Ménière’s Disease Symposium

Friday, February 21, 2025 | 2 to 6pm | Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld

The Ménière’s Disease Symposium is sponsored by the American Hearing Research Foundation and Hearing Health Foundation. Hosted by the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO), it will be held on the Friday before the 48th Annual ARO MidWinter Meeting in Orlando.

Please register for the symposium when you register for the ARO meeting:

The symposium aims to spur collaborative thinking and projects among Ménière’s disease researchers and clinicians to stimulate advances in better understanding and treating Ménière's disease, a chronic inner ear condition affecting balance and hearing. HHF and its partners are committed to supporting research to improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousands of people worldwide living with the condition.

Talks and panel discussions will be research-focused and the symposium is intended primarily for investigators and clinicians. Insights and findings arising from the symposium will be shared by HHF and its partners with the wider community as appropriate.

Questions? Please email info@hhf.org.

*Note that symposium registration is free of cost for ARO MidWinter Meeting attendees. There is a nominal registration fee for registering for the symposium only (without registering for the ARO MidWinter Meeting).

Organizational Sponsors

Organizational Partners

Schedule as of November 11, 2024 (subject to change).

Part 1: Clinical Topics

Starts 2pm ET

Patient Perspective

Heather Davies

VeDA (Vestibular Disorders Association) ambassador, author, podcast host

History of Ménière’s Disease

Robin Bigelow, M.D.

The House Institute Foundation

Treatment: State of the Art Clinical Care; Clinical Unmet Needs

Habib Rizk, M.D.

Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)

Migraine and Ménière’s Disease

Jeffrey Sharon, M.D.

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

Imaging/MRI

Amy Juliano, Ph.D.

Mass Eye and Ear

Panel Discussion: Management of Ménière’s/Patient Stories

Habib Rizk, M.D. (MUSC), Jeffrey Sharon, M.D. (UCSF), William Slatterly (House Institute Foundation), additional TBD

Break 4pm ET

Part 2: Lab Science, Knowledge Gaps

Starts 4:15pm ET

Grant Funding Sources

Amy Poremba, Ph.D.

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

Along with HHF, AHRF, other foundations TBD

Molecular Basis

Andreas Eckhard, M.D.

Harvard Medical School/Mass Eye and Ear

Genetics

Jose Antonio Lopez-Escamez, M.D., Ph.D.

University of Sydney, Australia

Immunology and Ménière’s Disease

Andrea Vambutas, M.D.

Northwell Health, Long Island, New York

Social and Psychological Triggers

Joanna Wolfson, Ph.D.

NYU Langone Health 

Panel Discussion: Barriers to Ménière’s Disease Research

Andrea Vambutas, M.D. (Northwell Health), Andreas Eckhard, M.D. (Harvard/Mass Eye and Ear), Jose Antonio Lopez-Escamez, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Sydney)

Networking Reception

From 6:15 to 8pm ET

Beverages and hearty appetizers

Part 1: Clinical Topics

Patient Perspective: Heather Davies

Heather Davies’ Ménière’s journey began with six months of relentless vertigo, hyperacusis, and an overwhelming array of symptoms, causing her to make the difficult decision to step away from an 18-year nursing career, and ultimately spiraling into a deep depression. Leaning on the vestibular community she was reminded of her dreams, which fueled a determination to figure out how to live her best life despite symptoms. This journey transformed Davies into the inspiring host of the Ménière’s Muse podcast, a testament to the healing power of connection. Through her podcast and volunteer efforts with VeDA (Vestibular Disorders Association), she is a vital voice in the vestibular community, sowing seeds of hope by sharing her own story and encouraging others to share theirs.

History of Ménière’s Disease: Robin Bigelow, M.D.

Photo and bio to come.

Treatment: State of the Art Clinical Care; Clinical Unmet Needs: Habib Rizk, M.D.

Habib G. Rizk, M.D., grew up in Beirut, Lebanon, where he obtained his medical degree from Saint Joseph University and completed an otolaryngology–head and neck surgery residency at Hôtel-Dieu de France Hospital in Beirut. After a one-year otologic medicine and surgery fellowship under the mentorship of Michael Teixido, M.D., and a two-year neurotology fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina, he joined the faculty at MUSC. Dr. Rizk is an associate professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery and is the director of the multidisciplinary vestibular clinic. He is on the board of directors and is the current president of VeDA. He is a member of the Bárány Society and a fellow of the American Neurotology Society. Dr. Rizk is also a member of the American Balance Society and of the otology and neurotology education committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. 

Migraine and Ménière’s Disease: Jeffrey Sharon, M.D.

Jeffrey Sharon, M.D., is an associate professor of otology, neurotology, and skull base surgery at University of California, San Francisco. He is also the director of the Balance and Falls Center. He completed a residency in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Washington University in St. Louis and a fellowship in neurotology at Johns Hopkins. His research is on the vestibular system with a focus on clinical and translational projects to improve care for those with vestibular disorders. Dr. Sharon has a special interest in vestibular migraine, where he has developed and validated the first disease-specific, patient-reported outcome measure, and also completed the first randomized clinical trial of a CGRP blocking drug.

Imaging/MRI: Amy Juliano, Ph.D.

Amy Juliano, Ph.D., is a head and neck radiologist, director of research and academic affairs, and fellowship program director for the department of radiology at Mass Eye and Ear and an associate professor of radiology at Harvard Medical School. She completed her diagnostic radiology residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and neuroradiology fellowship at Brigham/Boston Children’s Hospital. She received her medical doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and a master’s degree in Physics at Harvard University. Dr. Juliano is senior editor for the AJNR Head and Neck section, chair of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria Committee Head and Neck Panel, and chair of the ACR NI-RADS Committee. She serves as chair of the ASNR International Collaborations Committee, chair of the education committee, and executive committee member of the ASHNR, and president of the Eastern Neuroradiological Society. She is on the Diagnostic Radiology and Neuroradiology Certification board examination question writing committees for the American Board of Radiology. Dr. Juliano is one of the four cofounders and panelists of “T Bone Time,” a webinar series that began in 2020 for sharing and discussion of interesting temporal bone cases.

Panel Discussion: Management of Ménière’s/Patient Stories: Habib Rizk, M.D., Jeffrey Sharon, M.D., and William Slatterly, addition TBD 

Part 2: Lab Science, Knowledge Gaps

Grant Funding Sources: Amy Poremba, Ph.D.

Amy Poremba, Ph.D., joined the NIDCD in September 2016 to serve as a program director within the Division of Scientific Programs for the institute’s hearing and balance portfolio focused on central auditory and vestibular processing. Dr. Poremba earned her Ph.D. in biological psychology from the University of Illinois. She completed her neuroscience postdoctoral training at the University of Texas and the National Institute of Mental Health, where she used animal models to explore the neural circuitry of communication and learning. She then joined the department of psychological and brain sciences at the University of Iowa. As a professor there for 16 years, she conducted research on auditory central nervous system processing and communication. Her research focused on the neurobiology of auditory processing, learning, and memory to guide translational efforts aimed at improving care for people with impaired hearing or neurological disorders. Her articles have appeared in a variety of peer-reviewed journals including Science, Nature, The Journal of Neuroscience, and Frontiers in Neuroscience. While at the University of Iowa, she also served as director of the Behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience Division, where she managed student curricula, graduate program training, faculty and student recruitment, and graduate student mentoring.

Molecular Basis: Andreas Eckhard, M.D.

Andreas Eckhard, M.D., obtained his medical degree from the University of Tübingen Medical School and the Hearing Research Center, Tübingen, in Germany. He trained as a postdoctoral fellow in the otopathology laboratory at Mass Eye and Ear before completing his clinical training in otolaryngology at the University Hospital Zurich in Switzerland. As a resident and junior consultant, he completed clinical work at the Interdisciplinary Centers for Vertigo and Balance Disorders in Munich and Zurich, respectively. He is an assistant professor of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Harvard Medical School, and co-director, Otopathology Laboratory, at Mass Eye and Ear. In both his research and clinical work, Dr. Eckhard has pursued a strong focus on vestibular disorders. His research interests are the cellular and molecular pathomechanisms of inner-ear diseases, foremost Ménière’s disease, with special interest in the pathogenic roles of non-sensory supporting cells. His group seeks to develop and implement new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for vestibular disorders, utilizing methods ranging from basic animal models to translational patient-based approaches, with a dedicated focus on integrating human otopathology research. Dr. Eckhard’s clinical work is strongly informed by his research and revolves around diagnosing and managing patients with vestibular and combined vestibular and auditory symptoms.

Genetics and Ménière’s Disease: Jose Antonio Lopez-Escamez, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor Lopez-Escamez is an international leader in genetics of Ménière’s disease (MD) and tinnitus, ranked in the Stanford World Top 2% Scientists in 2021–2023. He has over 175 papers in top scientific journals with over 8,900 citations in Google Scholar. He has been granted over $7M in competitive funding in Europe and currently leads the Ménière’s Disease Neuroscience Research Program at the University of Sydney. His work during the past 10 years has redefined the condition (2015 MD diagnostic criteria); identified five clinical variants, including autoimmune and familial MD; discovered the main genes involved in familial MD in European descendant population (OTOG, MYO7A, TECTA); and reclassified MD clinical variants, according to cytokine profile and genetic data, leading to a better understanding of the genetic contribution and inflammatory process in MD. In addition his collaborative work in several European consortia (TINNET, ESIT, TIGER, UNITI) has also lead to seminal contributions in the tinnitus heritability and the discovery of several genes in patients with severe tinnitus (ANK2, TSC2). Professor Lopez-Escamez has supervised13 International Ph.D. and 27 master’s students at the University of Granada in Spain. His mentees are enrolled as postdoctoral researchers in top ranked universities including University of Edinburgh, University of Cambridge, University College London, Harvard University, and Karolinska Institute. 

Immunology and Ménière’s Disease: Andrea Vambutas, M.D.

Andrea Vambutas, M.D., FACS, oversees the quality and delivery of Head and Neck Services at Northwell Health. She also serves as chair of otolaryngology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. Dr. Vambutas is a nationally recognized leader in immune-mediated hearing loss. In addition to her clinical and academic titles, Dr. Vambutas is an investigator in the Center for Autoimmune & Musculoskeletal Disorders at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Her laboratory is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms of immune mediated hearing loss. She is a regular reviewer for the National Institutes of Health and other grant agencies. She has been elected to a number of national positions, including the board of directors of the American Auditory Society; the Education Committee of the American Neurotology Society; the CORE Grant Committee of the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS); and the Research Advisory Board of the American Otological Society.

Social and Psychological Triggers: Joanna Wolfson, Ph.D.

Joanna Wolfson, Ph.D., ABPP, is a senior psychologist on the Adult Outpatient service at Rusk Rehabilitation, New York University Langone Health, and clinical assistant professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. She holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, completed her internship at NYU Rusk, and her postdoctoral fellowship at the Manhattan VA in health psychology and primary care. She is board certified in clinical health psychology. Dr. Wolfson provides individual and group psychotherapy to patients with a wide range of medical presentations, including vestibular conditions. She co-leads a vestibular stress management group, which has been running for the past nine years. She also supervises interns in the field of health psychology and presents on topics including integrated healthcare, motivational interviewing, and health anxiety.

Panel Discussion: Barriers to Ménière’s Disease Research: Andrea Vambutas, M.D., Andreas Eckhard, M.D., Jose Antonio Lopez-Escamez, M.D., Ph.D.