meet the researcher
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EMERGING RESEARCH GRANTS
Meet the Researcher
Emerging Research Grants (ERG) As one of the leading funding sources available for innovative research, HHF’s ERG program is critical. Without our support, scientists would not have the needed resources for cutting-edge approaches toward understanding, preventing, and treating hearing and balance disorders.
Mishaela DiNino, Ph.D. Carnegie Mellon University
DiNino received her doctorate in neuroscience from the University of Washington. She is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the department of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University. DiNino’s 2020 Emerging Research Grant was generously funded by the Meringoff Family Foundation.
In Her Words as a neuroscientist, I am fascinated by how the structural and functional changes that happen in the brain throughout our lives influence how we perceive the world. Talking with older adults about their listening experiences, as well as with researchers investigating aging, turned on a lightbulb for me: Certain age-related changes in the auditory brain, not just those in the ear, may also influence hearing abilities. when i was a child, I wanted to be an oceanographer. I even hung pictures of fish with their scientific names on the wall in my room! I have always been interested in “exploring the unknown.” A psychology class in high school made me realize that I did not have to go all the way to the bottom of the ocean to find “unknowns”—there were plenty of them right inside the human brain. i actually knew very little about hearing loss, or even the auditory system, until I started my dissertation research with individuals with cochlear implants. I knew that hearing loss presented challenges, but I previously had little sense of just how difficult many everyday activities are for people with hearing impairments. I began shadowing audiologists in the clinic to learn more about their patients’ personal experiences, which helped inspire my current project investigating speech perception in individuals with hearing impairments. my colleagues are always surprised to learn that I spend much of my free time at heavy metal concerts—with earplugs, of course! I know firsthand that many concertgoers feel that wearing hearing protection diminishes 42
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sound quality and hinders the experience. But, many of them do not know that even one loud music event can permanently damage their hearing. I have done a lot of community outreach to educate teenagers and adults about the effects of loud music on the auditory system. i have a chiweenie (chihuahua/dachshund mix) that I like to take on adventures such as hiking or exploring a nearby town. Stepping away from an issue with a research project and seeing my dog get so excited about something as simple as a flower she has never smelled before really helps me put things in perspective. My husband and I are also currently expecting our first child, which I am sure will change our lives in many exciting ways.
Mishaela DiNino, Ph.D., is funded by the Meringoff Family Foundation, a New York City–based organization whose mission is to improve the lives of local children through support of education, research, and public health.
We need your help funding the exciting work of hearing and balance scientists. Please consider donating today to Hearing Health Foundation to support groundbreaking research. Visit hhf.org/how-to-help.
