Three researchers from the University of Michigan Department of Family Medicine who have documented clear disparities in hearing loss screening and correction among older adults, and the links between hearing loss correction and other aspects of health, are available to comment on a new FDA action that will allow hearing aids to be sold without a prescription.
Two of the researchers have hearing losses of their own, and use cochlear implants to correct it. All are members of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.
Philip Zazove, M.D., M.M., M.S., immediate past chair of the department, has studied gaps in hearing screening in older adults, and the feasibility of implementing hearing screening tools in primary care clinics. He was the third deaf physician licensed in the U.S. and has championed the entry of other people with disabilities into the medical profession.
Michael McKee, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor and leader of U-M's Deaf Medical Clinic for people with hearing loss, has studied disparities in use of hearing screening in older adults, and in correction via hearing aids.
Elham Mahmoudi, Ph.D., M.B.A., is a health economist who has studied the association of hearing loss and hearing correction with other health outcomes among older adults, including mental health, falls and emergency department/hospital use.
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