The American Hearing Research Foundation (AHRF), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, recently awarded nine grants totaling $201,000 for FY17.
AHRF funds five to 10 research projects each year, with grants of $20,000 to $40,000. Funded projects cover a wide range of research areas and are conducted in the hope that the medical community may better understand how individuals lose hearing and balance functions, how they regain them, and, most importantly, how to preserve the hearing function individuals still have. Additionally, the Foundation also awards smaller grants to otolaryngology residents.
Since 2010, the Foundation has funded over $1.2 million in research grants. The 2017 grant recipients, academic institutions, and research grant projects, are:
| John P. Carey, MD | Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine | Investigation of Salivary Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) in Vestibular Migraine |
| Monita Chatterjee, PhD | Father Flanagan’s Boy’s Home d/b/a Boys Town National Research Hospital | Modulation Interference in Listeners With Cochlear Implants |
| Allison Coffin, PhD | Washington State University Vancouver | High-throughput drug discovery for prevention of noise‐induced hair cell loss |
| Ning Hu, MD, PhD | University of Iowa | Investigation of gender differences in noise-induced cochlear synaptopathy |
| Timothy E. Hullar, MD | Oregon Health and Science University | Audition and balance |
| Elliott D. Kozin, MD; Aaron K Remenschneider, MD, MPH; Daniel J. Lee, MD | Harvard Medical School | Application of diffusion tensor imaging to evaluate central auditory pathways in patients with congenital deafness |
| Frances Meredith, PhD; Katherine Rennie, PhD | University of Colorado Denver | Identification and Modulation of Na+ Currents in Vestibular Afferent Terminals |
| Jason Rudman, MD, PGY 3 | University of Miami Miller School of Medicine | A sequential screening strategy for genetic hearing loss in a native black South African population |
| A. Catalina Vélez-Ortega, PhD | University of Kentucky | Activity-dependent plasticity in the cochlear hair cell stereocilia cytoskeleton and its effect on mechanotransduction |
“We’re very proud to have supported research related to hearing loss and balance disorders for over 60 years, since 1956,” commented Richard G. Muench, longtime Chairman of the Board of Directors. We want to ensure the scientific community continues to grow its understanding of hearing loss. Bottom line, we want to improve the day-to-day quality of life for millions of people who experience reduced hearing.
The Foundation serves two vital roles: to fund significant research in hearing and balance disorders, and to help educate the public about hearing loss and balance disorders related to the inner ear. For more information on the Foundation, interested parties should visit www.American-Hearing.org.