Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness

New research from ManCAD's Cherub project! The first study to use behaviour change theory to understand the barriers to baby/toddler hearing aid use finds parents experience a wider range of barriers than current research suggests and current support targets. More work is needed to fully support families. Check out the article here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14992027.2024.2358428

Early Bird Registration is still open for ManCAD Research Clinical Audiology Papers conference!

Please note that conference registration fees will increase on August 1st from £55.00 (non-students)/£35.00 (students) to £85.00 (non-students)/ £55.00 (students).

For registration follow: https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/mancad/conference/…

👋 Hey everyone! It's time for our monthly staff spotlight where you get to meet the incredible team at the Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness. 🌟 For June, we're thrilled to introduce Jenny Chan! 🎉 Stay tuned to learn more about the amazing work Jenny does and the passion she brings to our team.

1. What is your name and job title?
Hi, my name is Jenny and I am a Research Audiologist in ManCAD.

2. How long have you been at ManCAD?
My family and I recently moved to the UK from Hong Kong, and I started working in ManCAD in April 2024. So July is my three-month anniversary!

3. What brought you into the world of hearing health, audiology, and deafness?
My first degree is in Biochemistry. After working in the laboratory for a year, I wanted to switch to something more clinical. Coincidentally, the University of Hong Kong advertised a new Master degree in Audiology, which accepts 8 students every 2 years (which is still the case at present). I was among the first batch of locally trained audiologists in Hong Kong. After completing my training, I have worked in various clinical and research roles, applying what I have learned and gaining new knowledge every day. Additionally, I have had the unique experience of working in four different countries and completing my part-time PhD while working in a busy hospital.

4. Can you tell us a little bit about the work you do at ManCAD?
I mainly worked on two projects at present. The first one is the obscure auditory dysfunction (OAD) project. It mainly aims to characterise people who struggle with speech understanding in noise despite having normal or near-normal hearing thresholds; and to gather evidence to help develop better treatments in the future. The second one is the James Lind Alliance (JLA) Childhood Deafness and Hearing Loss Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) exercise. It brings together people with lived experiences, carers, and clinicians to identify and agree on the most important unanswered questions in childhood deafness and hearing loss.

5. What are you passionate about? (Inside or outside of work.)
At work, I am most passionate about helping people who struggle with day-to-day communication. Outside of work, I love animals (I once thought I would be a veterinarian). In the old days in Hong Kong, the building where my family lived did not allow pets; however, I managed to keep my little birds and hamsters. Now, I have two cats and am often referred to by my family and friends as the ‘cat lady’.

*Research opportunity*

One of our PhD students Suhani is conducting a survey exploring perceptions and attitudes towards hearing loss and the use of hearing aids. Please see information below.

You are being invited to take part in a research study exploring perceptions and attitudes towards hearing loss and the use of hearing aids. We are particularly interested in understanding whether there are any cultural differences within different cultural groups in the United Kingdom (UK). The study involves two parts:
Phase one– An online survey that will ask you questions about your views on hearing loss and hearing aids (approximately 15 minutes).
Phase 2- At the end of the survey, respondents will be invited to take a one-on-one interview conducted via Zoom/Teams where you will answer questions about your views on hearing loss and hearing aids in more detail (approximately 1 hour). Optional sign up at the end of Phase 1. This research aims to explore perceptions from three perspectives: individuals with normal hearing, individuals with hearing loss, and individuals closely associated with or in regular communication with someone with hearing loss., If you fall into any of these groups, you may be suitable to take part in the study.

To be eligible to take part, you must:
-Be aged 18 years or older.
-Currently living in the UK.
-If you have normal hearing, hearing loss or know someone with hearing loss who you regularly communicate with.
Benefits: You will be compensated for your time.

The link to the survey can be found here:
https://www.qualtrics.manchester.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_4G9yxeGwr0oyRTg

If you are interested in taking part in this study or would like further information, please contact the research team directly at: [email protected]

Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management The most powerful, simple and trusted way to gather experience data. Start your journey to experience management and try a free account today.

Today is your last chance to submit an abstract for the ManCAD Research Clinical Audiology Papers conference (ManCAD CAPers).

The deadline is midnight tonight. If you would like to submit an abstract please use the link to the submission form below.

https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/mancad/conference/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3yTL_ITJb7fFDFvvRHYr5ySuYbOiwJwQ5CgYNumQNopN-YKn73POFu04E_aem_9GygrfC86bogK6t1g3Z06g

Early Bird Registration is still open for ManCAD Research Clinical Audiology Papers conference (ManCAD CAPers) to honour Dave Moore!

Prices until the 1st of August are: student £35.00 standard £55.00
From the 1st of August these will be increased to: student £55.00 standard £85.00

Abstract submission closes on July 1st. For registration follow: https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/mancad/conference/

👋 Hey everyone! It's time for our monthly staff spotlight where you get to meet the incredible team at the Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness. 🌟 For June, we're thrilled to introduce Richard Baker! 🎉 Stay tuned to learn more about the amazing work Richard does and the passion he brings to our team. Plus, don't miss out on the stunning wildlife photos Richard captured himself below!

To learn more about Richard, visit https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/richard.baker

1. What is your name and job title?
My name is Richard Baker and I'm a Reader in Audiology here at the University of Manchester.

2. How long have you been at ManCAD?
I started here at Manchester in March 2000 - so not far off 25 years.

3. What brought you into the world of hearing health, audiology, and deafness?
My first degree was Biology at the University of York and was inspired by a visiting speaker (the Late Dr Pat Wilson) who gave a talk when I was in my 3rd year on Otoacoustic Emissions. This let to me starting a PhD with Pat at Keele in 1985 - this was the early days of OAEs when you could read most of the literature on the topic. But the topic of the PhD was OAEs in Frogs (fitted the biologist in me!). Following that I went on to work at UCL, primarily with Stuart Rosen for 10 years with much of the work focussing on Psychophysics and particularly nonlinearity of Auditory Filtering. This led up to me moving 'up North' to Manchester to a Lectureship in Audiology.

4. Can you tell us a little bit about the work you do at ManCAD?
My current position is, Teaching focussed, and I teach some of the basic science aspects of Audiology including acoustics, speech acoustics, anatomy and physiology and perception of sound. But I haven't left my roots behind as I still frequently lead on OAE practical sessions (but not in Frogs - although they frequently get a mention!).
In addition to my teaching on the Audiology programmes I also teach aspects of speech acoustics to Deaf Education and Speech Therapy students, and also sessions on hearing to Foundation year (Y0) medics.
In addition to my teaching, I also have a Faculty role outside of ManCAD as Associate Dean for Quality, Standards and Accreditation where I oversee the QA processes for the 100+ teaching programmes in the faculty - so I'm kept reasonably busy.

5. What are you passionate about? (Inside or outside of work)
Having been brought up on a farm in North Lincolnshire I've always had a fondness for the outdoors and nature - so being out in the countryside is a passion I share with my wife (although my son doesn't appear to have inherited that gene). One of my main interests is wild-life photography, particularly birds and insects - this interest kept me sane during Covid when I spent a lot of time escaping 'zoom meetings' to go to the local park in South Manchester.

*PhD opportunity*

Risk and protective factors to spoken language acquisition for deaf children in the UK at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com. Please follow the link below for more information.

https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/risk-and-protective-factors-to-spoken-language-acquisition-for-deaf-children-in-the-uk/?p172645

Risk and protective factors to spoken language acquisition for deaf children in the UK at The University of Manchester on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Risk and protective factors to spoken language acquisition for deaf children in the UK at The University of Manchester, listed on FindAPhD.com

📢 We're back at Community Festival this year, this time as part of celebrating 200 years of the University of Manchester!

Come and talk to our team of researchers and audiologists and learn about how we hear and how to look after your hearing👂

📅 Tomorrow 8 June!
Find us at University Place

*New opportunity alert*

The healthcare Professional Placement Scheme 2024 is open for applications. Please see information and link below.
www.manchesterbrc.nihr.ac.uk/training/

It is National Patient Participation Week!

We would like to share the sign up link for our Hearing Health Research Database. We are looking for adult volunteers of all ages, with all levels of hearing. Please click the link below for more information 😊
http://www.psych-sci.manchester.ac.uk/audiologyvolunteers/

Early Bird Registration is still open for ManCAD Research Clinical Audiology Papers conference (ManCAD CAPers) to honour Dave Moore.

Prices until the 1st of August are: student £35.00 standard £55.00
After the 1st of August these will be increased to: student £55.00 standard £85.00

Abstract submission closes on July 1st. For registration follow: https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/mancad/conference/

👋 Hey everyone! It's time for our monthly staff spotlight where you get to meet the incredible team at the Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness. 🌟 For May, we're thrilled to introduce Lucy Ferrie! 🎉 Stay tuned to learn more about the amazing work Lucy does and the passion she brings to our team.

Question:
What is your name and job title?

Answer:
Hi, my name is Lucy and I work as a Research Project Assistant within ManCAD.

Question:
How long have you been at ManCAD?

Answer:
I started here in Feb 2023 so just over a year.

Question:
What brought you into the world of hearing health, audiology, and deafness?

Answer:
I have always had a keen interest in applied research. Ever since graduating with a degree and masters in psychology I have worked on multiple projects, including projects within ManCAD, building my research skillset in preparation for undertaking a PhD (hopefully!!).

Question:
Can you tell us a little bit about the work you do at ManCAD?

Answer:
When I started at ManCAD my role was to assist on a specific project which was exploring the feasibility of creating a tinnitus biobank. Now that the project has finished my role is more general and day-to-day I assist the Research Audiologists on a range of different projects with things like participant recruitment, data management and literature reviews.

Question:
What are you passionate about? (Inside or outside of work.)

Answer:
Lots! I am a foody who lives in Manchester so I like to fully embrace city life by eating in the many restaurants Manchester has to offer. I love to travel and see new places. More regularly, I read, swim, and spend a lot of time at the cinema.

Whether you are 6 or 60, your voice can always help sharpen the future of childhood deafness research! Just take a few minutes to share your views at: https://www.ndcs.org.uk/research-priorities – you can choose between the adult version and the children-friendly versions. Tell us whatever you think are the important questions that research should try to answer!

🎉 Groundbreaking News! 🎉 The Pharmacogenetics to Avoid Loss of Hearing (PALOH) team, led by Prof. Bill Newman, has developed the world's first bedside genetic test to help prevent deafness! 🏆 Congratulations on receiving the University of Manchester Making a Difference Award! 🌟👏

📺 Watch the video to learn more:

Outstanding benefit to society through research: Bill Newman and the PALOH team A project that developed the world’s first bedside genetic test to prevent babies going deaf.

A really interesting read by Kevin Munro and Piers Dawes 🔍🦻

Hearing Loss, Hearing Aids and Dementia - Don't Let the Science be Hijacked by Hype:

20Q: Hearing Loss, Hearing Aids and Dementia - Don’t Let the Science be Hijacked by Hype There is an association between hearing loss and cognitive decline, and hearing loss is also a risk factor for dementia. This course reviews the evidence that hearing loss causes dementia and treating hearing loss reduces the risk of dementia.

Sharing research in recognition of 😊

‘Breaking down barriers: Researchers at ManCAD reveal key difficulties, and possible solutions, to providing essential hearing care and support to care home residents with dementia.’ Alzheimer's Society

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14992027.2023.2227764

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09638288.2023.2245746

This week is . To mark this event we will be sharing some of our current projects 😊

Calling all hearing researchers to have your say! Rank hearing research priorities and help shape future research. More info and participate here http://bit.ly/ukan [http://bit.ly]

Registration is still open for ManCAD Research Clinical Audiology Papers conference (ManCAD CAPers) to honour Dave Moore. The dates for this event are the 16th & 17th of September 2024. Abstract submission closes on July 1st. For registration follow: https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/mancad/conference/

Brilliant news! Hannah Cross has won the Postgraduate Researcher of the Year 2024 for FBMH.

Hannah looked at 'Addressing the communication needs of long-term care home residents with dementia and hearing loss' and has already published several papers on her work

Congratulations to Hannah and very well deserved!

🌟 Incredible news from our alumni community! Alumna Jennifer Gough (Geography BSc Hons, 1976) has graciously remembered our University's Deaf Education team with a gift in her will. 🎁 Now, 11 Jennifer Gough Bursaries are available for Teachers of the Deaf. 💖 Join us in celebrating Jennifer's legacy and learn more about her inspiring gift.

Read about Jennifer Gough and her gift to our programme here: https://givingblog.manchester.ac.uk/alumnas-jennifer-gough-gift-in-will-provides-lasting-support-for-teachers-of-the-deaf/

Manchester Deaf Education
British Association of Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People
The University of Manchester Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Alumna’s gift in will provides lasting support for Teachers of the Deaf – Manchester Giving Part of the prestigious Russell Group of universities, The University of Manchester is the largest single-site university in the UK, with the biggest student community.

🗣️ Calling all science enthusiasts! 🧠✨

We're thrilled to announce that Stephanie Loukieh, one of our talented postgraduate researchers, will be presenting at the Pint of Science event on May 13th! 🍻🔬

📅 Save the date and join us at The Font in Chorlton-cum-Hardy from 7-10pm for an insightful talk on "The Mental Cost of Listening." 🤔💭

Discover what happens in our brains when we listen and the consequences when our mental resources are depleted.💡

Don't miss out! https://pintofscience.co.uk/event/the-human-senses

Let's explore the fascinating world of human senses together! 👀👂

The Human Senses Ever wondered why some people love the smell of petrol? Or perhaps why coriander tastes 'soapy' to some of us? Our sense organs help us to understand and p…

Hi there! We are doing a monthly introduction of our staff members to help you get to know the people behind Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness. Please welcome our April introduction, Garreth Prendergast!

To learn even more about the brilliant Garreth, please visit: https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/garreth.prendergast

Question:
What is your name and job title?

Answer:
My name is Garreth Prendergast and I’m a Lecturer in Hearing Science within ManCAD.

Question:
How long have you been at ManCAD?

Answer:
I joined as a post-doc in 2014 to work on an MRC programme grant with Chris Plack. In July 2018 I secured a lectureship within the group.

Question:
What brought you into the world of hearing health, audiology, and deafness?

Answer:
I did a psychology undergraduate and was always most interested in perceptual systems; mainly auditory and visual perception. After an undergraduate project using auditory psychophysics, I started a PhD at the York Neuroimaging Centre, using MEG to look at how auditory cortex neural encodes changes in loudness. I then worked on a range of different neural systems in fMRI and MEG, developing methods and performing scans on epilepsy patients. My interest in speech coding continued in the background and the MRC programme grant on the sub-clinical impact of noise exposure required a number of skills that I had developed in parallel fields. Upon joining The University of Manchester my focus moved down the auditory pathway, away from the cortex (though I still revisit) and to questions involving the cochlea, auditory nerve and brainstem.

Question:
Can you tell us a little bit about the work you do at ManCAD?

Answer:
I spent a good number of years looking at the impact of noise on the auditory system of young people with good hearing and still now am involved in projects looking at the impact of noise on the system. I’m involved with projects looking at acoustic reflexes, hearing above the standard clinical range and I maintain an interest in speech coding and intelligibility. I teach on our post-graduate programmes and supervise dissertations across a range of courses.

Question:
What are you passionate about? (Inside or outside of work.)

Answer:
Inside work I’m motivated by new approaches, challenging existing thinking and interesting questions. Outside of work, I like cycling, the occasional round of golf and stumbling across a new IPA I’ve not had before. I enjoy socialising with friends and I have two young girls who keep me far busier than I would sometimes like to be; but they do make me laugh.

In November last year we announced the James Lind Alliance ‘Priority Setting Partnership’, with us working together with National Deaf Children’s Society, Aston University and Lancaster University. The adult version of the survey is now up and running! If you:

- Are deaf or have hearing loss, and are aged 16 to 25
- Have a child (0-18) who is deaf or has hearing loss
- Work with children who are deaf or have hearing loss

Come join us to fill in this short survey (https://www.ndcs.org.uk/research-priorities) and tell us what you think are the important questions that research should try to answer!

There will be a children version of the survey to be released next month so their voices will get heard too. Stay tuned!

National Deaf Children's Society

Registration is now open for ManCAD Research Clinical Audiology Papers conference (ManCAD CAPers) to honour Dave Moore. The dates for this event are the 16th & 17th of September 2024. For more details, registration and abstract submission follow: https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/mancad/conference/

Hi there! We are doing a monthly introduction of our staff members to help you get to know the people behind Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness. Please welcome our March introduction, Kai Uus!

To learn even more about the brilliant Kai, please visit:
https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/kai.uus

Question:
What is your name and job title?

Answer:
Dr Kai Uus, Reader in Audiology

Question:
How long have you been at ManCAD?

Answer:
I have been in ManCAD since 1998. I came to do my PhD and just when I was ready to go back to my native Estonia, Prof John Bamford asked me to work with him running a multicentre study to evaluate the implementation of the newborn hearing. I had every intention to go back home, but the project was so exciting that I decided that I can stay a couple of more years... By now over 7 million babies have been screened in England and having played a small role in all this makes me happy and proud.

Question:
What brought you into the world of hearing health, audiology, and deafness?

Answer:
I was working as a paediatrician, and I accidentally stumbled onto paediatric audiology which I found absolutely fascinating.

Question:
Can you tell us a little bit about the work you do at ManCAD?

Answer:
I am a ManCAD teaching lead and a Programme Director for Audiology postgraduate programmes. My research interests are around Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder, medical aspects of hearing loss as well as screening for childhood hearing loss.

Question:
What are you passionate about? (Inside or outside of work.)

Answer:
At work I am most passionate about supporting our students. Outside work, I love theatre, art-house-cinema and scrumptious food (my partner used to be a chef before he became an academic, so I am totally spoilt). I also love dancing; it is the purest expression of joy.

Hi there! We are doing a monthly introduction of our staff members to help you get to know the people behind Manchester Centre for Audiology and Deafness. Please welcome our February introduction, Siobhan Brennan!

To learn even more about the brilliant Siobhan, please visit:
https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/siobhan.brennan

Question:
What is your name and job title?

Answer:
Dr. Siobhan Brennan, Audiology Lecturer

Question:
How long have you been at ManCAD?

Answer:
8 years

Question:
What brought you into the world of hearing health, audiology, and deafness?

Answer:
I originally wanted to be a sound engineer! I wanted to be the person behind the glass in a recording studio bringing the music together, so did a BEng degree in Music Technology at the University of York. Part of that course included learning about the human ear. I found the human element to the course the most interesting and exciting part so immediately did a MSc in Audiology at the University of Manchester and loved it. Have found my home in audiology ever since.

Question:
Can you tell us a little bit about the work you do at ManCAD?

Answer:
My primary area of professional interest is working with individuals with learning disabilities so I lead modules and supervise MSc projects on this topic. I also specialize in auditory electrophysiology, so provide practical teaching on this topic too.

Question:
What are you passionate about? (Inside or outside of work.)

Answer:
My main passion outside work is running – never has a book resonated more than The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances by The Oatmeal. On a Tuesday night you will find me at Sheffield City Concert Band. I played the euphonium for a long time, and have recently started the French horn – and have discovered that it’s harder than it looks!