At the University of Chicago Medicine, our patients are the first to benefit from leading-edge research that is devoted to finding better treatments for ear and hearing diseases. As an academic medical center, we are committed to researching the newest therapies and discovering the next medical breakthroughs.

As part of our ongoing quest to enhance patient care, our physicians and researchers are working together to transform basic research into bedside medicine for our patients.

Continued Advancement of Ear Care

At the Bloom Otopathology Lab, our physicians are studying the central auditory and vestibular pathways of the ear. We want to understand more about age-related sensorineural hearing loss in the auditory system and age-related changes to the vestibular system so we can provide effective care to our patients.

Additionally, the Thirty Million Words Center, led by Drs. Dana Suskind and John List, is at the nexus of hearing health, speech, economics and social science. At the center, our principle goal is to study the role that parents and caregivers play in enhancing children’s foundational brain development.

Leading-Edge Research and Clinical Trials

UChicago Medicine physician-scientists have a long-standing history of pioneering new techniques and therapies for ear and hearing disorders. Our past and current translational research has resulted in the development of middle ear ossicular replacement prostheses that are now used world-wide by surgeons performing ossiculoplasty and malleostapedotomy surgery. 

Currently, we are working on single and multi-center clinical research trials designed to improve care for cochlear implantation, inner ear medicine and tympanic membrane regeneration. Through our clinical trials, we are able to provide our patients with access to new, advanced treatments before they are available to the public.

Our ear and hearing loss team has several clinical trials in progress that are focused on a wide range of therapies, including:

  • Using medication to regenerate/heal eardrum perforations
  • Evaluating the use of a medication to prevent hearing loss associated with platinum chemotherapy
  • Numerous other prospective clinical studies aimed at evaluating patient outcomes from a variety of surgical and non-surgical procedures