Sherri L. Smith, Au.D., Ph.D., an Associate Professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences, has been appointed as a committee member for the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). Her role will be pivotal in enhancing and standardizing meaningful outcome measures in adult hearing health care.
Currently, adult hearing health care lacks standardized outcome measures that meaningfully correlate with an individual’s perception of their functional abilities and the impact of their hearing difficulties on their quality of life. This gap is what the committee, now including Smith, aims to address.
The committee’s objectives are threefold: to identify a core set of existing standard outcome measures, to define the core outcome domains beyond communication that should be measured, and to develop a framework along with a set of recommendations. This framework will guide the creation of standardized and meaningful measures that are adaptable to various settings.
The committee’s efforts are projected to culminate in a prepublication report, which is slated for release in April 2025. This report will provide valuable insights into the committee’s progress and the future direction of standardized measures in adult hearing health care.
Dr. Smith also serves Chief of Audiology in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences.