Your Help is Needed on these Research Topics
University of York
Can you help with some vital research that will start at the University of York in Oct/Nov 2009?
The NICE Guidance issued in Jan 09 stopped short of recommending bilateral implants for adults. However, the Guidance recommended that further research should be carried out to establish the cost effectiveness of bilateral implants for adults and that this should be done in time for the next NICE Review which will start in Feb 2011.
Professor Quentin Summerfield, who has given us so much support during his research on cochlear implants, is now seeking volunteers with unilateral or bilateral implants to participate in evaluating new tests and apparatus in the pilot phase of this all important research project.
Volunteers would need to travel to York to take part but expenses will be refunded and, for those travelling from afar, the costs of accomodation will also be covered with a subsistence allowance.
If you are able to help, please apply using the contact form here or you can send an e-mail message to p.kitterick@psych.york.ac.uk, or you can get in touch by phone (Padraig Kitterick : 01904432883; Quentin Summerfield; 01904432913).
University College London
Researchers at UCL in London are seeking volunteers with cochlear implants to participate in studies of speech coding strategies. Their current major project is aimed at developing better strategies for combining a cochlear implant with aided acoustic hearing in the unimplanted ear and they are especially looking for volunteers with residual hearing who use a hearing aid in the unimplanted ear. Due to equipment limitations this particular research can only be carried out with users of Nucleus devices. All travel expenses will be paid. Please contact Dr Tim Green by e-mail at tim.green@ucl.ac.uk to find out more.
University of Sussex
Tanya Lyons, a final year student of psychology, is looking for help on her dissertation which is about deaf people who have synaesthesia. She is looking for people who have these conditions and would be willing to participate in research into synaesthesia and how the mixing of their senses occurs. Synaesthesia is a condition in which people have an addition to their senses in that they can possibly see colours when they hear/read letters/numbers/days/months/music, taste shapes or flavours when eating food, or when they hear/see words, feel touches on themselves when others are being touched- these are some of the conditions that exist. There are other combinations of senses that occur in synaesthesia and more information can be found at www.syn.sussex.ac.uk, the site of her supervisor Dr Ward.
“Synaethesia is not imagined, but a very real experience that actually occurs, and happens as a normal experience for those who have it. Many people who have synaesthesia do not realise that they have it, as they tend to think that everyone experiences the same as they do! It’s also not
something that people often talk about due to their thinking that it is a normal experience.”
Please contact Tanya Lyons – Email: tll22@sussex.ac.uk
Aston University, Birmingham
Dr Robert Morse,based at Aston University, is seeking volunteers to take part in a cochlear implant study being run in conjunction with Advanced Bionics.The aim of the study is to investigate whether a new coding strategy can enhance speech recognition. The entire study is expected to run for several months during which time you would be asked to attend a small number of sessions at Aston University. Dr Morse is looking for volunteers with the Clarion CII or HiRes 90K implant (only these implants can support the strategy) who live in the Midland region. Travel expenses of up to £30 will be paid. If you are able to help please email r.p.morse@aston.ac.uk and further information can be provided.
University of Lancaster
Laura Snell, a post graduate research student, is investigating the lived experiences of adult cochlear implant users and is looking for implant volunteers (aged 18 and over) to participate in her study. The research will involve one in-depth interview with each participant. All interviews will take place between September 2009 and August 2010. Any information provided by participants will be treated as confidential.
If you are interested in taking part, or would like to know more about Laura’s research, please contact Laura by email at l.snell@lancaster.ac.uk or telephone 01524 594118 or write to her at Department of Applied Social Science, Bowland North C128, Lancaster University, Lancaster, LA1 4YT
Institute of Hearing Research
Patients with Cochlear Implants needed for study on binaural hearing
Dr Bernhard Seeber of the MRC Institute of Hearing Research is seeking volunteers with cochlear implants for a research study on how sounds are heard in a background of other sounds – a typical problem with impaired hearing. Especially adults using cochlear implants in both ears are needed for this study, but those with one implant may also be able to help.
The research will involve several visits to the MRC Institute of Hearing Research in Nottingham. Participants will be paid a nominal fee and travel expenses will be reimbursed. If you would like to have further information please contact Dr Seeber by e-mail to seeber@ihr.mrc.ac.uk or by phone on 0115 951 8508 ext. 205 or click here to go to their website for more information.