Catherine Palmer views communication as a human right. Because of this, she has dedicated her clinical practice and research program to developing, testing and implementing accessible pathways to hearing care.
Palmer, who is professor of otolaryngology in the School of Medicine and professor in and chair of the Department of Communication Science and Disorders in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, explains that millions of American adults have untreated hearing loss that often leads to social isolation and poor health outcomes. Patients face a variety of barriers to care, which may include limited financial resources, access to appointments and confusion related to the care pathway.
Palmer approaches this problem from multiple angles, starting with improving the identification of hearing loss. Her lab developed LiDIA (Listening iDentification and Immediate Amplification), the first low-cost simple hearing screener that is used in health care settings by non-audiologists. LiDIA helps clinicians to identify individuals with impactful hearing loss and provides sound amplification in real time to support access to health care communications.
Palmer’s group also launched the website CLEARdashboard, which is a free resource that helps individuals to navigate the numerous devices that have come onto the market since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved over-the-counter hearing aids for individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss in 2022.
Palmer also takes her work where the patients are: in the community. She develops educational materials to support community health workers who can guide patients toward hearing and vision care and, together with colleague Elaine Mormer, collaborates with them to develop smart and practical strategies. And with the advent of a mobile clinic called the Communication Van, Palmer’s team can reach even more patients.
“We want to give our colleagues and patients the tools they need to be evangelists for hearing care,” she explains. “In this way, we can actualize our goal of making communication a human right.”