Our research
Our research group focuses on many areas related to understanding and managing hearing problems.
Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE)
Publications:
Click here to read our recent publication that was published in April 2024 about the development and evaluation of our PPIE group.
You can download a pdf of the paper by clicking below.
We are committed to carrying out meaningful and enduring PPIE.
Improving outcomes following cochlear implantation.
Understanding barriers and motivators to cochlear implantation in older adults.
We are interested in understanding what barriers get in the way of people getting an implant and learning what has helped people make the decision to get an implant. A fourth year medical student, Alisha Giby, did a service evaluation of all patients over the age of 60 at USAIS to investigate what factors impacted access to cochlear implantation. Factors such as patient demographic, socioeconomic status and referral pathways were investigated. We are in the process of writing up this work for publication.
Using computers to predict current flow from cochlear implant electrodes as a way to improve diagnosis for people with a cochlear implant.
We have developed a test called the Recording of Electrode Voltages (REVS) test which measures the current spread from cochlear implant electrodes. The test can indicate whether an implant is working or not. This test will improve diagnosis of problems with implants, in people of all ages with an implant. Click on the video below to see the test being carried out.
To learn more click on the links below to read our recent publications (pdf versions are also below).
Improving the sensitivity of cochlear implant integrity testing by recording electrode voltages with surface electrodes (2024). Click here.
Piloting the recording of electrode voltages (REVS) using surface electrodes as a test to identify cochlear implant electrode migration, extra-cochlear electrodes and basal electrodes causing discomfort (2021). Click here.
Using real-world data to improve cochlear implant outcomes
We are aiming to use the health data to identify why some individuals do well with their implants and others don’t.
Click here to read our paper titled: Leveraging real-world data to improve cochlear implant outcomes: Is the data available?
Callum Findlay is carrying out work in this area for his PhD.
Hearing loss and Dementia
We are interested in the biological mechanisms of hearing loss and how this may interact with other health conditions, particularly those more common in older people such as dementia.
Working with local clinicians, we have been carrying out a Quality Improvement Project to tackle hearing loss in dementia services and ensure hearing is screening for when people go for a memory assessment.
A third year medical student, Ella Woodman, did a project to explore barriers and enablers of hearing aid use in people living with dementia, from the perspectives of relatives.
Tissue response to cochlear implantation/ Inflammation
Publications:
Inflammation at the Tissue-Electrode Interface in a Case of Rapid Deterioration in Hearing Performance Leading to Explant After Cochlear Implantation (2021). Click here.
Macrophages in the cochlea; an immunological link between risk factors and progressive hearing loss (2021). Click here.
We are interested in understanding the tissue response to cochlear implantation and what factors might influence this response. After a cochlear implant is surgically inserted into the inner ear, there is a wound healing response. For most people, this response is normal and the wound heals well to leave a layer of tissue or fibrosis. For some people, the tissue may not heal as it should, resulting in more fibrosis which can affect how well people hear their implant. We are interested in finding out why this.
CHIEF Study: Cochlear Implants and Inner Ear Inflammation. In this study we will study the inflammatory state of the ear in children and young people undergoing cochlear implantation. We want to see if the immune state of the ear impacts how well someone does with their implant. We are doing this project in collaboration with Manchester University Health Foundation Trust, funded by Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).
Community engagement
We have been engaging with our local community to raise awareness of hearing loss and the links between hearing and brain health in older adults. Titles of previous and ongoing projects are below. You can read more about the various activities in the community by clicking here.
SO-Together Health: Working together within Southampton for better hearing and brain health. Community engagement project. Dr Kate Hough Oct 2022 – July 2023. (UoS Public and Community Engagement Development Fund 2022/2023).
Listening to local communities to understand how to reduce inequities and barriers to risk reduction for better brain health. Dr Kate Hough, Prof Tracey Newman, Dr Rosalind Willis June 2023 – June 2024. (Alzheimer’s Research UK South Coast Network Pump Primping Grant).
Making research relevant. Can awareness of routes to better brain health be increased through dialogue with underserved communities? Dr Kate Hough, Prof Tracey Newman, Dr Rosalind Willis July 2023 – July 2024. (UoS Public and Community Engagement Development Fund 2023/2024).
