UCL Ear Institute

Great article about the relationship between hearing loss and dementia in Yesterday's Mail by Prof David McAlpine.

Yesterday, the Ear Institute welcomed 30 year 10 & 11 students from 3 London Schools. They took part in a workshop designed to get students interested in persuing a career in health sciences...

Congratulations to Jonathan Fishman who received the Royal Society of Medicine Laryngology research prize this year and was subsequently shortlisted for and won the RSM-Wesleyan Young Trainee of the Year

Following a successful application to the European Union’s ‘FP7-HEALTH-2012-INNOVATION-2 funding programme, we are pleased to announce the launch of Advanced Bilateral Cochlear Implant Technology (ABCIT) a 3-year research project funded to the tune of €4M. ABCIT incorporates academic partners at the Ear Institute, Oldenburg University in Germany, and the French cochlear implant company Neurelec. ABCIT aims to enhance the spatial listening abilities of cochlear implant users, particularly those who receive the Neurelec binaural device. This device stimulates both implanted ears synchronously and has the potential to enhance the ability to locate the source of a sound, and to listen in noisy environments (cocktail party listening). By combining Neurelec’s implant technology with hearing-aid technology developed by Oldenburg’s spin-out group Hoertech, ABCIT aims to improve the hearing outcomes of the severely and profoundly deaf. Scientists and engineers across all locations will these combined approaches under simulated and real-world listening conditions to determine future implant designs.

Sir Andrew Huxley, President of the Royal Society from 1980 to 1985, died on 30 May 2012. A memorial event in his honour was held on 17 October 2012 at the Royal Society. It will include presentations on various aspects of his scientific life from Professor Jonathan Ashmore, Sir John Bradfield, Mr Stewart Huxley, Professor Malcolm Irving, Professor Denis Noble, Sir Paul Nurse and Professor Roger Woledge. (Taken from Royal Society Website)

Huge congratulations to Jonathan for receiving this prestigious award which has just been launched by the MRC to mark its 100 years, supporting the very best of its early career researchers to accelerate their research and their career development.

Joel Joseph, one of our Yr4 students, took part in the hugely spectacular olympic games opening ceremony viewed by an estimated one billion people worldwide!

The BSc and MSc prizes for academic performance in Audiology, Audiological Science, Advanced Audiology and Audio Vestibular Medicine were today presented to students at an afternoon ceremony at the Ear Institute.

Following the UCLP ENT launch event on 8th March at the Royal Free Hospital, the presentations given by the keynote speakers are now available for you to download:

As  Director of the NHS Newborn Hearing Screening Programme, Professor Adrian Davis was interviewed on BBC breakfast this morning to mark the 5 millionth baby screening which took place today in Manchester.

On 20th April 2012, disabled rights campaigner and co-founder of the Deafness Research UK charity passed away at the age of 88.

 Prof Matrin Birchall is quoted in a BBC health story about organ regeneration.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16679010

The Ear Institute was onthe  BBC again last night. Bridgitte Harley helped Eastenders actress Rita Simons cope with some of the decision making related to her six-year-old daughter's hearing loss.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-17365141

Our very own Dr Priya Singh talked to Dallas Campbell about the structure of the ear, and what causes hearing loss on the popular BBC science show Bang Goes the Theory which aired on Monday night.

Prof. Anne Schilder is awarded National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) professorship for ENT Health Services Research! Eight of the UK’s most promising leaders in medical health research will be awarded a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) professorship, the Government announced today. Each professor will receive around £1.5m of funding to conduct research into conditions that affect millions of patients across the UK. Prof Schilder's project will develop the evidence base for Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) medicine and surgery, ensuring new and current treatments in ENT are tested and evaluated so that patients can benefit from the best treatments in the field.

An afternoon of lectures, stalls and refreshments has been announced to launch the UCL Partner's ENT Programme. Following a welcome address from Professor Sir John Tooke, Vice-Provost (Health), you will be introduced to the UCL Partner’s ENT programme which explores ways in which UCL science can improve the lives of those with communication and other disorders in our community.  

You are invited to participate in a research study about how the immune and bacterial systems in the lining of the larynx (voice box) responds to disease and environmental factors. You can participate in this study if you are a non-smoker or a smoker, or you have conditions known as reflux or vocal fold polyps and you meet our study criteria. This research study involves several procedures, including taking a recording of the appearance of your larynx, a pH monitoring for reflux and small tissue samplings from your false vocal fold.

The Ear Institutes Professor Martin Birchall has assisted in a laryngeal, trachea and Thyroid Gland transplant to an American patient who previously had no voice. She has now spoken for the first time in 11 years, and together with a team of surgeons at UC Davis Prof Birchall has carried out only the second documented voicebox transplant.

David McAlpine, Professor of Auditory Neuroscience and Director of the UCL Ear Institute, has taken part in an audio programme with renowned deaf percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie for HearHere!, a joint venture by the Royal Philharmonic Society and Classic FM.

The first of our Masterclass series is only a couple of weeks away. Visit the website to learn more.

An article about tinnitus is published in the Times today which features an interview with David McAlpine. The jounalist (Richard Morrison) also describes how it feels to experience the condition for one day thanks to some work by Brad Backus.

A warm welcome to Dr Roland Schaette who has recently joined the Ear Institute as a Research Fellow funded by the British Tinnitus Association.

Jonathan Gale, with colleagues from the University of Sussex, have written an article which has been featured as this week's cover of Neuroscience

Roy Bratby has been appointed as the new Chairman of the British Tinnitus Association, and today he took some time out of his busy schedule to visit the Ear Institute today. Hopefully we can look forward to seeing a lot more of him around here!

Congratulations go out to Safiya Husain, one of this year's BSc in Audiology graduates, who has been awarded the Poster Prize at thie years Annual British Society of Audiology Conference. Well Done!