Dr. Charles Della Santina
Awarded for his development of the vestibular prosthesis (vestibular implant), through a remarkable combination of basic, clinical and engineering research, from initial concept, to instrument design, to preclinical animal experiments and now clinical application. Dr. Della Santina was the principal investigator for each of these stages, reflecting his training as engineer, neurophysiologist, clinician and surgeon. This ambitious and ingenious project continues to move forward with early clinical feasibility trials of the multichannel vestibular implant.