Better ways to find what causes hearing loss
Official title: What Causes Hearing Loss: Advancing the Methods
Funded at Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health · NIH-11370204 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will create improved tools that combine hearing test patterns and people’s reports of their hearing to better understand hearing loss in adults.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | September 13, 2019 |
| Project end | March 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $477,443 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DC017717-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11370204 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with measured audiograms or who report hearing problems—especially those enrolled in large health or hearing cohorts—are the kinds of people whose data this work focuses on.
✕Less likely to help
People without audiometric testing or without any hearing complaints are unlikely to see direct benefit from this specific project.
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, researchers will look at the full shape of your audiogram across all frequencies instead of just an average hearing number. They will combine those audiogram patterns with self-reported hearing trouble and use new statistical and machine‑learning methods to find meaningful hearing phenotypes. The team will apply these methods to large existing US datasets (including NHS II, MUSC Hearing Study, and NHANES). They will also make user-friendly software so clinicians and researchers can use the new tools.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could let clinicians identify different types and causes of hearing loss more precisely, which could improve prevention and treatment choices.
How similar studies have gone: This builds on prior statistical work in hearing data, but integrating audiogram-shape analysis with self-report data and providing public software is a relatively new and novel approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Molin — Harvard University D/b/a Harvard School of Public Health
- Study coordinator: Wang, Molin
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.