These American otoneurologists in active clinical practice have completed formal residency training in neurology and are fellowship-trained in otoneurology / medical neuro-otology (hearing and balance disorders): Historical Note: Drs. Baloh, Cohen, Leigh and Zee designed their own unique hearing and balance fellowships during a time, not so long ago, when formal otoneurology / medical neurotology fellowships did not exist. They are the living modern day fathers of otoneurology and we owe them a debt of gratitude for their tremendous ongoing contributions to the field.

No introduction on the scientific advances in the human vestibular system would be complete without a special mention of David A. Robinson, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Johns Hopkins University Medical Center. Dr. Robinson has revolutionized the field of vestibular neurophysiology through many discoveries over the past 40 years. His groundbreaking work in October of 1963 using scleral search coils in a magnetic field as a means of measuring eye movements opened the gates to the modern era of research in ocular-motor control. Since then, Dr. Robinson has trained the majority of vestibular laboratory directors around the world.

Dr. Joseph L. Demer completed an ophthalmology residency and a pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus fellowship and has made and continues to make significant contributions to our understanding of the human vestibular system.

Mohamed A. Hamid, M.D., Ph.D. and Erik Viirre, M.D., Ph.D. are in clinical practice in metro Cleveland and San Diego, respectively. They render care for patients with hearing and balance concerns. Although they did not complete formal residency training in neurology, they have invested considerable time and effort pursuing diverse educational paths in addition to internal medicine internships which ultimately led to a clinical focus on the vestibular and auditory system. Their valuable backgrounds in audiology, biomedical, electrical and space engineering, physiology, and medicine are unique and can be reviewed on their individual websites.

Ian M. Purcell, M.D., Ph.D. completed his neurology residency training at the University of California-San Diego and obtained his Ph.D. in neurophysiology with emphasis in the vestibular system at the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston. In addition, he was a NASA-funded vestibular researcher for six years. He did not embark upon formal oto-neurology fellowship training but rather incorporated elective vestibular training into his neurology residency to augment his extensive basic science strengths in vestibular neurophysiology.