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Dr. Viirre specializes in neurotology (diagnosis and outpatient treatment of vertigo, balance disorders, and tinnitus). He has been with the UCSD Department of Surgery, Division of Otolaryngology since 1998. A member of numerous scientific boards, Dr. Viirre is also an Associate Research Professor in the UCSD Department of Cognitive Science and the Director of the Applied Cognitive Science Laboratory at the Naval Health Research Center, San Diego.

As a biomedical researcher and neurophysiologist, Dr. Viirre’s interests include investigation of the origin and management of vertigo and tinnitus, including management of vertigo with virtual reality techniques. He has carried out clinical trials on medical assessment and treatment of neurotologic disorders such as benign positional vertigo and migraine, and has been working on development of a tinnitus therapy program for patients. He also collaborates with cognitive scientists and engineers in the development of systems to assess cognitive state during human-computer interactions.

Dr. Viirre is a teacher, mentor, and advisor to medical students, post-graduate students, otolaryngology residents, and fellows, in clinical work as well as research. He attended the University of Western Ontario, where he earned his PhD in Physiology in 1987 and his MD in 1988. He did post-graduate work at the International Space University at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, followed by clinical and research work in neurotology at the London Ear Clinic in Ontario, Canada.