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More than 5,000 otolaryngologists are expected in Los Angeles Oct. 17-20 for the 2026 AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Expo, where hearing health will be a major research theme. Presentations will cover links between hearing loss, type 2 diabetes, and cognitive decline; GLP-1 medication questions; gene therapy trial results; and looming Medicare payment cuts.
More than 5,000 otolaryngologists are expected in Los Angeles on Oct. 17-20 for the 2026 Annual Meeting & OTO Expo of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF), where hearing health will feature prominently across research tracks linking hearing loss to type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline, and the rapidly expanding class of GLP-1 medications, according to the meeting’s media guide.
The media guide identifies “hearing health becomes brain health” as one of six key research frontiers for the meeting, with studies examining connections between hearing loss, type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline, and healthy aging. The framing signals a shift in how the field positions audiologic care—not as an isolated specialty but as a component of systemic health management, The Hearing Review reported.
On the GLP-1 front, ENT specialists are set to examine questions involving thyroid cancer risk, cancer aggressiveness, obesity-related airway disease, surgical outcomes, and patient counseling as GLP-1 and GIP/GLP-1 medications become more widely prescribed. For hearing care professionals, the growing use of these medications among patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes—both populations associated with elevated hearing loss risk—makes the research relevant to clinical practice, according to the report.
Also on the agenda are early results from gene therapy trials for genetic hearing loss. Studies of two therapies, AK-OTOF and DB-OTO, suggest children with profound genetic hearing loss may gain access to sound and new opportunities for speech and language development. Related developments include new DB-OTO results showing sustained improvements for children, the FDA’s accelerated approval of Otarmeni gene therapy for OTOF-related hearing loss, and the EMA’s acceptance of Otarmeni for review.
Why Hearing Research Reaches Beyond the Ear
The meeting’s agenda reflects a broader reframing of hearing care as part of whole-body health. The World Health Organization’s recent update to its dementia prevention guidelines, which elevated hearing loss and hearing aid use to core public health priorities, has added momentum to research on the hearing-cognition connection, according to the report.
Recent findings underscore that momentum: a study published earlier this year found hearing aids linked to a 23% lower dementia risk in adults with epilepsy and hearing loss, while a separate survey identified hearing health as a longevity blind spot among consumers and clinicians. Research has long associated type 2 diabetes with increased risk of sensorineural hearing loss, but the rise of GLP-1 therapies raises new questions about downstream effects on auditory health that the field is only beginning to examine.
The stakes also extend to access and economics. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed 50% Medicare payment cuts for certain same-day services beginning in 2027. A survey reported by The Hearing Review found that 8 in 10 ENTs say the proposed cut could limit seniors’ access to specialty care.
How Hearing Health Rose Up the Agenda
The AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO Expo is a recurring event for the otolaryngology specialty, combining research presentations with the OTO Expo exhibition. The 2026 edition’s emphasis on hearing follows years of accumulating evidence connecting audiological health with chronic disease and cognition.
The Hearing Review has previously reported on how chronic illnesses, including diabetes, affect hearing, balance, and cognition, and has published clinical recommendations for hearing care professionals addressing cognition. The outlet has also tracked the AK-OTOF and DB-OTO gene therapy programs closely, including the FDA’s accelerated approval of Otarmeni and the EMA’s acceptance of the therapy for review.
Meeting presentations will also address preventable hearing risks, including research on how where concertgoers sit at a venue may affect noise exposure and hearing symptoms.
“Otolaryngology is at the center of some of today’s most important health and policy conversations. From gene therapy and GLP-1 medications to dementia prevention, sleep apnea, cancer, and hearing restoration, this research shows how far ENT care reaches. Our physicians need the freedom to keep innovating—and sound policies that help turn that innovation into better patient care.”
— Rahul K. Shah, MD, MBA, Academy CEO and executive vice president
What the Los Angeles Presentations Have Yet to Show
The research described is set to be presented at the meeting, meaning full findings, sample sizes, and peer-reviewed results are not yet available in the preview materials. Early gene therapy results from AK-OTOF and DB-OTO are described as suggesting possible benefits for children with profound genetic hearing loss; long-term outcomes remain under study.
Questions about GLP-1 medications and auditory health are at an early stage, according to the report, which notes the field is “only beginning to examine” downstream effects. The outcome of the proposed CMS Medicare payment cuts for 2027 is also unresolved.
Dates, Registration and the Medicare Fight Ahead
The meeting runs Oct. 17-20, 2026, in Los Angeles. Academy members can register by logging in to the registration page, according to the report. Research presentations on hearing loss, diabetes, cognition, GLP-1 medications, and gene therapy are expected during the event.
Beyond the meeting, the specialty will continue to track the proposed CMS payment cuts slated to begin in 2027, along with regulatory developments around gene therapies, including the EMA’s review of Otarmeni in Europe.
Key Questions
When and where is the AAO-HNSF 2026 Annual Meeting?
The meeting takes place Oct. 17-20, 2026, in Los Angeles, with more than 5,000 otolaryngologists expected to attend the Annual Meeting & OTO Expo.
Why is hearing health a major theme this year?
The meeting’s media guide identifies “hearing health becomes brain health” as one of six key research frontiers, reflecting growing evidence linking hearing loss to type 2 diabetes, cognitive decline, and healthy aging, along with the WHO’s updated dementia prevention guidelines.
What is being studied about GLP-1 medications and ENT care?
Presentations will examine thyroid cancer risk, cancer aggressiveness, obesity-related airway disease, surgical outcomes, and patient counseling. The report notes the effects of GLP-1 therapies on auditory health specifically are only beginning to be examined.
What do the gene therapy results involve?
Early results from trials of AK-OTOF and DB-OTO suggest children with profound genetic hearing loss may gain access to sound and new speech and language opportunities. The FDA has granted accelerated approval to Otarmeni for OTOF-related hearing loss, and the EMA has accepted it for review.
How could Medicare cuts affect ENT patients?
CMS has proposed 50% payment cuts for certain same-day services beginning in 2027. A survey reported by The Hearing Review found 8 in 10 ENTs say the cut could limit seniors’ access to specialty care. The proposal’s final outcome remains unresolved.
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