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Kristal Mills Riska

Associate Professor of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences
Communication Sciences
Duke South Yellow Zone 4000, DUMC Box 3805, Durham, NC 27710
40 Medicine Circle, DUMC Box 3805, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


My research program’s overarching goals are to improve the diagnosis and management of dizziness, falls, and vestibular disorders. Her research focuses in three strategic areas: 1) improving the identification of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo in primary care settings to enable timely access to cost-effective treatment, 2) characterizing the role of vestibular function and rehabilitative strategies in post-concussive/mild traumatic brain injury related dizziness; and 3) identifying and understanding the mechanisms that mediate the association between falls and hearing loss in an effort to develop interventions that will modify falls risk in the hearing impaired population.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences · 2025 - Present Communication Sciences, Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences

Recent Publications


Factors That Impact the Long-Term Outcome of Postconcussive Dizziness Among Post-9/11 Veterans.

Journal Article Am J Audiol · November 2023 PURPOSE: The primary aim of this study was to examine the factors associated with long-term outcomes of postconcussive disruptive dizziness in Veterans of the post-9/11 wars. METHOD: For this observational cohort study, the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventor ... Full text Link to item Cite

Guideline Adherence to Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo Treatment and Management in Primary Care.

Journal Article Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg · October 2023 OBJECTIVE: To determine adherence to the 2017 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) guidelines for the management and treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in primary care (PC) and compare whether key recomme ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prognosis of Acute Low-Tone Hearing Loss Without Vertigo: A Scoping Review.

Journal Article Laryngoscope · October 2023 OBJECTIVE: Despite its relatively high prevalence, our understanding of the natural clinical course of acute low-tone hearing loss (ALHL) without vertigo remains incomplete. The purpose of this study is to summarize the findings of studies that evaluated r ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Identifying mechanisms between hearing loss and falls

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders · 2023 - 2028

Otolaryngology Surgeon- Scientist career Path (OSSP) program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2022 - 2027

Falls Related Injuries and Hearing Loss: Understanding the role of hearing healthcare intervention

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2021 - 2024

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Education, Training & Certifications


East Carolina University · 2011 Au.D./Ph.D.
Appalachian State University · 2005 B.S.