The Laboratory of Translational Auditory Research (LTAR/NYUSM) is part of the Department
of Otolaryngology at the New York University School of Medicine and has close ties
to the New York University Cochlear Implant Center. LTAR investigators have expertise
in multiple related disciplines including speech and hearing science, audiology, engineering,
and physiology. The lines of research in the laboratory deal mostly with speech perception
by hearing impaired listeners, and particularly those who use cochlear implants (CIs)
or hearing aids (HAs). Although the laboratory’s research interests are diverse, there
are common threads that permeate and tie all of its work. In particular, a strong
interest in translational research underlies even the most basic studies carried out
in the laboratory. Another important element is the development of engineering and
computational tools, which range from mathematical models of speech perception to
software and hardware that bypass clinical speech processors and stimulate cochlear
implants directly, to novel ways of analyzing clinical outcomes data. If the appropriate
tool to conduct an important experiment does not exist, we may work to develop it,
either in house or in collaboration with academic or industrial partners. Another
notable characteristic of the laboratory is its interdisciplinary nature where, for
example, an audiologist and an engineer might work closely to develop an approach
that would not have been feasible if each had worked singly on the project. Similarly,
investigators with expertise in hearing aids and cochlear implants might join forces
to study how human listeners integrate information provided by a CI and a HA. The
following pages provide a flavor of the diversity and the commonalities of our research
interests.
Key Words
Cochlear implants - diagnostic techniques - hearing aids and assistive listening devices
- hearing science - speech perception
