HESP Seminar Series | HESP l Hearing and Speech Sciences Department l University of Maryland

The HESP Department sponsors a series of talks on current research in the areas of hearing, speech, and language by visiting researchers or members of the HESP faculty, staff, and students. All students, faculty, staff, and affiliates are welcome and encouraged to attend. If you would like to join the email distribution list for all upcoming HESP Seminar Series talks, email Dr. Matthew Goupell at goupell [at] umd.edu or Dr. Jose Ortiz at jortiz5 [at] umd.edu.

Events are listed below, or access the HESP Seminar Series calendar.

Fall 2024

Date/Time/Location	Speaker/Topic
Date: October 1 Time: 3:30 PM Location: HJP2124	Values in American Hearing Healthcare Speaker: Katherine Menon (UMD, HESP) Description: Dissertation Defense Abstract: The long-term objective of this research is to create a more inclusive, patient-centered hearing healthcare system that aligns with all stakeholders' diverse values and needs. This dissertation explores the values shaping hearing healthcare through three complementary studies. Chapter 2 analyzes the introduction of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids, revealing a values shift from traditional audiology's focus on accuracy, safety, and subjective benefit to prioritizing access and affordability. Implementing an OTC service delivery model for hearing healthcare promoted values different from those of traditional audiology. Still, the creation of OTC offers affordances that enable us to create more patient-centered hearing healthcare systems to reflect stakeholders' values. Chapter 3 validates a comprehensive list of values in audiology through a national survey of audiologists, confirming alignment with best-practice guidelines. Previous work developed a codebook of values based on textual documents representing best practices in traditional audiology, and it was essential to validate these findings by directly engaging with audiologists. Chapter 4 develops a codebook based on the values of individuals with hearing difficulties, categorizing their concerns into Material, Social, and Healthcare domains. Results from this study highlight the importance of considering the values of individuals with hearing loss, which encompasses not only the use of hearing aids and affordable hearing healthcare but also concerns regarding the effectiveness, usefulness, and social implications of hearing aids. Together, these studies underscore the balance between efforts to improve accessibility and the need to maintain patient-centered outcomes, suggesting that future research should focus on understanding how values intersect with the daily lives and decision-making processes of all people with difficulty hearing.
Date: October 7 Time: 12:00 PM Location: LEF2166	Ototoxicity Management and the Role of Emerging Distortion Production Otoacoustic Emission Approaches. Speaker: Gayla Poling (NIDCD) Abstract: Hundreds of medications commonly prescribed for anticancer treatments and some infections are known to cause auditory and/or vestibular dysfunction, referred to as ototoxicity. Preventing or minimizing ototoxicity through earliest detection is critical to preserve quality of life for patients receiving treatment, promote informed decision making, and to reduce the longer term, societal impacts of hearing loss. Current clinical approaches are largely restricted to a limited frequency range (up to 8 kHz); however, this approach does not permit the earliest detection of ototoxicity, most likely to be observed at the highest frequencies (9-20 kHz). Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) offer a noninvasive, objective approach to monitor cochlear health in those unable to respond via conventional methods. Clinical practice has the potential to be enhanced by emerging DPOAE applications, including targeted monitoring protocols and high-frequency stimuli to assess cochlear function, as well as overcoming technical barriers to ensure stability of serial measurements. This presentation will highlight impacts and opportunities for incorporating emerging approaches for earliest detection and prevention of ototoxicity into current practice to advance ototoxicity management.
Date: October 10 Time: 4:00 PM Location: ESJ2208	A multi-disciplinary approach to studying human hearing: Physics, Physiology, Perception, Prostheses, Zombies... Speaker: Matthew Goupell Description: Distinguished Scholar-Teacher Talk
Date: October 16 Time: 10:00 AM Location: HJP2124	Effects of Age on Context Benefit for Understanding Cochlear-Implant Processed Speech Speaker: Anna Tinnemore Description: Dissertation Defense
Date: October 18-19 Location: MFRI	Mid-Atlantic Symposium on Hearing Register to attend.
Date: October 21 Time: 12:00 PM Location: LEF2166	The strengths and limitations of language and social communication assessments for young autistic children Speaker: Jonet Artis (UMD, HESP) Abstract: Children diagnosed as autistic are often first identified based on delays in language and/or social communication skills. While there are many assessments used to examine the language and social communication skills of young children, many were normed on neurotypical children. In this presentation, I will discuss findings from studies assessing the early language and social communication skills of young children identified as being at an elevated likelihood of autism and young children diagnosed on the autism spectrum. I will provide examples of strengths and limitations of these assessments. Finally, I will propose additional assessments that may assist in accurately describing the language skills of young autistic children.
Date: November 11 Time: 12:00 PM Location: LEF2166	Preparing Clinicians for a Future of Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Evidence-Based Practice through the Critical Appraisal of Clinical Artificial Intelligence Speaker: Nina Benway (UMD, Engineering) Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is more capable and accessible than ever before. But what does this mean for clinical practice? How can speech-language clinicians evaluate the efficacy, validity, and reliability of AI and machine learning tools meant to automate parts of assessment and treatment? How can speech language clinicians be ethical consumers of these clinical AI technologies? It may be that clinical AI will serve clinicians and clients best when it embodies the evidence based framework already in use by the profession. Therefore, this presentation presents guidelines for the critical appraisal of clinical AI through the lens of validity, reliability, ethical use, and equitable use. A rubric is provided to assist clinicians in the critical appraisal of clinical AI tools.
Date: November 25 Time: 12:00 PM Location: LEF2166	Speaker: Obada AlQasem (UMD, HESP) Description: TBD