The Hearing Research Foundation
Continuing the role of the Deafness Research Foundation supporting hearing research in New Zealand.
The Deafness Research Foundation has been in existence for over 50 years beginning as a dream of the late Sir Patrick Eisdell Moore to support deafness research that would transform clinical practice in otology. The Foundation has invested substantially in building hearing research capability around New Zealand over this time.
With its support, research groups at the University of Auckland within Physiology, Audiology and Speech Science have grown enormously and developed strong international reputations for high quality and leading edge research into the mechanisms of noise-induced hearing loss and its pharmacological treatment, tinnitus and its management, and the impact of auditory processing disorders on children.
Equally, a strong but smaller hearing research group, associated with the internationally recognised vestibular research team, has emerged at the University of Otago and a new group is emerging in clinical hearing and deafness research under the leadership of Associate Professor Phil Bird, Otolaryngologist at Christchurch Hospital in addition to the existing audiology group at the University of Canterbury.
The Foundation has also provided support for the career development of many scientists, including Peter Thorne, Suzanne Purdy, Grant Searchfield, Gary Housley and Srdjan Vlajkovic. And through PhD scholarships young scientists have trained and moved on to take up positions in New Zealand and around the world.
The Hearing Research Foundation of NZ was established in 2014 and now assumes the function and role associated with supporting hearing research in New Zealand.