Neurotology fellow Divya Chari, MD was awarded the 2021 Patricia & Barry Yellen Young Investigator Award in February. Long-time Mass Eye and Ear Trustee Barry Yellen and his wife Patricia have given generous gifts toward this endowed award since 2001. The award supports the research of trainees studying hearing loss and is presented to junior scientists.
Dr. Chari is a second-year Harvard Medical School surgical fellow at Mass Eye and Ear. The Patricia & Barry Yellen Young Investigator Award will help Dr. Chari further her research on the spatial and non-spatial cognitive deficits that occur in dizzy patients. Her research will use visual path integration tasks to assess orientation and navigation. Through her research, Dr. Chari hopes to quantify the effect of vestibular rotational cues on navigational abilities when proprioceptive and visual cues are absent.
Following graduation this summer, Dr. Chari will continue her studies as an Assistant Professor and Neurotologist in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Massachusetts, with a joint research appointment at Mass Eye and Ear.