UAMS Audiologist Receives
Two Prestigious Awards for Hearing Loss Research
| LITTLE ROCK – Audiologist Nannette C. Nicholson, Ph.D., of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is one of only five recipients in the country to receive the Student Research Award from the American Academy of Audiology. Nicholson is a member of the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, a joint program of the UAMS College of Health Related Professions and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Nicholson received the award for her doctoral research on transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions – a physiological test that identifies hearing loss. Nicholson conducted the research at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, proposing ways to increase the accuracy of this test as a diagnostic tool.
Nicholson also recently received a grant of $20,000 from the Widex Corporation to provide digital hearing aids for children up to three years old whose families demonstrate financial need and will document the benefits the children receive from the aids. Arkansas Children’s Hospital will be the primary source of patients for this program.
“Digital technology offers the most flexibility for hearing health care and the changing needs of the pediatric population,” Nicholson explained. “Providing digital hearing aids to infants and toddlers will facilitate their speech and language development. Without this program, many families could not afford the cost of digital hearing aids.”