HEAL Conferences (also known as the Lake Como Conferences) have long been known for being a place to meet with old colleagues, make new contacts and friends with some 400 to 500 colleagues from – literally – all around the world.

These international events offer an invaluable opportunity for attendees to hear about and experience the latest technologies in hearing care, evidence-based research and best practices to improve the quality of life for the hearing impaired, enhancing cooperation and exchange among all those who are part of this multifaceted community, in a truly international and multidisciplinary forum exploring all domains ranging from infant to adult hearing.

The Scientific Program typically includes some 300 presentations from a panel of speakers among the most qualified top-notch researchers and clinicians worldwide. In HEAL 2020 the program promises to be just as exciting and fulfilling as in the previous meetings.

To develop the spirit of the Conference, the program schedule is arranged to maximize opportunities for interaction among attendees and leading exhibitors.

The Program will be complemented by a comprehensive exhibit. Ample time will be allowed for all participants to visit the exhibits and speak with exhibit representatives.

Most promising, and not to be missed, are also the presentations included in the New Technologies Area.
The American Jornal of Audiology has recently published a Special Issue reporting a few select papers from the HEAL 2018 Conference.

Last but not least, the enchanting and magic surroundings of the Lake Como are the ideal background scenario that will make HEAL 2020 an unforgettable experience, once again.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to Madrid and to the XXXI Bárány Society meeting to be held on September 6th-9th, 2020.

We are very proud that this prestigious event will take place for the first time in Spain. Madrid was visited by Robert Bárány in 1923 where he came to meet the also Nobel laureate Santiago Ramón y Cajal. During that visit he met the young medical student and promissory researcher Rafael Lorente de No. The relevance of that historical fact went beyond a teaching course, a simple friendship meeting, to be one of the foundational moments of neurotology.

Today Madrid is a dynamic and stylish city, a renowned international centre for business development as well as the arts and science. There are convenient connections to the other great cities of the world and the inner routes provide modern and fast ways to reach all the places in this old country rich in its diversity of history and beauty.

The Congress will focus on major breakthroughs and advances in Vestibular Medicine and will provide an innovative and comprehensive overview of the latest research developments primarily in the areas of molecular biology, neurophysiology and imaging diagnosis, medical and surgical treatment and rehabilitation. Some of these goals will be accomplished during the satellite meeting on Vestibular Science in the city of Granada that will be held on September 4th-5th, 2020, before the main meeting.

We will also offer a varied social program to provide an opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones. We are confident that our scientific organisation, together with the Spanish hospitality, will make the XXXI Bárány Society Meeting another memorable event.

President XXXI Bárány Society Meeting Prof. Dr. Nicolás Pérez Fernández