Contact us
- Macquarie University Hearing
- Level 1, 16 University Avenue
- Macquarie University NSW 2109
- E: hearing@mq.edu.au
Macquarie University Hearing
Macquarie is a global hub of hearing research and engagement
See our hearing impactAustralian Hearing Hub (AHH)
Transforming life outcomes for people with hearing loss
Learn about AHH’s workAddressing the impacts of adult-onset hearing loss
Our research aims to bring a public health lens to hearing research in order to better understand how hearing problems affect health and social outcomes.
Learn more about the projects we are undertaking in this area and the research teams involved.
The Australian Eye and Ear Health Survey (AEEHS)
Funded by: The Martin Lee Centre for Innovations in Hearing Health
The Australian Eye and Ear Health Survey (AEEHS) will examine close to 5000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Aboriginal Australians over a period of two years.
The study follows the National Eye Health Survey conducted in 2015–16 and aims to establish a time series for the purposes of trend analysis in changes in eye diseases.
The survey is a cross-sectional study across 30 nation-wide sites, intended to document the prevalence of vision and hearing impairment among:
- 1750 Indigenous Australians
- 3250 non-Indigenous Australians.
The hearing component of the study is likely to:
- fulfil several of the key priorities and actions outlined in Australian Government’s Roadmap for Hearing Health
- inform the development of a national database on hearing loss
- facilitate the standardised national reporting of hearing loss
- assist in the development of a national set of key performance indicators for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ear and hearing health.
Research team
AEEHS investigators
- Professor Paul Mitchell (Primary Investigator) – The Westmead Institute for Medical Research
- Professor Bamini Gopinath – Macquarie University
- Professor Lisa Keay – University of NSW
- Associate Professor Gerald Liew – The Westmead Institute for Medical Research
- Miss Colina Waddell – Brien Holden Foundation
- Mr Tim Fricke – Brien Holden Foundation
- Associate Professor Gian-Luca DiTanna – The George Institute for Public Health.
AEEHS support staff
- Miss Shanelle Sorbello (Project Manager) – The Westmead Institute for Medical Research
- Miss Alemka Davis (Aboriginal Project Officer) – Brien Holden Foundation
- Mr Rhys Smith (Aboriginal Project Officer) – Macquarie University
- Dr Diana Tang (Research Fellow) – Macquarie University
- Dr Vu Do (Research Fellow) – The Westmead Institute for Medical Research.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee members
- Associate Professor Kristopher Rallah-Baker
- Lauren Hutchison – Aboriginal Optometrist, Consultant, Brien Holden Foundation
- Nicole Turner – Chairperson, Indigenous Allied Health Australia
- Shaun Tatipata – Owner of Deadly Enterprises, Consultant, Indigenous Eye Health
- Dr Leanne Holt – Pro-Vice Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy) and Adjunct Academic Fellow, Macquarie University
- Kim Gates – Executive Manager of Public Health and Continuous Quality Improvement, ACHWA
- Sowmya Rao – Wide Ear Health Coordinator, VACCHO
- Chris Rektsinis – Eye Health Project Officer, ACHSA
- Samantha Harkus – Principal Audiologist, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services, Hearing Australia
- Carla Puca – Eye Health Program Officer, AHCWA
- Sharon Hill – Assistant Director Chronic Disease Section, Department of Health
- Jess Styles – Director, Programs NACCHO
- Professor Catherine McMahon – Head of Department of Linguistics, Director HEAR Centre, Macquarie University.
Contact: bamini.gopinath@mq.edu.au
Hearing impairment in adults: A longitudinal outcomes study (HALOS)
Funded by: Cochlear – Macquarie University Joint Research Fund, and the Martin Lee Centre for Innovations in Hearing Health
HALOS is an internationally unique study of more than 900 adults aged 40 years and over with hearing loss who use cochlear implants and/or hearing aids.
This study collects data on a broad range of outcomes, including:
- health
- psychosocial
- functional
- hearing related measures.
Data from HALOS will advance our understanding of the benefits of hearing interventions in adults. Research outcomes can help:
- inform clinical practice
- improve delivery of hearing health services
- inform policy.
Research team
- Professor David McAlpine
- Professor Cath McMahon
- Professor Kerry Sherman
- Professor Jeffrey Braithwaite
- Dr Yvonne Tran
- Professor Gregory Leigh
- Professor Frances Rapport
- Professor Viviana Wuthrich
- Professor Janaki Amin
- Professor Rebecca Mitchell
- Professor Patrick Garcia
- Associate Professor Jorg Buchholz
- Dr Kompal Sinha
- Dr Diana Tang
Contact: jessica.turner@mq.edu.au
Data analytics for better hearing health care
Full title: Hearing Impairment Data Infrastructure (HEIDI) Study: Data analytics for better hearing health care
Funded by: Cochlear – Macquarie University Joint Research Fund
HEIDI aims to be a national data resource with the potential to change the course of adult-onset hearing loss. Data gathered in the study will be used to reveal a better picture of how hearing-impaired adults navigate the hearing care pathway.
The project aims to:
- generate a centralised repository of heterogeneous datasets providing a comprehensive view of the hearing-impaired patients’ journey
- create decision-support tools that can be integrated into the general practice workflow to motivate GPs and patients to address hearing health.
Profiling hearing loss among cochlear implant recipients
Funded by: Cochlear – Macquarie University Joint Research Fund
We aim to profile hearing loss through uncovering complex structures and relationships hidden within data using specialised statistical modelling.
The project aims to:
- identify the characteristics for hearing loss profiles
- characterise each cochlear implant recipient’s membership in the different hearing loss profiles
- determine whether certain profiles are associated with and affect the long-term outcomes of cochlear implants.
Research team
- Professor Bamini Gopinath
- Dr Diana Tang
- Stephen Klineberg – Cochlear Ltd
- Dr Chris James – Université de Toulouse
- Herbert Mauch – Cochlear Ltd
- Dr Zachary Smith – Cochlear Ltd
Contact: yvonne.tran@mq.edu.au
Adult recipients of cochlear implants (ARCHS)
Funded by: Cochlear – Macquarie University Joint Research Fund
The research will examine the life trajectories of adults with a cochlear implant up to 10 years after their implant, consider the nexus of health, social and environmental factors and their influence on outcomes.
ARCHS aims to:
- identify the number, characteristics and treatment cost of hospital admissions for adults who have received a cochlear implant
- examine the health service use of younger (18 to 64 years) and older adults (65 years and above) who have received a cochlear implant
- compare health outcomes for younger and older adults who received a cochlear implant.
Research team
- Isabelle Boisvert
- Dr Reidar Lystad
- Dr Anne McMaugh
- Robyn Cantle Moore – NextSense Institute
- Dr Tolesa Okuba
- Dr Ramya Walsan
Contact: r.mitchell@mq.edu.au
Developing a new quality of life measure for hearing impairment
Funded by: Cochlear – Macquarie University Joint Research Fund
The EQ-5D is one of the most popular instruments to measure health-related quality of life (HRQoL), but it has been criticised for failing to capture important aspects of health, including hearing capability.
This project:
- investigates what constructs the HRQoL of adults with hearing impairment
- develops the hearing “bolt-on” items to the EQ-5D-5L instrument.
Research team
- Professor Henry Cutler
- Associate Professor Bonny Parkinson
- Dr Kompal Sinha
- Dr Rajan Sharma
- Professor Piers Dawes – University of Queensland
- Associate-Professor Nan Luo – National University of Singapore
- Fernando Gonzalo – Cochlear Ltd
- Hafsa Quadri – Cochlear Ltd
Contact: yuanyuan.gu@mq.edu.au