Hearing loss is the most common sensory issue, affecting an estimated 1.5 billion people world-wide and has a major impact on social, mental, and physical health. The cost of unaddressed hearing loss to the society adds up to almost $1trillion per year.

Our research, co-developed with patients and families, will develop and test innovative tools and pathways for early detection and precision diagnosis of hearing problems, and targeted transformational hearing treatments to maintain health and wellbeing across the life course.  

It builds on UCL’s unique transdisciplinary auditory science community and its clinical counterpart (Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals, RNENT&EDH), with state-of-the-art facilities and unique e-health infrastructure for 60,000 ear and hearing related consultations each year (25% from other specialist units), whilst also serving diverse local communities. 

Our Hearing Health Theme is targeting three key research areas: 

  1. Delineating hearing phenotypes from ear to brain through genetic stratification 
  2. Developing innovative, treatments targeting patient-specific hearing needs and promoting healthy ageing  
  3. Applying remote technology to transform hearing and balance pathways 
Professor Anne Schilder
Hearing Health Theme Director
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Operations Manager, Translational Neuroscience, Dementia, Mental Health and Hearing Health