About Dr. Steven D. Harris

Dr. Steven D. Harris is a board certified otolaryngologist that has lived and practiced in Dothan and the tri-state area for over 30 years.

He specializes in the medical diagnosis and treatment of issues related to the ear, nose, and throat in patients of all ages. This includes sinus congestion, allergy, sinus and throat drainage, eustachian tube dysfunction, hearing, and ear blockage. He has a particular interest in the diagnosis and management of chronic balance and vertigo problems.

After medical school and residency, Dr. Harris served in the United States Air Force as an ENT physician and completed training as a flight surgeon flying many hours in various aircraft. At this time he also obtained his private pilot’s license and began his long time interest in balance and vertigo issues.

Dr. Harris is a faculty member of the United States Army Aerospace Medicine Residency Program, Ft. Rucker, AL. It is one of only five such aerospace residency programs in the U.S. Dr. Harris was given the yearly Aerospace Medicine Excellence in Teaching Award by the Army Residents in 2017 and again in 2024. Dr. Harris has a research interest in spatial disorientation, a type of vertigo critical to military aviation.

In 2018, Dr. Harris was invited to lecture on vestibular (balance) testing at an Army wide conference of Flight Surgeons. He was co-author of an abstract series on Spatial Disorientation research in the March, 2020 issue of Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, the principle worldwide Aerospace Medicine journal. Co-authors included fellow researchers with the US Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory, among others. Further research by Dr. Harris and residents working under him was presented at the Civil Aviation Medical Association Meeting in San Antonio, TX (September 2021). Dr. Harris was co-author of an article on aviation related allergy issues in the June, 2020 Army Aviation Magazine.

In 2023, Dr. Harris was asked to become a member of the Tri-Service Vestibular Test Battery Group. This group of Army, Navy, Air Force, and NASA researchers makes recommendations involving specialized balance testing protocols for military aircrew. In 2026, Dr. Harris was invited to lecture on equilibrium and vertigo from a medical standpoint at the Alabama State Physical Therapy Association yearly meeting.