Genesis: History of the International Society for Otitis Media

The International Society for Otitis Media is a natural consequence of four decades of symposia on recent advances in otitis media, whose history is described below by pioneers Charles D. Bluestone, MD, David J. Lim, MD, and Jerome O. Klein, MD.

ear anatomy

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIA ON RECENT ADVANCES IN OTITIS MEDIA:  GENESIS AND HISTORY

GENESIS:

One of the leading pioneers in the field of otitis media was the late Ben H. Senturia, MD, Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology at Washington University, and long-serving editor of the Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology, who early on critically studied, classified, organized panels of experts, and reported on otitis media. In 1970, Ben published his nomenclature and classification of middle-ear effusions in an attempt to clarify the terminology at that time.1 He then convened and moderated a symposium in 1971 of a few investigators who were then conducting research in otitis media.2 That panel consisted of David Lim, MD; Gunner Proud, MD; and Charles Bluestone, MD who presented their findings. In 1974, Ben convened another panel on middle-ear effusions at the International Congress of Otolaryngology in Venice, Italy, among whose members were David J. Lim, MD; Stuart R. Mawson, FRCS; Tauna Palva, MD; Jacob Sade, MD; Mirko Tos, MD; and Charles D. Bluestone, MD; the Proceedings were later published.3

HISTORY

Following these early deliberations and publications, Ben H. Senturia, David J. Lim, and Charles D. Bluestone organized international symposia on otitis media. The purpose of these symposia is to bring together investigators whose research and clinical interests were focused on diseases of the middle ear; these included otolaryngologists, pediatricians, infectious disease experts, immunologists, pharmacologists, epidemiologists, statisticians, public health officials, and experts from government and industry from all continents interested in relieving the burden of otitis media and its sequelae from our patients and their families. Over the years, the symposia have served as a magnet for presentations of new information and meeting of young and senior investigators to stimulate new and productive research, to review current investigations, and consider the most productive avenues for future research.

The 1st International Symposium on Recent Advances in Otitis Media was held in Columbus, Ohio in 1975; the Proceedings were published in the Annals of Otology, Rhinology, and Laryngology.4 Following this first Symposium there were nine more quadrennial ones, the last being in 2011 in New Orleans, Louisiana; Proceedings are to be published (Table 1).

TABLE 1.

International Symposia on Recent Advances in Otitis Media
1st Symposium
Program Committee:


Guest of Honor:
May 29-31, 1975, Columbus, Ohio
Ben H. Senturia, MD
Charles D. Bluestone, MD
David J. Lim, MD
Ben H. Senturia, MD
Recent Advances in Middle Ear Effusions. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1976; 85: No 2, Part 2, Suppl 25;7-296.
2nd Symposium
Program Committee: 


Guest of Honor:
May 9-11, 1979, Columbus, Ohio
Charles D. Bluestone, MD
David J. Lim, MD
Ben H. Senturia, MD
Sven Inglested, MD
Senturia BH, Bluestone CD, Lim DJ, Saunders WH, eds. Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Advances in Otitis Media with Effusion. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1980; 89, No. 3, Part 2, Suppl 68:1-302.
3rd Symposium
Program Committee:



Guest of Honor:
May 1-20, 1983, Bahia Mar, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Charles D. Bluestone, MD
Jerome O. Klein, MD
David J. Lim, MD
John D. Nelson, MD
Gunnar D. Proud, MD
Lim DJ, Bluestone CD, Klein JO, Nelson JD, eds. Proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Recent advances in otitis media with effusion. Philadelphia:  BC Decker Inc, 1984.
4th Symposium
Program Committee:



Guest of Honor:
June 1-4, 1987, Bal Harbour, Florida
David J. Lim, MD
Charles D. Bluestone, MD
Jerome O. Klein, MD
John D. Nelson, MD
David J. Lim, MD
Lim DJ, Bluestone CD, Klein JO, Nelson JD, eds.  Recent Advances in Otitis Media.  Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium.  Hamilton, Ont.: BC Decker Inc, 1987.
5th Symposium
Program Committee:




Guest of Honor:
May 20-24, 1991, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
David J. Lim, MD
Charles D. Bluestone, MD
Jerome O. Klein, MD
John D. Nelson, MD
Pearay L. Ogra, MD
Tadami Kumazawa, MD
Lim DJ, Bluestone CD, Klein JO, Nelson JD, Ogra PL. eds. Recent Advances in Otitis Media: Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium, May 20-24, 1991. Hamilton Ont., BC Decker Inc., 1993.
6th Symposium
Program Committee:




Guest of Honor:
June 4-8, 1995, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
David J. Lim, MD
Charles D. Bluestone, MD
Margaretha Casselbrant, MD, PhD
Jerome O. Klein, MD
Pearay L.Ogra, MD
Goro Mogi, MD
Lim DJ, Bluestone CD, Casselbrant ML, Klein JO, Ogra PL. Recent Advances in Otitis Media:   Proceedings of the Sixth International Symposium, June 4-8, 1995. Hamilton, Ont., BC Decker Inc., 1996.
7th Symposium
Symposium Director:
Symposium Co-Directors:
Program Chair:
Program Committee:





Guest of Honor:
Distinguished Service
June 1-5, 1999, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
David J. Lim, MD
Charles D. Bluestone, MD
Margaretha Casselbrant, MD, PhD
Lauren O. Bakaletz, MD
Thomas F. DeMaria, MD
William J. Doyle, MD
G. Scott Giebink, MD
Jerome O. Klein, MD
Pearay L. Ogra, MD
Mirko Tos, MD, DMSc
Marion P. Downs, DHS
Lim DJ, Bluestone CD, Casselbrant ML, eds.  Recent Advances in Otitis Media: Proceedings of the Seventh International Symposium, June 4-8, 1999. Hamilton, Ont., BC Decker Inc., CD-ROM, 2002.
8th Symposium
Symposium Director:
Symposium Co-Directors:

Organizing Committee:
June 3-7, 2003, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
David J. Lim, MD
Charles D. Bluestone, MD
Margaretha Casselbrant, MD, PhD
Lauren O. Bakaletz, PhD
Jian-Dong Li, MD
Jerome O. Klein, MD
Pearay L.Ogra, MD
Lim DJ, Bluestone CD, Casselbrant ML, eds.  Recent Advances in Otitis Media: Proceedings of the Ninth International Symposium, June 3-7, 2011, House Ear Institute Publication. (<otitissymposium.org>)
9th Symposium
Symposium Director:
Symposium Co-Directors:

Organizing Committee:




Program Committee:
June 3-7, 2007, St. Petersburg, Florida
David J. Lim, MD
Charles D. Bluestone, MD
Margaretha Casselbrant, MD, PhD
Lauren O. Bakaletz, PhD
Jian-Dong Li, MD
Jerome O. Klein, MD
Pearay L.Ogra, MD
Richard M. Rosenfeld, MD, MPH, Chair
Cuneyt M. Alper, MD
Lauren O. Bakaletz, PhD
Stephen J. Barenkamp, MD
Tasnee Chonmaitree, MD
Kathleen A. Daly, PhD
Joseph E. Kerschner, MD
Jian-Dong Li, MD, PhD
Stephen I. Pelton, MD
Allen C. Ryan, PhD
Lim DJ, Bluestone CD, Casselbrant ML, eds.  Recent Advances in Otitis Media: Proceedings of the Ninth International Symposium, June 3-7, 2011, House Ear Institute Publication. (<otitissymposium.org>)
10th Symposium
Symposium Director:
Symposium Co-Directors:

Program Committee:





2011 Honorees:
June 5-9, 2011, New Orleans, Louisiana
Margaretha Casselbrant, MD, PhD
Lauren O. Bakaletz, MD
Richard M. Rosenfeld, MD, MPH
Joseph Kerschner, MD, Chair
Allan Lieberthal, MD
Adriano Arguedas, MD
Kevin Mason, PhD
Diego Preciado, MD, PhD
Heikkinen, Terho, MD
David J. Lim, MD
Charles D. Bluestone, MD
Jerome O. Klein, MD
 
Casselbrant ML, Bakaletz LO, Rosenfeld, RM. eds.  Recent Advances in Otitis Media: Proceedings of the Tenth International Symposium, June 4-9, Mira Digital Publishing, (cdsupport@mirasmart.com) In press.

Go to Page 2: Recent Advances in Otitis Media: Post International Symposia Research

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