By Lauren McGrath
On January 5, Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) hosted New Developments in Treating Hearing Loss and Related Conditions: Digital Therapeutics” on Zoom, the next installment of the Hearing Health Hour webinar series that began in 2020. Hearing Health Hour events bring HHF supporters the latest developments in hearing and balance research through the voices of our Emerging Research Grants (ERG) alum community. All sessions include an interactive Q&A with the speaker.
Tye-Murray noted in her presentation that auditory processing speed is how long it takes for your brain to understand and react to something that someone says. Speech is typically between 120 and 250 words per minute.
This webinar was led by 1987-1989 ERG scientist Nancy Tye-Murray, Ph.D., who is professor of otolaryngology—head & neck surgery at Washington University School of Medicine and the CEO and Founder of clEAR/Amptify.
Tye-Murray first introduced the audience to the three pillars of hearing health care: diagnostics, treatment, and rehabilitation. Her presentation focused on the third category, rehabilitation, to show how digital therapeutics can help people with hearing loss improve word discrimination, familiarity with everyday words, listening confidence, and auditory cognitive skills, including auditory processing speed, auditory word memory, and auditory attention. A digital therapeutic (DTx) is a software-based intervention for a disease and/or disorder that is clinically validated to drive a specific positive outcome. A DTx is often used in combination with a drug intervention or a medical device (e.g., hearing aids).
Tye-Murray’s presentation was hosted by Anil Lalwani, M.D., who is a member of HHF’s Board of Directors and the Head of the Council of Scientific Trustees, the body that governs the ERG program. Lalwani opened and closed the presentation and led the Q&A discussion. A number of thoughtful questions from clinicians, researchers, and lay supporters were addressed.
Hearing Health Hour webinars are broadcast quarterly on Zoom at no cost to participants. The next session, led by Richard Tyler, Ph.D., is scheduled for Monday, April 19 at 5:00 PM EST and is entitled “Measuring Tinnitus and Reactions to Tinnitus.” A 2012 ERG grantee, Tyler is professor in the departments of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery and communication sciences and disorders at the University of Iowa. Registration details will soon be made available at hhf.org/webinar.
