Dr. Nikhila Raol is currently an associate professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery and pediatrics at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She practices pediatric otolaryngology, with a focus on pediatric feeding and sleep disorders; she also trains residents and fellows. Dr. Raol received her medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and her master’s degree in public health from the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts. Her research primarily focuses on the management of pediatric feeding disorder, with an emphasis on the healthcare burden associated with the condition; she is also looking into the prevention of conversion of acute pediatric feeding disorder to chronic pediatric feeding disorder. Besides, she is involved in research on treatment of refractory obstructive sleep apnea and serves as the site principal investigator for the National Institutes of Health-funded study looking at cognitive outcomes in children with Trisomy 21 undergoing upper-airway stimulation for obstructive sleep apnea. In addition to the National Institutes of Health, her research has been funded by the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Marcus Foundation. Dr. Raol has published articles in several leading otolaryngology journals, including JAMA Otolaryngology, Journal of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, and The Laryngoscope.
Dr. Raol’s Fulbright-Nehru project is evaluating the role of ankyloglossia, or tongue tie, in the successful maintenance of breastfeeding in Telangana, India. As part of her research, she is conducting observational field studies and interviews with mothers and clinicians who manage mother–infant dyads. Apart from contributing to scholarship on strategies for successful maintenance of breastfeeding, this research will contribute to the development of evidence-based breastfeeding recommendations worldwide.