People often ask me,

"How did you get into studying hearing loss?"

I have a mild to moderate, bilateral, sensorineural hearing loss. Despite learning about my hearing loss at a young age and getting my hearing tested every year of my life, I did not begin wearing hearing aids until I was 17 years old (junior in high school). I consider the day I first started wearing hearing aids to be the day that I actually lost my hearing. Four years later, one of my professors at the University of Michigan encouraged me to write an honors thesis in sociology. I took the thesis as an opportunity to scientifically approach hearing loss, and I have been studying hearing loss ever since.

On the 10th anniversary of wearing hearing aids, I got my American Girl doll a pair of hearing aids. I may not play with dolls anymore, but it was a big step for me in acknowledging my hearing aids as a major part of my life.

While my career prospects hinge on my ability to publish rigorous scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, I think it is incredibly important for research to reach the public. Check out my Twitter feed for research that I think is interesting. Or scroll through the slideshows below for books related to hearing loss.