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 WIDEX Australia Support Student Projects

As in previous years, the hearing aid company WIDEX Australia has supported the research of our Master of Clinical Audiology students at UWA.

As part of our Master of Clinical Audiology program, students must undertake the unit Audiological Research Project 614, requiring a novel research project during their second year, and the submission of a research thesis. The topics are negotiated with the course co-ordinator, based on the student's own interests, the resources of the course, and their suitability for a project of this scope (the projects are NOT the equivalent of a full research Master's project, but should be substantial and useful to the profession as a whole, or the Australian Community generally). Of course, one limitation on conducting such research is the availability of funds. From the begining of our Audiology program at The University of Western Australia, the Australian hearing aid company WIDEX Australia has supported the students' research by providing sufficient funds to cover this research effort. The CEO of WIDEX Australia, Mr. Geoff Dickson,  generously responded to a request from UWA to support the work some years ago, and has continued to support the UWA work ever since.

On February 25th this year, Mr. Ian Mawby of WIDEX Australia presented the UWA course with funds for their student research, allowing a very diverse range of projects to take place. Some appreciation of the scope of this research can be gained by the list of projects below.

 
 

As in the past, Student Research Projects are diverse

As in previous years, the student research projects are diverse, ranging from electrophysiological studies for vestibular testing and infant hearing screening, development of audiovisual testing and games for child hearing assessment, tinnitus matching over the web, an investigation of acoustic shock symptoms, development of a screening test for central auditory processing disorders in school children, an assessment of regional health processes in the Government sector, development of a screening process using electrical muscle responses behind the ear
. the use of binaural hearing aids for unilateral hearing loss, and more.

WE THANK WIDEX AUSTRALIA FOR ITS GENEROUS SUPPORT OVER THE YEARS, AND FOR THEIR CONTINUED SUPPORT.

THE RESEARCH PROJECTS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE EDUCATION OF TOMORROW'S PROFESSIONAL AUDIOLOGISTS, TO ALLOW THEM TO KNOW THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF RESEARCH IN GENERAL, AND TO GIVE THEM THE SKILLS TO EITHER CONDUCT ORIGINAL RESEARCH THEMSELVES, OR MATURELY INTERPRET THE RESEARCH OF OTHERS.

Some of our students after a presentation by Mr. Ian Mawby of WIDEX on the newer sophisticated programmable hearing aids.

The students will undertake their research projects this year, after much work last year to decide on a topic and to produce a research proposal that has been accepted by the Human Research Ethics Committee at UWA. The students and their projects are [from Left to right; BACK] Fred Bienvenu (Vic.; video reinforcement), Kevin Geer (audio-visual child game testing), Dr. Robert Patuzzi (course Co-ordinator), Brenden Van Fleet (hearing impaired audiologists), Nicola Linton (evoked response data logging during sleep), Rino Terada (Japan; muscle reflex screening in the clinic), [from left to right; FRONT] Sandy Veling (web tinnitus matching), Dr. Howard Walmsley (optimising eye movements for muscle testing), Mr. Ian Mawby (WIDEX), Raquel Fernandez (couples counselling), Sarah Parker (auditory processing screening in the classroom), Sandy Langille (binaural hearing aids for unilateral losses), Alisha Hardwick (optimising electrophysiological saccular testing). Not shown in the photograph are Karen Parfitt (acoustic shock symptoms), Philippa Hatch (regional audiological practices in WA). PhD students not present include Mr. Norman Zakaria (directional hearing and CAPD), Ms. Helen Goulios (comparative audiology and audiological training internationally), and Michael Tan (changes in auditory central processing with prior auditory cues). Shown below are Mr. Daniel Brown (PhD student studying electrophysiological testing of the cochlea and auditory tumours with tympanic ECoG) and Mr. Greg O'Beirne (experimentation and mathematical modelling of cochlear regulation, hearing loss and tinnitus). Mr. O'Beirne has been appointed as a Lecturer in Audiology in Christchurch, New Zealand. He follows in the footsteps of another student of our laboratory, Dr. Catherine McMahon, who is Audiology Course Co-ordinator at Macquarie University in NSW. Mr. Zakaria is to be an Audiology Lecturer in Malaysia. Congratulations to all of them on their hard work and dedication. All are grateful for the support of WIDEX Australia in their development and training, and in the development of Audiology generally in Australia and our region.

 

Daniel Brown (UWA/PhD) and Ian Mawby of WIDEX discuss Daniel's work on electrophysiological diagnosis of brainstem tumours and the fundamental mechanisms of tinnitus.

Greg O'Beirne (UWA/PhD) and Ian Mawby of WIDEX discuss Greg's appointment to a Lectureship in Audiology in Christchurch

Research Projects supported directly by WIDEX Australia

Zoe Sampson (2001) Audiology in Western Australia: Development of a Profession

Marian Brandreth & Peta Monley (2001) Infection Control in Australian Audilogy Clinics

Rachel Clack & Robert Patuzzi (2001) The Post-Auricular Muscle Response in Objective Threshold Estimation

AM Pelleri, H Goulios, H Dillon & RB Patuzzi (2001) Differences in Preferred Gain between Experienced & Inexperienced Hearing Aid Users

Kerryn Sivwright (2001) Upper Respiratory Tract Bacterial Carriage in Otitis Media in Kalgoorlie Child Population

BC Mortimer, J Kei & R Patuzzi (2001) A Mandarin Sentence Test to Measure the Understanding of Connected Speech by Hearing-Impaired Chinese in Singapore

Cliff Casey & Peta Monley (2002) Audiology in Australia: A Brief History

Rebekah Jaganathan & Robert Patuzzi (2002) Optimising the Post-auricular Muscle Response for Hearing Screening using binaural clicks in a dichotic setting

Catherine Morgan & Robert Patuzzi (2002) Auditory Brainstem Response Waveforms Before & After Tone-Decay in Vestibular Schwannoma Patients

Kate Evershed & Peta Monley (2002) Face Validation of the SCAN C: Test for Auditory Processing Disorders in Children – Revised (Australian Speaker)

Tamara Arriagada (2002) Factors Determining the Cessation of Hearing Aid Use in the Elderly Living in Residential Care

Bardia Paki & Desmond Kirk (2002) The Characteristic Place of the f2-f1 Oto-Acoustic Emission (OAE) Contributes to the Production of the f2-f1 OAE

Vesna Maric & Peta J Monley (2003) Validation of the Peta Scale: A Measure of Audiological Rehabilitation Outcomes

Steven Italiano & Robert Patuzzi (2003) Head-Related Transfer Functions (HRTFs) & Their Effect on PAMR screening procedures

Michael K Soon, Linda Doull & Robert B Patuzzi (2003) Prediction of Speech Perception Performance of Post-operative Cochlear Implant Subjects Based on Neural Response Telemetry - Threshold Measure

Lydia Cheng, Peta Monley & Barbara Gell (2003) Preliminary Examination into the Efficacy of the iHear CAPD Checklist as an Observational Instrument for Central Auditory Processing Disorder in Children

Lisa Goh & Peta Monley (2003) Elderly Hearing Impaired Clients’ Reactions to First Diagnosis of a Permanent Hearing Loss

Hugh Roberts & Peta Monley (2003) On the Provision of Audiological Assessment Through Public & Private Health Funds

Gemma Edwards & Barbara Gell (2003) Extended High Frequency Thresholds in Children Who Fail A Central Auditory Processing Screening Test

Elle L Chapman, Robert Patuzzi & Paula Schneider (2003) Classroom Acoustics in Typical Western Australian Schools

Carl R Chase & Peta Monley (2003) Prevention & Reduction of Tinnitus Distress: The Content & Delivery of Tinnitus Resources in Western Australia

Brenden van Fleet & Dr Robert Patuzzi (2005) Professional Coping Strategies for Hearing-Impaired Audiologists

Sarah Parker & Robert Patuzzi (2005) Directional Hearing Assessment within The Classroom Environment: A Possible Screening Tool For Central Auditory Processing Disorders

Philippa Hatch & Robert Patuzzi (2005) Remote Audiological Services Provided by the WA Department of Health

Fred Bienvenu & Robert Patuzzi (2005) Trial of Video Display for Visual Reinforcement Audiometry

Hannah Bennet & Robert Patuzzi (2005) Development of a Cost-Effective Laptop-Based Cortical Evoked Response Averager

Howard Walmsley & Robert Patuzzi (2005) Optimising the Post-auricular Muscle Response For Screening Hearing (Eye Rotation Parameters)

Karen Parfitt & Robert Patuzzi (2005) An Audiological Investigation into Acoustic Shock from Telephones

Kevin Geer & Robert Patuzzi (2005) Developing a Simple/Portable DVD-based Audiovisual Hearing Screening Test for Paediatric testing administered by Parent/Guardian

Nicola Linton & Robert Patuzzi (2005) Objective Hearing Thresholds Estimated from Offline Analysis of the Post Auricular Muscle Response (PAMR) & Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) During Sleep

Raquel Fernandez, Peter Howes & Robert Patuzzi (2005) The Development of a Communication Program for Hearing Impaired Adults & their Partners

Sandra Langille & Robert Patuzzi (2005) Fitting & Evaluating a Transcranial Hearing Aid for a Profound Unilateral Hearing Loss: A Practical Protocol for Audiologists

Sandrah Veling & Robert Patuzzi (2005) Matching Tinnitus to Computer-Generated Sounds versus Word Descriptions of Tinnitus

Allana Bryan (2007) An Alternative Teaching Method in Audiology Education using Audiovisual Techniques

Richard Buckingham (2007) Accuracy of Proprietary Real-Ear Simulation Fitting Software: Predictions versus Real Ear Measurements

Elizabeth Clark (2007) A Cost-effective Screening Test for CAPD for Educational Settings based on Subjective and Objective Tests of Directional Hearing

Emily Cook (2007) Effective Communication with the Hearing Impaired Population: Educating Primary School Children in Hearing Loss and How to be an Effective Communication Partner

Elizabeth Crawford (2007) Current Audiological Criteria for Detecting Acoustic Neuroma and the Course of Events from Audiological Referral to Diagnosis

Ruth Doran (2007) Noise Exposures, Noise Abatement and Hearing Conservation Programs in the WA Mining Industry

Katrina Fauldsv (2007) Effects of Bilateral Mild-to-Moderate Sensorineural Hearing Loss (suspected OHC lesion) on the Perception of Musical Timbre

Janice Fitzgerald (2007) Analysis of the Personal Experiences of Hearing Children and their Life-long Deaf Parents in Western Australia

Michelle Fleming (2007) Training Hearing Care Workers in Cambodia

Camille Franklin (2007) Group Identification and Self-esteem among Hearing-impaired adolescents from Two Education Settings

Amie Grandidge & Melanie  Pike (2007) A High School Education Program on Noise-Induced Hearing Loss: ‘What About the Rock and Roll?’

Raza Hashimi (2007) Datalogging of PAMR and ABR from Sleeping Subjects and Offline Analysis

Angela Liew (2007) An Investigation into the Physiological Control Mechanisms of the Tensor Tympani Muscle and its Role in Acoustic Shock

Andrew Mackendrick (2007) An Audiological Investigation of the Relationship Between Central Auditory Attention Deficit Disorder in Non-Medicated Children

Ana Marinova (2007) Effective Education and Marketing Strategies to Motivate Hearing Impaired Clients to Seek Help

Nicole Mossefeld (2007) Hearing Education and Hearing Conservation Programs for the Rural Sector

Ha Nguy (2007) Development of a South Vietnamese Speech Discrimination Test

Nicola Taylor (2007) Acoustic Shock Injury )ASI) and the 'flutter': An Examination of Oscillatory Ear Drum Movements in Normal Individuals and the Effect of Stress

Nicholas Parkyn (2007) Noise Exposure and Associated Hearing Damage in Australian Non-Professional Amplified Musicians during Rehearsals

Nicholas Petersen (2007) Development of a Greek Helen Test

Mona Sadeghi (2007) Social Impact of Technological Advancements on the Deaf and Hearing Impaired in Australia: Internet ChatRooms, Mobile Phones and SMS

Kellie Solomon (2007) The History and Influence of Hearing Aid Manufacturers in Australia

Geraldine  Wan (2007) A Staff Training Program for the Management of Hearing loss in Aged Care

Josephine Watson (2007) Development of a Speech Perception Test for Hearing Impaired Native Italian Speakers in Australia

Dilani Wijeratne (2007) The effectiveness of services and facilities currently in place to assist profoundly deaf and hard of hearing students within tertiary institutions across Western Australia

Tina Williams (2007) Evaluation of a Computer-Based Matcher for Complex Tinnitus

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