FIRST YEAR
Carolyn McClaskey, Ph.D., Medical University of South Carolina
Research Topic: Age and hearing loss effects on subcortical envelope encoding
Long-term goal: To better understand how age and age-related hearing loss alter the neural signaling of the auditory system (specifically the auditory midbrain) and negatively impact speech communication, so that we can work toward developing effective clinical interventions and improving communication for older adults and adults with age-related hearing loss.
Published Research
NIH & Other Major Federal Funding: $185,690
Age and hearing loss effects on subcortical neural encoding, NIDCD, $185,690 awarded in 2023.
Melissa Polonenko, Ph.D., University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
Research Topic: Identifying hearing loss through neural responses to engaging stories
Long-Term Goal: To develop an engaging, objective clinical test that uses stories to identify hearing loss in young children and evaluate changes to their responses to the same speech through hearing aids.
SECOND YEAR
Manoj Kumar, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh (see 2022 Grantees)
Z. Ellen Peng, Ph.D., Boys Town National Research Hospital (see 2020 Grantees)