When this test is done clinically, patients listen to clicks. But now, researchers are exploring the use of more lifelike sounds, including speech sounds such as “da” as the stimulus. This new technique is…

Nicole Schmitt, M.D.
University of Washington, Seattle
“Significance of tumor necrosis factor alpha in cisplatin ototoxicity in Vivo”

Douglas Cotanche, Ph.D.
Boston University School of Medicine, Massachusetts
“Cell fate regulation in cochlear development and regeneration”

Anand Mhatre, Ph.D.
New York University, New York
“Biological role of nonmuscle myosin IIA in sensory hair cells”

Saima Riazuddin, Ph.D.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Ohio
“Generation and characterization of…

While learning sign language as a teen, Lila was diagnosed with epilepsy. She became interested in yoga as a way to help keep symptoms away, and has now been practicing for more than ten years. Five years ago, Lila decided to combine her two interests and started teaching yoga to the deaf. In 2007, she founded the DeafYoga Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to sharing yoga with the deaf community.

Lila says that a deaf yoga class is primarily a visual experience for the students. Lila uses lights, fans, and an embryonic form of sign language to translate ancient Indian yogic…

Assistant Professor
Division of Research
Department of Otolaryngology & Communication Sciences

Dr. Shim is interested in how the three-dimensional structure of the inner ear is formed during embryonic development and how the sensory regions of the inner ear epithelium are patterned.

Dr. Shim takes a molecular and genetic approach to understanding inner ear development in the mouse, and current work is focused on understanding the role of the Sprouty family of receptor tyrosine kinase antagonists in inner ear development and function. In particular, Dr. Shim found that Sprouty2 mutant mice are born with severe hearing impairment associated with a postnatal cell fate…

The biggest accomplishments seen during his 38 years are the combined efforts with the board to raise funds for the foundation.  He also references the importance of the research programs growth from city to state to regional and nationally based. The research…

Hugh Barber, M.D., a giant in the field of neurotology, passed away on December 14, 2006.

Born in 1923, Dr. Barber graduated from the University of Toronto in 1945. He then went on to complete his fellowship training in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery in Toronto. In 1968 he became a member of the Active Staff at Sunnybrook. The next year he was appointed Chief of the Department of Otolaryngology, a position he held for some 17 years. Dr. Barber was a member of the American Neurotology since 1976.

Dr. Barber had an international reputation as an authority…

On Sunday, November 18, 2007, the American Hearing Research Foundation (AHRF) held a benefit concert at the Empty Bottle to help raise awareness of noise-induced hearing loss. Proceeds from the show will help the AHRF fund research into hearing loss at universities and hospitals throughout the United States and Canada, which the Chicago-based foundation has been doing for more than 30 years with over 165 research projects under its belt.

Noise-induced hearing loss is the number one preventable form of hearing loss, and can cause permanent hearing…

On October 16, 2007, the American Hearing Research Foundation Research Committee selected five research projects to fund in 2008, for a total grant amount of $105,000.

“This year we received more research proposals than ever before,” says Sharon Parmet, Associate Director of the AHRF. Thirty-three proposals were received.

The five proposals selected for funding in 2008 are:

• “The Role of KCNQ4 Channels in Progressive Hearing Loss.” Liping Nie, Ph.D., University of California, Davis
• “Prevent and Treat Noise-Induced Hearing Loss by Drugs Blocking T-type Calcium Channels.” Jianxin Bao, Ph.D., Washington University, St. Louis,…

The American Hearing Research Foundation is pleased to announce that new product development company, what if widgets, will be donating 5 percent of its sales profits to the Foundation.

At the AHRF’s 2007 Annual Board Meeting, held on May 16, the Board of Directors elected David A. Klodd, Ph.D. to serve on the Board and also on the Research Committee.

May 16, 2007   The American Hearing Research Foundation will give a Wiley H. Harrison, M.D. Grant to Adam Markaryan, Ph.D., of the University of Chicago to study the effect of mitochondrial deletions in the cochlea on hearing loss.

Dr. Markaryan is an assistant professor in the otolaryngology/head & neck surgery department.

He will use the grant, which gives a total of $25,000 over the course of one year, to study the degeneration of the cochlea with age, paying extra attention to the role that genetic mutations…

New Diagnostic Tool Can Rapidly Identify Children with Learning Disabilities Caused by Problems in Sound Processing

January, 2007 — A new, easy-to-use diagnostic tool that can quickly identify a sizeable subset of learning disabled children is now commercially available.

That’s good news for youngsters aged 8 to 12 who, once identified, can receive auditory training that can improve their academic learning.

"Learning disabilities are believed to affect nearly one in 10 children, but their causes are difficult to pinpoint," says Nina Kraus, director of Northwestern University’s Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory. She and Northwestern researchers Trent Nicol and Steven Zecker have found that…

The American Hearing Research Foundation announces a call for proposals in the field of hearing research to be considered for the 2008 Eugene L. Derlacki, M.D. Grant.

This grant provides a maximum of $25,000 per year for two years. It is dedicated to hearing research and is intended for more significant research projects requiring funding that extend beyond the usual AHRF grant of $20,000.

This grant is named in honor of Eugene L. Derlacki, M.D., who dedicated more than 50 years to the field of otolaryngology and to helping the hearing impaired community.…

The Eugene L. Derlacki, M.D. Grant is awarded for excellence in the field of hearing research. This grant provides $25,000 per year for two years, for a total award of $50,000. It is dedicated to hearing research and is intended for more significant research projects requiring funding that extends beyond the normal AHRF grant of $20,000.

The grant is named in honor of Eugene L. Derlacki, M.D., who has dedicated more than 50 years to the field of otolaryngology and to helping the hearing-impaired community. Dr. Derlacki co-founded the American Hearing Research Foundation and served as President of its Board of…

 Grant application (pdf)

The American Hearing Research Foundation (AHRF), together with the Northwestern Memorial Foundation (NMF) give the Georgia Birtman Grant, named in honor of long-time supporter of the AHRF Georgia Birtman. Birtman, a school teacher with a hearing impairment, left the AHRF $2.1 million in 1991. The one-year $75,000 grant supports the advancement of research and education in otology and neurotology.

The grant is awarded to an exceptional researcher in audiology, otology or neurotology who will work in a lab at Northwestern University. The research topic involves some aspect of the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of hearing…

Otoferlin’s Role in Hearing
Researcher to Investigate Reinnervation of Cochlear Hair Cells
Building an Ear From the Ground Up
Sound Processing and Reading: How Are They Related?
Protein May Hold Key to Hair Cell Regeneration

Otoferlin’s Role in Hearing

Neeliyath Ramakrishnan, Ph.D., of Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, will study the role of a protein called otoferlin…

“This grant is supposed to go to one lab per year,” says Richard G. Muench, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the AHRF, “but this year there were two truly outstanding proposals that we felt both merited the Birtman Grant.”

The recipients are Donna Whitlon, Ph.D., Associate Research Professor of Otolaryngology at…

A.W. “Bill” Altorfer, 85 of Peoria, died on Thursday, November 16 at the Apostolic Christian Skyline.

Mr. Altorfer served on the American Hearing Research Board of Directors since 1971, and was on the National Advisory Board of Directors for several years.

He was in research and development at ABC Washing Machine Co. until 1953, when he and his brother founded United Facilities in East Peoria. He most recently served as Chairman.

He graduated from Peoria High and the University of Illinois at Champaign, where he was a member of the Delta Epsilon fraternity. He was a longtime…

George A. Sisson, Jr., MD, a member of the Board of Directors of the American Hearing Research Foundation from 1975 to 1982, passed away on Sunday, August 6, 2006. Dr. Sisson was Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology and part of the medical staff at Northwestern University’s School of Medicine for more than 25 years until he retired in 1993.

His research has focused on cancer of the head and neck and surgery. He helped found the Yul Brynner Head and Neck Cancer Foundation as a result of an unplanned meeting of the actor Yul Brynner, who developed hoarseness before a…

Her writing has appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Popular Science, MUSE, and Outcry. Parmet is also an active artist and shows her work in many Chicago galleries.

Dr. Wackym is currently Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. He has received many research awards, including the William H. Call Research Award from the Pacific Coast Oto-Ophthalmological Society; the Vice President’s Research Award and the Shirley Baron Research Award from the Western Section of the American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological Society, Inc.; and the Nicholas Torok Vestibular Award of the American Neurotology Society.

Dr. Wackym’s clinical emphasis is on the surgical rehabilitation of congenital hearing losses, including aural…

Between 1948-50, he attended the Asheville School in North Carolina, then to Oberlin College.

He graduated from Oberlin in 1954 with a chemistry major, and went to Cornell University Medical College in New York City where he completed Medical school in 1958.  He interned at Denver General Hospital in Denver, Colorado. In the summer of 1959, he entered the army in the doctors draft, had basic training followed by training in Preventive Medicine, at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas,…

Before joining the faculty at George Washington, he was successively Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, and Reader in Chinese Politics at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies (1987-1996), where he also served as Editor of The China…

Mr. Sedgwick retired as President of Detex Corporation of New Braunfels, Texas and continues to serve as Director. Mr. Sedgwick’s career includes positions in the office equipment and plywood industries, followed by management consulting and manufacturing company management positions.

Mr. Sedgwick holds a B.A. from the University of Washington in Seattle. He served in the United States Army during World War II and was discharged…

Mr. Means is currently head of his own business, Executive Planning Services. He is a Chartered Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Counselor. He has been an officer and Director of the Chicago Association of Life Underwriters, the Association of Advanced Underwriters, and the Chicago Chapter of Chartered Life Underwriters. He is also a member of the American Society of Pension Actuaries, and the Chicago Estate Planning Council.

Mr. Means holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from the University of Illinois. He has received many civic awards, including…

Dr. Whitlon is currently Research Associate Professor, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and Institute of Neuroscience, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University and is a Fellow of the Hugh Knowles Center, Northwestern University.

Dr. Whitlon has served as a Permanent Member of the National Institutes of Health Integrative, Functional, and Cognitive Neuroscience 6 (IFCN-6) Study Section, as an ad hoc member of the Audiology (AUD) study section, and as Chair of the…

She has volunteered extensively at Northwestern Memorial Hospital at the reception desk, and greeting and directing visitors and patients, and has been volunteering in Chicago hospitals since she was 15.

Himmel-Pollack graduated from the School of Business at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and has completed graduate work at Roosevelt University in the Lawyer’s Assistant Program, and at the University of Chicago in the Interaction Management Program.

She will be serving as…

She takes a molecular and genetic approach to understanding inner ear development in the mouse, and current work is focused on understanding the role of the Sprouty family of receptor tyrosine kinase antagonists in inner ear development and function. In particular, Dr. Shim found that Sprouty2 mutant mice are born with severe hearing impairment associated with a postnatal cell fate transformation of a Deiters’ cell into a pillar cell, resulting in the formation of an ectopic space (tunnel…

At the time of his retirement in late 1996, Mr. Muldoon was a Vice President of Swett and Crawford, a wholesale property and casualty insurance broker. Subsequent to his retirement, he served as a consultant to risk managers, retail insurance agents and brokers, and wholesale brokers.

Earlier in his career, Mr.…

Dr. Moore received his medical degree from Loyola University School of Medicine and continued with his residency in General Surgery there and in Head and Neck Surgery at UCLA. He was a Fellow at the UCLA Division of Head and Neck Surgery where he merited an NIH National Research Service Award in Neurotology, as a Fellow in Neurotology. He was also a Fellow in Neurotology at the University…

He is a founding principal of Nadler, Pritikin & Mirabelli LLC. He received is undergraduate degree from St. Mary’s College, Magna Cum Laude, and his Juris Doctor from the John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois (1981).

Mr. Mirabelli is currently a member of the Illinois State Bar Association Board of Governors and has served on the ISBA General Assembly and Family Law Section Council. He is also a member of the American Bar Association.

Mr. Mirabelli, Past President of the Justinian Society of…

Dr. Loucks is currently Chief of Staff at Our Lady of Mercy Hospital. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Cliff Hagen Boys Club in Owensboro, Kentucky.

Dr. Loucks holds an M.D. from West Virginia University. He is a member of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, the American Council of Otolaryngology, the American Medical Association, the American Cleft Palate Association, and the Kentucky Medical Association.

Dr. Lysakowski is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Lysakowski is a regular member of the National Institutes of Health Integrative, Functional, and Cognitive Neuroscience 6 (IFCN-6) Study Section. She received the R.R. Bensley Award for Outstanding Cell Biology Researh from the American Association of Anatomists. She has published numerous scientific articles and book chapters, and is the recipient of several grants from the National Institutes of Health and NASA.

Dr. Lysakowski is a member of several…

Dr. Kraus is currently a Professor of Speech, Communication Sciences and Disorders; Neurobiology and Physiology at Northwestern University. Her primary interest is in understanding neurobiologic processes underlying speech-sound perception and learning-associated brain plasticity. Some of her research studies include Speech Perception and Learning Problems, Perceptual Learning and Brain Plasticity, Central Auditory Speech Representation and Peripheral Hearing Impairment, Representation of Speech in the Auditory CNS, Speech-Sound Perception in Noise, and Left-Brain Specialization for Speech.

Dr. Kraus holds a Ph.D. from Northwestern University. She has published numerous scientific articles and…

Mr. Keeling is currently President and Chief Executive Officer of WGN Medical. He has a successful history of building businesses in the medical industry, telecommunications, software technology, and finance. Mr. Keeling founded a finance company that provided over $4 billion in financing for medical equipment to hospitals.

Mr. Keeling has been an initiator of capital and idea development through philanthropic activities and foundations, and has been active in community development and management for 30 years.

Mr. Hable is currently General Manager and Certified Hearing Aid Dispenser for Sonus. He is also an Adjunct Instructor in the Marketing Department, Triton College, River Grove, Illinois; and Co-Supervisor for graduate students in Audiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.

Mr. Hable is a Certified Hearing Aid Dispenser, and is a member of the National Hearing Aid Society and the Illinois Hearing Aid Society. He is also a lecturer and consultant on hearing-related topics.

Throughout his career Mr. Knight has held a variety of senior level finance positions. Currently Mr. Knight is Treasurer of The Chicago Sun-Times.

Mr. Knight holds a B.S. from Loyola University in Chicago and a Masters of Business Administration from DePaul University in Chicago.

Dr. Hain is currently Associate Professor of Neurology and Laryngology at Northwestern University. His clinical practice focuses on evaluation and treatment of conditions that produce dizziness. He has also received several National Institutes of Health grants to investigate causes and treatments of dizziness and imbalance.

Dr. Hain is a member of…

He has specialized training in surgery for hearing restoration including the placement of cochlear implants, bone-anchored aids, brainstem implants, and implantable hearing aids. 

He also has an extensive training in the diagnosis and treatment of balance and vestibular disorders including Meniere’s disease, vestibular migraine, and superior canal dehiscence. …

Mr. Muench has worked actively in the healthcare industry for over 20 years. Currently, he is vice president in the professional services organization of Cerner Corporation, a leading provider of clinical and management software for healthcare providers.

Mr. Muench holds a Masters in Business Administration degree from the University of Illinois, and…

Dr. Firszt is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Program in Audiology and Communication Disorders at Central Institute for the Deaf-at Washington University. She has worked in the field of cochlear implants for 21 years as a clinical audiologist and clinician-scientist.

Dr. Firszt is a member of several professional organizations, including the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, American Auditory Society, American Academy of Audiology, and the Acoustical Society of…

Dhar received his bachelor’s degree in audiology and speech language therapy in 1992 from the National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped, University of Mumbai, India. He also served as a clinical audiologist and clinical coordinator at the Speech and Hearing Institute Research Center in India, where he oversaw audiology clinics and schools for the deaf.

Dhar earned his master’s degree in audiology in 1995 from Utah State University in Logan, and earned his Ph.D. from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. After graduating from Purdue, Dhar joined the faculty at Indiana…

Dr. Micco is currently Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery at Northwestern Medical School. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the Chicago Medical Society, the Chicago Laryngology and Otological Society, and the American College of Surgeons (Associate Fellow).

Dr. Micco holds an M.D. from Northwestern University. He has published many articles in scientific journals and has received numerous awards, including Outstanding Scientific…

Mr. Muench is currently Founder and President of Campion Corporation, a venture capital provider. Previously, he was involved in investment banking, commercial bank operations, and the investment department at a major insurance group.

Mr. Muench has provided leadership and guidance to Chicago Associates, an investment club from Northwestern University Graduate School.