Jaipur: The 12th conference of the Indian Academy of Otolaryngology and Head-Neck Surgery (IAOHNS 2026) concluded at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur on Sunday.
The three-day conference brought together more than 800 doctors, medical students, engineers and others for discussions on ENT, head and neck surgery, artificial intelligence, modern surgical techniques, medico-legal issues, research, hackathons and doctors’ mental well-being.
Focus on artificial intelligence and head-neck surgery
Dr Pawan Singhal, senior professor in the Department of Ear, Nose and Throat at SMS Hospital and scientific chairman of the conference, said a key technical session focused on the use of artificial intelligence in medical image analysis and intelligent decision support.
Professor Avinash Gautam of BITS Pilani delivered the lecture, with Dr Vikrant Mathur and Dr Kuldeep Rana also participating in the session.
Dr Neizekhotuo Brian Shunyu, head of AIIMS Guwahati, delivered a lecture on comprehensive head and neck reconstruction.
A theme lecture titled “One Stage, Different Story: Can Ancient Health Codes Explain Differences in Modern Outcomes?” was delivered by Dr Mitali Mukherjee, professor at IIT Jodhpur. Dr Avinash Gautam also participated in the session.
Medico-legal issues discussed
A medico-legal symposium featured a quiz with voting pads and discussions on consent, medical records and insurance.
Sessions covered topics including “Consent: Who, Why, When and How”, medical records, “Things Doctors Refuse to Learn” and “Indemnity Insurance: Friend or Foe”.
Dr Neeraj Nagpal delivered lectures on the topics.
Dr Rajendra Dinesh served as quiz master, while Dr Pankaj Garg and Dr Deepak K. Sangwan coordinated the quiz session.
Hackathon presents technology-based solutions
The conference also featured InnoQuest presentations and hackathon pitching sessions.
According to Dr Pawan Singhal, eight groups presented technology-based solutions for flexible cable arrangements that can be modified according to requirements in operation theatres. The teams also presented models incorporating artificial intelligence.
The IAOHNS 2026 conference in Jaipur featured a hackathon for the first time in its history.
During the pre-conference workshop, eight teams were given a problem-based topic. They were required to develop practical, adoptable, sustainable and cost-effective solutions within three days.
On the final day, all teams presented their solutions before the jury.
The jury comprised IIT professor Dr Sumit Kalra, BITS Pilani professor Dr Avinash Gautam, Dr Amit Goyal, professor and head at AIIMS Jodhpur, and Dr Nidhin Das, assistant professor at AIIMS Bilaspur.
Each team included a senior faculty member, an ENT postgraduate student, an MBBS student, an IIT student and a student from a private engineering college.
Hackathon winners announced
The first prize of Rs 1 lakh was won by the team of Rajendra Dinesh Kumar, Akash Gupta, Sachin Singh and Shanta Bishnoi.
The second prize of Rs 50,000 went to the team of Dr Dharmaram Poonia, Vardhman Kaloli, Rohan Karna, Harshin Kaur and Divyanshi Choudhary.
The third prize of Rs 30,000 was secured by the team of Leena Jain, Tisha, Sushantak Parashar Jha and Avisha Goyal.
The fourth prize of Rs 20,000 was awarded to the team of Mihir Agrawal, Aryan Daga, Kshitij Budhnathoki and Sindhamani M.
The fifth prize of Rs 10,000 went to the team of Tvisha Chatterjee, Lipi Singhal, Kunal Kumar Mishra, Akhila Gupta and Samriddhi Sobti.
Dr Amit Goyal, Dr Avinash Gautam, Dr Nidhin K. Das, Dr Vidhu Sharma, Dr Mitali Mukherjee and Dr Sumit Kalra participated as experts. Dr Vijaya Krishnan Paramasivan also played a role in the session.
Session on meditation and doctors’ mental well-being
Under the theme “Life Beyond ENT”, a special session titled “Meditation for Doctors: From Stress to Balance” was organised.
Dr Vijay Rangachari, Dr Renu Rajguru, Dr Vijay Gakhar, Dr Deepanshu Gurnani and Dr Siddharth Nirvan participated in the session.
The discussion focused on the role of meditation in helping doctors move from work-related stress and burnout towards a more balanced life. The session was conducted by Dr Vijay Rangachari.
Experts discuss complex ENT topics
Another session covered several important and complex subjects related to ENT.
Dr Deepak Chauhan spoke on the disappearing art of pneumatic otoscopy, while Dr Aishwarya M. discussed experiences and treatment dilemmas involving midline neck masses in children at a tertiary care hospital.
Dr Kaushik Das spoke on nasal surgery and the use of coblation in Castleman disease. Dr Shubhangi Gupta shared information on challenging cases of mucormycosis involving the area around the eye.
Dr Abhishek Sharma discussed the role of macrolides in antimicrobial resistance, while Dr Anjali Gupta spoke on the comprehensive management of AR.
Dr Dhirendra Tak delivered a lecture on laser versus conventional stapedotomy in otosclerosis. Dr Meena Atal spoke on sentinel lymph node biopsy in early oral cancer.
The session was conducted by Dr Navnita Gangwar.
The conference concluded with awards being presented to the winners of paper presentations, poster presentations and the quiz.
