Personalized hearing aid settings to help with your hearing
Official title: Implementing an evidence-based approach to individualized hearing aid processing
Funded at Northwestern University · NIH-11533590 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study at Northwestern University will try customized hearing aid processing to see if people hear better when the device matches their abilities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Northwestern University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $284,531 |
| NIH project number | 1R56DC022627-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11533590 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults 21 years and older with hearing loss who use or are considering hearing aids and fit into the study's clinical setting.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with very mild hearing loss or those not using hearing aids may see limited benefit from this particular study.
What this research studies
If you wear hearing aids, you may benefit from processing that is tailored to how you hear and what you can understand. The study will use real patients in a clinical setting and look at different fitting approaches, from precision fits to alternative options, to see which helps most. Researchers will use observational methods to compare outcomes while accounting for differences between patients. Data will come from standard clinical care, focusing on how signal modification affects hearing in everyday listening. Participants will contribute their fitting data and listening outcomes to help refine personalized care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to more effective, personalized hearing aid programming that improves everyday listening for adults with hearing loss.
How similar studies have gone: Previous laboratory findings suggest that less aggressive signal modification can improve outcomes for some listeners, and the observational approach aims to translate this to real-world care.
Where this research is happening
-
Northwestern University
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Souza, Pamela E. — Northwestern University
- Study coordinator: Souza, Pamela E.
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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.