School of Communication Science and Disorders Assistant Professor Dr. Yasmeen Hamza presented at the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) Annual Midwinter (MW) Meeting from February 11-15, 2023, in Orlando, Florida.

The ARO is the world’s largest organization of hearing and balance researchers. At this year’s ARO MW Meeting, Dr. Hamza presented a podium presentation about the findings from her most recent study that introduces a novel auditory biomarker for cognition. The biomarker would potentially detect those at high risk of cognitive decline at an earlier stage, allowing for improved outcomes through prevention and early intervention.

Dr. Hamza’s podium presentation parallels the research in her lab which primarily focuses on understanding the impact and association of auditory disorders (hearing loss, tinnitus, auditory processing disorders) on speech perception, language development, and other cognitive capacities.

When CCI asked Dr. Hamza about what she hopes that the audience took away from her presentation, she said, “Hearing loss and cognition are highly associated. However, due to their co-existence with aging, it is often difficult to disentangle the association. The study proposed an auditory biomarker for cognition that is age independent.”

“I had a wonderful networking experience with some of the most eminent people in the field, as well as early-stage researcher women, such as myself,” says Dr. Hamza. “I learned a lot about the up-to-date techniques relevant to my research and was able to initiate a few collaborations.”

To learn more about ARO, click here.