Vestibular Disorders Association Announces New Executive Director

Feb. 17, 2012 - PRLog -- Portland, Oregon: The Vestibular Disorders Association (“VEDA”) – a Portland based non-profit that advocates for people with vestibular, or inner ear, disorders, recently announced the appointment of Cynthia Ryan as their new executive director. Ryan replaces Lisa Haven, who served as the organization’s executive director for over 9 years.

“I’m excited to join VEDA’s dedicated staff and board of directors in advocating for people with vestibular disorders,” says Ryan. “My mother was diagnosed with Meniere’s Disease over 30 years ago, so I have a personal passion for helping people with balance and hearing problems.”

Ryan brings over 2 decades of management and communications experience and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. She has worked for both for-profit and non-profit organizations and served on several non-profit boards of directors.

VEDA was founded in Portland Oregon in 1983. Its original goal was to provide general information to the public about inner ear vestibular disorders. Today VEDA has over 70 publications on topics related to vestibular balance disorders and serves as a hub to support groups located around the world. In addition, VEDA provides an international listing service for health professionals who specialize in vestibular disorders.

VEDA’s future goals include expanding its programs and partnerships to reduce the diagnosis time and improve treatment outcomes for people with vestibular disorders.

About vestibular disorders: The human balance system depends on the inner ear, the eyes, and the muscles and joints to transmit reliable information about the body's movement and orientation in space. If the inner ear or other elements of the balance system are damaged, the result may be vertigo, dizziness, imbalance, and other symptoms.

With vestibular disorders, the type and severity of symptoms can vary considerably. Symptoms can be frightening and difficult to describe. People affected by certain symptoms of vestibular disorders may be perceived as inattentive, lazy, overly anxious, or seeking attention. They may have trouble reading or doing simple arithmetic. Functioning in the workplace, going to school, performing routine daily tasks, or just getting out of bed in the morning may be difficult for some people.

The ramifications of vestibular disorders can extend into cognitive and emotional struggles, as conscious thought processes are used to sort out balance signals—the priority use of cerebral function is no longer assigned to higher-level processes, reducing the ability of a person to absorb instructions, learn, and problem-solve. This can be devastating to functioning, confidence, and emotional balance.

For more information about vestibular disorders or to become a VEDA member, visit their website at www.vestibular.org.

# # #

VEDA is the leading international organization that people turn to for help with vestibular (inner ear balance) disorders. We are an authoritative source of information, publishing information that is clear, reliable, and scientifically objective.