Improving everyday communication after cochlear implants
Official title: Social Networks for Optimizing Communication Ability in Adult Cochlear Implant Users
Funded at Ohio State University · NIH-11471309 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project explores how adults with cochlear implants can use relationships with family and friends to improve hearing and everyday communication.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ohio State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbus, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 23, 2024 |
| Project end | May 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $610,400 |
| NIH project number | 7R01AG089200-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11471309 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults who are new cochlear implant recipients or recent users, especially older adults, who can share information about their social contacts and attend follow-up visits.
✕Less likely to help
People without cochlear implants (including only hearing-aid users), children, or those unwilling to share social-network information or attend follow-up assessments may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
As someone getting a cochlear implant, researchers will follow new adult implant users to see how everyday talk and relationships affect communication over time. They will map each person's social network and collect information about conversations, who helps with listening, speech-recognition tests, and hearing-related quality of life. The team will also measure thinking and language skills that shape communication and track how social interactions change after hearing is restored. Results will be used to design ways your family, friends, and clinicians can better support your real-world communication.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to practical ways for families and clinicians to boost real-world communication after implantation.
How similar studies have gone: Cochlear implants reliably restore access to sound, but using social-network approaches to improve everyday communication is a newer idea with limited prior proof.
Where this research is happening
-
Ohio State University
Columbus, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Tamati, Terrin Nichole — Ohio State University
- Study coordinator: Tamati, Terrin Nichole
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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.