Speaker profiles

Clinical Scientist and BSc Course Coordinator

After qualifying as a medical doctor I chose to move into the field of audiology, enticed by the research opportunities I felt would be possible in a clinical audiology post. Losing the sense of hearing or balance is a severely distressing problem that affects a patient’s quality of life and the satisfaction of being involved in helping solve this problem and the immediate appreciation of patients of your work is an extremely rewarding feeling.

Since first joining the Ear Institute (EI) in 2004, I have developed numerous teaching and research interests. I found the EI the ideal place to work for me as the combination of the Centre of Auditory Research (CAR) with its hospital-based location is the perfect place for anyone interested in translational research.

Clinical Senior Lecturer & Course tutor for the MSc in Audiovestibular Medicine.

After completing the specialty training in ENT in Greece, I moved to London, UK where I completed the specialty training in Audiovestibular Medicine. During my training, I spent a 3 month funded fellowship in Professor Musiek’s department at Dartmouth-Hitchcock College where I trained in the diagnosis and management of the patient with auditory processing disorders. I did my PhD thesis on auditory processing in patients with structural brain lesions.

Senior Clinical Scientist at RNTNE Hospital

I worked for 8 years after my degree in Psychology, researching the area of Human Conditioning, looking at the roles of such factors as anxiety, Personality, and cognitive influences. This was while I was based at the Institute of Psychiatry, working under Prof Hans Eysenck, and Dr Irene Martin .Although I didn’t complete my PhD, I did manage some publications in that area. I have been working in Vestibular Rehabilitation for over 25 years, and taken a special interest in secondary Anxiety, and Hyperventilation Syndrome. I have published two Chapters on Vestibular Rehabilitation, in Scott Browne’s ‘Otolaryngolgy’ and some articles on Hyperventialtion. I have also lectured for several years on the MSc, the BSc and Advanced Audiology courses, for the Ear Institute.

MSc CS Senior Clinical Scientist

I have worked in the field of balance testing and rehabilitation at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading since 2003.

I am actively involved in clinical work, teaching and lecturing, as well as being involved in the development of National Balance Protocols.

I am keen to promote awareness of peripheral vestibular balance problems and best practise in their diagnosis and treatment.

Director of the vestibular and dizziness clinic at the department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery; University Pierre and Marie Curie, Saint Antoine Hospital , Paris VI, France .

Dr Cohen’s expertise and practice is focused on the diagnosis and treatment of pathologies of the vestibular system with a main interest on vestibular re-education.  He organized two symposium of Otoneurology in Paris (in 2007: “Vestibule to Brain” and in 2010: “Vestibule and Cortex). His main research interests are: OKN system, vestibular rehabilitation and spatial navigation. Since 2004, he is the director of the Inter-University Diploma of Vestibular re-education

John originally trained as a biochemist at Oxford, but became interested in psychology, gaining another first degree, in psychology, before completing his DPhil there on the physiological and psychological effects of smoking. He then did research on psychoactive drugs and pain relief in the Pharmacology Department of Newcastle Medical School followed by an extended period in government service doing a wide range of applied research (human factors) including motion sickness, cognitive performance in divers, desensitisation of pilots, and military selection and training, at the Institute of Naval Medicine, RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine and Center for Human Sciences (DERA). John has been awarded the post of Visiting Professor at Imperial College, London. His current research projects are mainly in the fields of motion sickness and the positive aspects of health psychology. John is the author of the Motion Sickness Susceptibility Questionnaire Short Form (MSSQ-Short).

Director of the Meniere’s Society

Natasha has held this post for seven years and has 18 years experience of working in the voluntary and not-for-profit sector

Dr Diego Kaski is a clinical research fellow in the department of Neuro-otology at Imperial College London, and honorary specialist registrar at Charing Cross Hospital and at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. His PhD explores the cortical mechanisms of gait, vestibular perception and spatial orientation. He runs the Acute Vertigo Service at Charing Cross Hospital.

Veronica Kennedy is a Consultant Audiovestibular Physician in Bolton. She initially trained in ENT surgery. In 1999 she moved into Audiovestibular Medicine, which is a field devoted to the diagnosis and rehabilitation of hearing and balance disorders. Her training in this field included paediatric audiological medicine clinics in Manchester and, at the Welsh Hearing Institute in Cardiff, adult and adolescent tinnitus, audiological rehabilitation, and balance clinics. Her experience in tinnitus clinics continued while working as a locum consultant at Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital in London for 2½ years before being appointed to her current post. She has been the lead investigator on a number of international tinnitus studies as well as lectured on tinnitus in children and adults.

Health psychologist who has been researching vestibular disorders since 2002 at the University of Southampton where she worked on a clinical trial and completed her PhD and a post-doctoral fellowship on how to help people to manage Ménière’s disease. She is currently working on a clinical trial of the cost-effectiveness of booklet-based vestibular rehabilitation in managing dizziness in primary care with expert telephone support.

Clinical Scientist and MSc Course Director

I came to UCL as a clinical scientist in 1996, enticed by the opportunity to work alongside staff and students from across the world in a world-class academic institution. I feel privileged to work in a role that combines science, applied research, patient interaction and now teaching – as well as working alongside some of the best and most dedicated people in their respective fields.

I am currently deputy director for the MSc in Audiological Science and coordinate a number of BSc and MSc modules. I am also Chair of the Balance Interest Group (British Society of Audiology); member of the BSA Education Steering Committee; full member of the British Academy of Audiology; external examiner for the BSc Audiology Courses at the University of Swansea and University of Manchester; honorary lecturer at Kingston University and University of Guildford. I had the privilege of being part of ‘the gang of three’ that developed the original National Audiology Clinical Placement Electronic Portfolio (aka ‘Year 3 Logbook’), which is now used by all the HEIs providing education in audiology at a graduate and postgraduate level. This group has now expanded to include representatives from each HEI providing MSc/BSc Audiology programmes and has a remit to develop and improve the logbook to ensure it continues to play its part as the formative and summative assessment of clinical competency.

Clinical Psychologist

David trained as a Clinical Psychologist in New Zealand, working in cardiac and respiratory medicine as well as mental health, before coming to the UK in 1998. His work in the UK has been focused on health rehabilitation including audiology, pain management and other long term health problems. He also has experience in the mental health care of older adults. For the past 12 years, he has been helping people with tinnitus, hearing loss, hyperacusis and balance both in private practice and at the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital in London.

Highly Specialist Neurosciences Physiotherapist

Trained as a Physiotherapist in the UK and have worked in the neurosciences area since 2004. In the last three years I have specialised in the area of Vestibular rehabilitation and currently work as the team lead for the vestibular service at the Royal Free Hospital in partnership with the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital.