciplinary approach is paramount to treating these pathologies successfully.

On the side, he writes regular updates for the European Stroke Organisation online blog.

RESIDENT OF ALGERIAN ENT SOCIETY AAPOP

Organizer of :
Congress Vertigo Day I Constantine 2018
Congress Vertigo Day II Constantine 2022
Congress Vertigo Day III Constantine 2023
Algerian-Italian Meeting Constantine 2024

Dr. Marie-Josée Fraysse is an ENT specialist in vertigo and auditory disorders.

After leading the otoneurology exploration unit at Toulouse University Hospital, she now practices in Paris, where she contributed to the creation of the Clinique de l’Oreille Paris Louvre, a specialized center dedicated to the treatment of ear-related conditions. Her involvement in this institution reflects her commitment to providing cutting-edge care in otoneurology.

Beyond her clinical work, Dr. Fraysse is deeply engaged in the associative field. She is a co-founder of AFREPA (the French Association for Research and Evaluation of Auditory Pathologies), which she presided over for 12 years. Now serving as vice president, she remains actively involved in advancing research and best practices related to tinnitus, hyperacusis, and hearing disorders. Additionally, she chairs the commission of the French National Authority for Health (HAS) responsible for establishing national guidelines for tinnitus management in France.

Dr. Hassen Kerkeni is a neurologist with a focus on vestibular and eye movement disorders. He serves as the director of the Center for Vision and Perception Disorders at the University Hospital Bern. After completing his general medical education in 2010, he earned dual degrees from the University of Sousse (Tunisia) and the Faculty of Medicine in Lausanne (Switzerland).

During his neurology training in Switzerland, Dr. Kerkeni developed a specialization in neuro-otology and neuro-ophthalmology. In 2021, he established the interprofessional clinics for gait and balance at the University Hospital of Bern.

He is also a founding member of the Swiss Association of Young Neurologists and contributes actively to the field through memberships in the scientific panel on vestibular rehabilitation within the European DIZZYNET network and the scientific panel on Neuro-Otology/Ophthalmology at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN).

His research interests focus on vestibular and neuro-ophthalmological disorders.

Michel LACOUR, PhD in Neurosciences and Master in Psychology, works at the Aix-Marseille University, France. One major characteristic of Michel Lacour’s profile is his internationally recognized expertise in both Basic Research and Clinical Investigations.

His well-known works in animal models are focused on CNS plasticity and recovery mechanisms after vestibular lesions. He proposed a conceptual model based on the re-expression of developmental mechanisms in the vestibular nuclei and related nervous structures, responsible for full recovery of the static vestibular functions. Michel was the first to demonstrate that post-lesion plasticity depended on both vestibular etiology and post-lesion sensorimotor activity. He clearly demonstrated that optimal recovery of the vestibular functions was better with active and early training. Recovery of the dynamic vestibular functions was explained by a second heuristic model based on different sensory substitution processes and different behavioral strategies elaborated by the whole brain, that differed from one patient to another (vicarious idiosyncratic mechanisms).

Michel Lacour has developed strong collaborations with ENTs and Physiotherapists to investigate posture control, gaze stability and cognitive functions in patients with unilateral and bilateral vestibular loss. His translational approach investigated the efficacy of different rehabilitation therapies applied at various time periods after symptoms onset. He highlighted the crucial role of early rehab and degree of vestibular loss in vestibular function recovery, he explained and improved existing rehabilitation programs by incorporation of new concepts (critical period: earlier is better), and he developed new paradigms and tools for rehab (dual task, dynamic subjective visual vertical, translational platform).

Michel Lacour has also strong involvement in pharmacological researches (testing of different molecules to treat vertigo and dizziness) and transfer of advanced technology, including new devices (dynamic platform: Synapsys) and new softwares (PosturoPro, Framiral) to investigate posture and balance recovery.

Michel Lacour is the author of 250 publications in international referred journals and has more than 100 Masterclasses in Europe, Russia, Asia, Middle East, North Africa, and USA. He provides his expert opinion for many international journals and scientific societies, and is unpaid consultant to several companies (pharmacology, physiotherapy).

Christophe Lopez is a neuroscientist (PhD, 2005) specializing in vestibular neuroscience. His early work focused on the mechanisms of vestibular compensation in patients with unilateral vestibular loss. In recent years, his research has centered on studying the vestibular cortex using non-invasive approaches in healthy volunteers (fMRI, EEG) as well as invasive methods in patients with epilepsy (SEEG) and in patients with strokes. Additionally, his work has contributed to a better understanding of the extent of otoneurological disorders, particularly in relation to body representations and perception of the bodily self, expanding the range of vestibular symptomatology to new dimensions.

Christophe Lopez is a Research Director at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS); head of the Multisense & Body research team at the Center for Research in Psychology and Neuroscience in Marseille, France; head of the Southern Division of the Institut Carnot Cognition; appointed member of the Educational Committee of the Bárány Society (responsible for the Vestibular Medicine curriculum); member of the Steering Committee of the French Research Network on the Physiopathology of Vertigo, and head of the national research group Cortex and Cognition; Editor for Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience.

Dr. Mirela Manea este profesor universitar de psihiatrie, având o experiență de peste 40 de ani în practica clinică. Prof. Dr. Mirela Manea este medic primar psihiatru, licențiată în psihologie, șef de secție în cadrul Spitalului de Psihiatrie “Prof. Dr. Alexandru Obregia” și șef al Disciplinei de Psihiatrie și Psihologie din cadrul Universității de Medicină și Farmacie “Carol Davila” din București. De asemenea, in anul 2022, doamna prof. dr. Mirela Manea a fost aleasă membru de onoare a Academiei de Științe Medicale din Romania ca recunoaștere a activității didactice, academice și de cercetare.

He was born in Rome on 10\12\1962.

He graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the Università Cattolica del S.Cuore in Rome in 1988.

He specialized in Otorhinolaryngology and Cervico-Facial Pathology at the University of L'Aquila degli Abruzzi in 1993.

He was "Registrar" in the ENT department of the University of Edinburgh - Scotland (UK) in the years 1995 - 1996.

From 2007 up to today he was an associate researcher at the University of Sydney (Australia) - Vestibular Research Laboratory - directed by Prof. Ian S. Curthoys; of which he was responsible for the clinical validation of research in the otoneurological field.

He was President of the Italian Association of Freelance Otolaryngologists (AIOLP).

He is one of the founding members of the Italian Association of Otolaryngology and Geriatrics (AIOG).

He was and is a professor of "Otoneurology, Vestibology and Vestibular Rehabilitation" at the Master in Posturology at the University of Pisa.

Former professor of "Otoneurology, Vestibology and Vestibular Rehabilitation" at the Master in Posturology at the University "La Sapienza" of ROME.

He was and is director, professor and head of audiology and vestibology courses organized as part of the Continuing Medical Education project of the Ministry of Health by various providers.

He is the author of numerous scientific articles and monographs in national and international peer-review journals in the otoneurology and posturology fields.

He has taken part as a speaker and chairman in numerous national and international scientific conferences including the “Barany Congress”, in 2006 in Uppsalla (Sweden), in 2008 in Kyoto (Japan), in 2010 in Reykjavik (Iceland), in 2012 Uppsalla (Sweden), in 2014 Buenos Aires (Argentina), in 2018 Uppsalla (Sweden), in 2022 Madrid (Spain) and in 2024 Uppsalla (Sweden).

Speaker at the IFOS Congress (World Congress of Federations and Societies of Otorhinolaryngology) in 2002 in Cairo Egypt and in 2005 in Rome and at the VI World Congress on Meniere’s Disease, held in Kyoto in November 2010.

He is a member of the Board of the “Prosper Meniere Society”.

He is a member of the Italian Society of Otorhinolaryngology and the Italian Society of Audiology and Phoniatrics.

He is a member of the Barany Society.

He is a member of the Italian Association of Freelance Otorhinolaryngologists (AIOLP)He is the author of over 90 publications in “Refereed International Journals”

In 2023 he was included in the list of the 2% of the best scientists in the world by Stanford University. His name appears in the “World's Top Most Influential Scientists, 2023”: a ranking of the best researchers in the world in all fields of science. The ranking is drawn up by the prestigious US university of Stanford and published last October by the Dutch publishing house Elsevier. In 2022 alone, there were 167 international citations in three scientific areas: otorhinolaryngology, neurology and internal medicine.

Otolaryngologist experienced in vestibular disorders. ENT surgeon skilled in endoscopic techniques (endoscopic sinonasal surgery, sialendoscopy), salivary glands surgery and OSA management.

Since 2019 Teacher for the Masterclass in Clinical Vestibology at “Sapienza” University of Rome, Italy

Since 2023 Teacher for master's degree course in Medicine at “Sapienza” University of Rome

Teacher in Instructional Courses on BPPV management at the 2019 AAO-HNS annual meeting and 2019 Italian Society of Otorhinolaryngology annual meeting.

Since 2020 Member of Audiology Research Editorial Board

Reviewer for international scientific journal (“Frontiers in Neurology”, “Journal of Otology”, “Current Medical Science”, “Acta Otolaryngologica”,“Audiology Research”, )

Dr. Ioana Mindruta currently serves as Assoc. Prof. in Neurology at the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Bucharest, Romania.

She’s also Head of Epilepsy Monitoring Unit at the University Hospital of Bucharest, coordinator of the National Program for Drug Resistant Epilepsy, and vicepresident of the Romanian Neurophysiology Society.

In 2010 she was trained in pre-surgical evaluation and she initiated a successful program for StereoEEG explorations in Romania.

In the last 12 years she managed to inspire the formation of an enthusiastic team of young clinicians and researchers. They are all mainly interested in correlating seizure semiology with neural networks, functional brain mapping and brain connectivity, using long term intracranial EEG and direct electrical cortical stimulation for surgical treatment of patients suffering from drug resistant epilepsy.

Lăcrămioara Perju-Dumbravă, MD, PhD is Associate Professor of neurology, doctorate coordinator within the Neurosciences Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Iuliu Hatieganu” Cluj-Napoca and physician neurologist in the First Neurology University Clinic, County Emergency Clinical Hospital Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Dr Carmen Adella Sirbu, MD, PhD, MPH, graduated from Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest in 1989 and started her career in neurology in 1994 as a resident at the National Institute of Cerebrovascular Disorders in Bucharest. She obtained her PhD in medical sciences at the same university in 2004. Dr. Sirbu is currently a senior specialist in Neurology at the Central Military Emergency University Hospital in Bucharest. She is also a professor of neurology at the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest. Dr. Sirbu holds a master's degree in public health and has a certification in neurosonology. She was a Member of the Superior Commission of The Discipline of the Medical College in Romania, a Member of the EFNS Scientist Panel for Neuro-ophthalmology and Neuro-otology, and a Member of the ENS Scientist Panel for Neuro-oncology. Her work includes over 160 peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals. She has participated in several European projects, including COST (EUROMENE and PUI), one unqualified Horizon 2020 project, and four national projects. She has an extensive portfolio of scientific articles published in journals such as Brain, Multiple Sclerosis Journal, Farmacia, PLOS ONE, and Neurology. These articles are indexed on the Web of Science and have garnered over 800 citations, resulting in an H-index of 13. Her research focuses on multiple sclerosis, stroke, neuro-oncology, and movement disorders. She has been cited as an author, co-author, or editor for 15 books and over 20 book chapters.

Educational activities:

IFOS Paris 2017 – oral presentation "Modern Vestibular Testing Tools in Diagnosing the Peripheral Vestibular Lesions "

XXX. Barany congress 2018 posters "VOG and VEMPs in Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence and Perilymphatic Fistula ",

"Vertical Component of Horizontal Nystagmus due to Impairment of Vertical Semicircular Canals "

ORL HNS congress Brussel 2019, Oral presentation "Vestibular Schwannoma and Frequency Specific Changes of VOR ", the poster „Estimated Vestibulogram“

Annual Czech Neurology Congress 2019, 2021, 2022 lectures "Acute Vertigo "

International Hungarian Congress 2019: lecture "Estimated Vestibulogram"

Barany Society Meeting 5/22, Madrid, Spain: oral presentation „Acoustically Enhanced VHIT for Near-blind and Blind Individuals”

Barany Society Meeting 8/24, Uppsala, Sweden, oral presentation „The Binocular vHIT in Health and Disease: looking beyond the well-known“, „Vestibular asymmetry: Do we interpret it correctly?“

Dizzynet 10/24, Munich, „The binocular vHIT in health and disease“

Education degree

PhD in Neurology, Charles University in Hradec Kralove, Sep 2019- Dec 2024, Thesis Title: Multifrequency testing of the vestibular system

Teaching experience:

The organizer of annual Neurootology courses, Czech Republic, Prague, CZ.

Teaching assistant at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

Postdoctoral Fellow, Neurology, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Charles University, Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

Research experience:

Head researcher in a neuroscience project supported by Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, (2021-2023): "Effect of Electric Vestibular Stimulation on Oculomotor Control During Head Movements in Healthy and Vestibular Lesions"

Internships: 

Maastricht 3/22, 1/23 – Cochleovestibular implant- fitting week

Geneve 6/22 – Cochleovestibular implant- testing week

Awards

The Kutvirt Award - The best Czech publication of the year 2023 in otorhinolaryngology for the article: Binocular video head impulse test: Normative data study. Striteska M., Chovanec M.,  Steinmetzer T., Chrobok V., Profant O., 4,  Schneider E.,  Kremlacek J., Valis M. (2023). Binocular Video Head Impulse Test: Normative Data Study. Frontiers in Neurology.doi: 10.3389/fneur.2023.1153102

Publication activities:

STŘÍTESKÁ, Maja - PROFANT, Oliver - TRNKOVÁ, Kateřina. Dehiscence horního polokruhovitého kanálku. Česká a slovenská neurologie a neurochirurgie. 2019, 82 (4), 461-463. ISSN 1210-7859. DOI 10.14735/amcsnn2019461.

Striteska, M., et al., Estimated Vestibulogram (EVEST) for Effective Vestibular Assessment. BioMed Research International, 2021. 2021: p. 8845943.

Striteska, M., Valis, M., Chrobok, V., Profant, O., Califano, L., Syba, J., Trnkova, K., Kremlacek, J., & Chovanec, M. , Head-shaking-induced nystagmus reflects dynamic vestibular compensation: A 2-year follow-up study. Frontiers in Neurology, 2022.

Striteska, M., et al., Binocular video head impulse test: Normative data study. Front Neurol, 2023. 14: p. 1153102.

Maja Striteska, Jan Kremlacek (2024). The headshake enhances oculomotor response to galvanic vestibular stimulation in healthy subjects, Clinical Neurophysiology. Doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2024.02.018, IF 4.65

Dr. Brahim Tighilet has a position as a research professor and currently is working at the Aix-Marseille University, Marseille, France. He obtained his doctorate in Neurosciences at the Aix-Marseille University in 1995, and then he carried out two postdoctoral internships, one in the College of Medicine at the University of Irvine in California (UC Irvine) and the other at the University of Davis (UC Davis) in the laboratory of Prof. Edward G. Jones. His area of expertise is in the area of vestibular compensation. For many years, he has been carrying out his research in the Sensory and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of the UMR 7260 of the CNRS. His research focuses on the pathophysiology of vestibular disorders. The main goal of his research is to improve our understanding of central neuroplasticity mechanisms that promote the recovery of the equilibrium function after vestibular damage. His well-known works in animal models are focused on CNS plasticity and the recovery mechanisms after vestibular lesions. He has maintained for several years a continuous partnership with the pharmaceutical industry in the field of neuropharmacology of vertigo.

Dr. Arthur Weisman is a senior Otolaryngology (ENT) consultant and university assistant lecturer based in Bucharest, Romania. He completed his medical studies at the ”Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest.

Dr. Weisman's ongoing commitment to education and research in the field of vestibular disorders, combined with his extensive clinical experience, makes him a valuable contributor to this upcoming vertigo congress.