VeDA Announces Champions of Vestibular Medicine

The Vestibular Disorders Association (VeDA) announces the annual VeDA Champion of Vestibular Medicine Award initiative to increase awareness of vestibular disorders that affect the inner ear and brain. 2024 Lifetime Achievement award recipients include Robert W. Baloh, MD, Janet Helminski, PT, PhD, and James Phillips, PhD.

"Champions of Vestibular Medicine are medical professionals who have had significant impact on the field of vestibular medicine," says Dr. Habib Riz, VeDA's Board President. "Thanks to their leadership we have seen advancements in research leading to improvements in clinical care for patients with unexplained dizziness and vertigo."

"This year's recipients of the Champion of Vestibular Medicine Award represent the very finest in vestibular patient care and research in their respective fields," says Dr. Joel Goebel, Chair of VeDA's Medical and Scientific Advisory Board. "Each one of them employs their unique expertise for the good of vestibular patients with a variety of diseases. Their efforts underscore the multidisciplinary nature of balance medicine and the need to work together."

About Vestibular Disorders

The vestibular system includes the parts of the inner ear and brain that process sensory information involved with controlling balance and eye movements. If disease or injury damages these processing areas, vestibular disorders can result. Common symptoms of vestibular disorders include spinning vertigo, dizziness, imbalance, anxiety, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), hearing loss, visual disturbances, and cognitive difficulties.

One large epidemiological study estimates that as many as 35 percent of adults aged 40 years or older in the United States-approximately 69 million Americans-have experienced some form of vestibular dysfunction.

Symptoms of chronic dizziness or imbalance can have a significant impact on a person' ability to perform basic daily activities, such as walking, going to the grocery store, and socializing with friends and family. The painful economic and social impacts of dizziness are significantly underestimated.

MEET VEDA'S CHAMPIONS OF VESTIBULAR MEDICINE

Robert W. Baloh, MD is Professor of Neurology and Head and Neck Surgery (Emeritus) at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He has authored 14 books and more than 350 peer reviewed articles over his 50 year career. Dr. Baloh has trained more than 40 fellows in oto-neurology and developed tests of vestibular and oculomotor function that are used by doctors around the world. He is a pioneer in the study of the vestibular system and clinical neurotology and co-author of a seminal book on clinical physiology of the vestibular system.

Janet Helminski, PT, PhD is a Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at Rosalind Franklin University. She is a neurologic physical therapist and neuroscientist teaching neuroscience and the evaluation of and intervention for adults with neurological deficits. Her current area of research is management of atypical BPPV, differential diagnosis of acute vestibular syndrome, and management of uncompensated unilateral peripheral vestibular deficits. Her clinic practice focuses on management of adult vestibular and balance disorders. She is a member of VeDA's Medical & Scientific Advisory Board.

James O. Phillips, PhD is a research professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle, WA and director of the Dizziness and Balance Center at the UW Medical Center, the Vestibular Diagnostic Laboratory at UWMC, and the Roger Johnson Clinical Oculomotor Laboratory in the Division of Ophthalmology at Seattle Children's Hospital. Dr. Phillips earned a PhD in psychology and in physiology from the University of Washington. He teaches in the Departments of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Ophthalmology, and Speech and Hearing Sciences and is a faculty research affiliate of the Washington National Primate Research Center, the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center, the Institute on Human Development and Disability, and the Autism Center at the University of Washington. He is also a faculty affiliate of the Center for Integrative Brain Research at Seattle Children's Research Institute and serves on VeDA's Medical & Scientific Advisory Board.

About the award: VeDA's Champion of Medicine Award is an honorary recognition for exceptional service to the vestibular community. No monetary gifts are exchanged.

Vestibular Disorders Association
5018 NE 15th Ave.
Portland, OR 97211
Press Contact: Cynthia Ryan
ed@vestibular.org
503-294-9085

For over 30 years, the Vestibular Disorders Association has provided objective information, advocacy, and a caring support network to people with vestibular disorders and the health professionals who treat them. The organization is headquartered in Portland, Ore. For more information, call 800.837.8428, email info@vestibular.org or visit vestibular.org.

This release was published on openPR.