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DRF 2008-2009 GRANT RECIPIENTS
ANNOUNCED
Deafness Research Foundation (DRF) is excited to
announce that it has awarded 18 grants of around
$25,000 each to outstanding young scientists in the
field of hearing and balance research.
Each year DRF awards research grants to young
investigators who are exploring new avenues of
hearing and balance science. These funds will
support research in the following areas research:
- Fundamental Auditory Research - development,
genetics, molecular biology, physiology,
anatomy, and regeneration biology;
- Hearing and Balance Restoration - infants,
children and adults
- cochlear implants / surgical therapy for
otosclerosis / hair cell regeneration/
hearing aids, medical therapy;
- Hearing Loss - aging, noise-induced ,
otosclerosis, viral infection (sudden deafness),
ototoxicity, temporal bone pathology, otitis
media, cholesteatoma, and tumors;
- Vestibular and Balance Disorders (dizziness
and vertigo, Meniere's disease);
- Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and
Hyperacusis (decreased tolerance of sound).
The Deafness Research Foundation was founded in
1958 by Collette Ramsey Baker, who suffered for
almost 40 years of hearing loss caused by
otosclerosis. Since its inception, it has awarded
nearly $24 million through more than 2,200 research
grants to researchers who are dedicated to
exploring new avenues of hearing science. This
seed money has led to dramatic innovations that
increase options for those living with hearing
loss, as well as protecting those at risk. With the
potential for hearing restoration through
regeneration biology, the scope of DRF funded
research has expanded enormously.
For this year's grants selection, DRF's Council
of Scientific Trustees reviewed applications from
scientists at renowned research institutions around
the US. The selected research projects received
detailed peer review for scientific merit and
program relevance. A complete list of the 2008-2009
grants recipients is listed below:
FIRST YEAR HEARING & BALANCE RESEARCH
GRANT RECIPIENTS
R. Michael Burger, Ph.D., Lehigh University
Efferent Loizounction in Sound Localization
Processing
Snezana Levic, Ph.D., University of California,
Davis
Mechanism of Hair Cell Development and
Regeneration
Geng-Lin Li, Ph.D., Oregon Health & Science
University
Auditory Signal Coding at the Hair Cell Ribbon
Synapses
Kathleen McNerney, Ph.D., State University of
New York at Buffalo
The Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential -
Unanswered Questions Regarding Stimulus and
Recording Parameters
Christian N. Paxton, Ph.D, University of
Utah
The Role of Fgf4 in Otic Placode
Induction
Iris Schrijver, M.D., Stanford University of
Medicine
The Functional Impact of Single and Dual Expression
of GJB2 Missense Variants V271 and E114G: An
Exploration of Pathogenic Effects on
Hearing
Yu-chi Shen, Ph.D., University of Michigan
The Role of MIF in Zebrafish Inner Ear
Development
Chin-Tuan Tan, Ph.D., New York University,
School of Medicine
Measuring and Predicting the Quality of
Nonlinearly Distorted Music and Speech as Perceived
by Hearing-Impaired People
Kathleen T. Yee, Ph.D., Tufts University School
of Medicine
A Role for Pax6 in Cochlear Nucleus
Development
SECOND YEAR HEARING & BALANCE RESEARCH GRANT
RECIPIENTS
Tamara Alliston, Ph.D., University of
California, San Francisco
The Role of Cochlear Capsule Bone Remodeling in
Hearing Loss
Mirna Mustapha-Chaib, Ph.D., University of
Michigan
Determine the Functional Role of the Unique
Amino Terminus of Myo15 in Hearing Using
Genetically Engineered Mice
Irina Calin-Jageman, Ph.D., University of
Illinois, Chicago
Harmonin Interactions with Voltage-Gated Ca2+
Channels in a Mouse Model of Usher Syndrome
Patricia Loomis, Ph.D., Rosalind Franklin
University of Medicine and Science
Splicing Regulation of Pre-MRNA Generated From
the Deafness-Associated Espin Gene
Ania Majewska, Ph.D., University of
Rochester
Cortical Synaptic Plasticity in a Mouse Model of
Moderate Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Sonya Pyott, Ph.D., University of North Carolina
at Wilmington
Enhancement of the Efferent-Hair Cell Synapse by
Metabotropic Glutamate Receptors
Valeriy Shafiro, Ph.D., Rush University
Perception of Environmental Sounds and Speech in
Patients with Cochlear Implants
Lisa Urness, Ph.D., University of Utah
FGF-Regulated Hearing Loss Genes: Fast Tracking
to Functional Analysis
Ilse Wambacq, Ph.D., Montclair State
University
Neurophysiological and Psychoacoustic Indices of
Binaural Processing in Adults
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The Deafness Research Foundation works to make a
lifetime of hearing health possible for all people
through quality research and education. The DRF is
the leading national source of private funding for
basic and clinical research in hearing and balance
science.
www.drf.org
Voice (212) 328-9480
Toll-Free (866) 454-3924
TTY (888) 435-6104
Fax (212) 328-9484
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