Hearing Loss Research: Audiologist Earns Award Helping Veterans

November 16, 2010 - University of Northern Colorado faculty member Deanna Meinke recently earned an outstanding achievement award from the Illinois Academy of Audiology.

The associate professor of Audiology and Speech-Language Sciences is the academy’s recipient of the Natalie Stukas Hearing Conservation Award. This award, established in memory of the founding member of the academy who dedicated her professional life to the identification and prevention of hearing loss in the workplace, recognizes outstanding achievement in clinical practice, consumer education, product development, or research in the area of hearing conservation.

Meinke’s research interests include the early detection and prevention of noise induced hearing loss. She’s leading research - funded by a three-year, $435,000 grant from the Office of Naval Research and Dartmouth - to develop specialized hearing testing for military personnel who are susceptible to noise induced hearing loss and tinnitus (ear ringing), which account for nearly 10 percent of the total number of disabilities among veterans. The goal is to facilitate early detection and intervention.

Meinke is past president of the National Hearing Conservation Association, chair of the NHCA Task Force on Children and Noise and the Colorado Academy of Audiology, and is the 2010 recipient of the NCHA Threadgill Award for outstanding service. She chairs the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health “Safe-in-Sound Expert Committee."

Meinke has also collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in establishing an online resource to help prevent noise-induced hearing loss in children and a national program, called "Dangerous Decibels," which provides educator training workshops, classroom presentations and educational materials on the topic.

UNC News Releases

The associate professor of Audiology and Speech-Language Sciences is the academy's recipient of the Natalie Stukas Hearing Conservation Award. www.unco.edu/news/releases.asp?ID=1083