Page 70 - Winter 2020

HEARING AND SPEECH RESEARCH
Global hearing health care is another NIDCD priority and one that also embraces multidisciplinary approaches. I cochair The Lancet Commission on Hearing Loss (available at globalhearinglosscommission.com), which pursues innovative ideas that challenge the accepted thinking on identification and treatment of hearing loss worldwide. The commission seeks to develop creative approaches focused on policy solutions and the use of new technologies and programs to enable those with hearing loss worldwide to be fully integrated into society.
We will share our findings in spring 2022. I encourage you to learn more about the NIDCD’s commitment to global health (available at bit.ly/3kMEhZL).
NIDCD’s Strategic Plan for 2022–2026
One current focus is the development of the institute’s stra- tegic plan for 2022–2026. Throughout this process, we are formulating ambitious yet achievable goals for research in our mission areas, goals that will further our scientific understanding of basic biological systems, human disease mechanisms, and promising treatments. We will continue to prioritize accessibility of care and research dissemina- tion as core components of our mission. We are committed to making treatments accessible to all, using a full range of innovative technologies and approaches to help all popula- tions, inclusive of gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographic location, and communication method. We also value our work with the many individuals and groups outside of the NIH who represent those affected by deafness and other communication disorders.
Looking to the Future
I am optimistic that in the coming years we will make tre- mendous progress in addressing the scientific and clinical challenges related to the mission areas of the NIDCD. I am especially proud of how our workforce successfully navi- gated pandemic-imposed challenges with dedication and spirit during my first year as NIDCD director. I am excited about continuing this work and commitment with my col- leagues in the months and years ahead to apply this energy across our mission areas. Together, we will continue to see the quality of life improved by our research.
References
Deal, J. A., Reed, N. S., Kravetz, A. D., Weinreich, H., Yeh, C., Lin, F. R., and Altan, A. (2019). Incident hearing loss and comorbidity: A lon- gitudinal administrative claims study. JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery 145(1), 36-43. Available at https://bit.ly/3325NfZ.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2016).
Hearing Health Care for Adults: Priorities for Improving Access and Affordability. The National Academies Press. Washington, DC. Avail-
able at https://bit.ly/3pGJbeu.
Contact Information
Debara L. Tucci debara.tucci@nih.gov
Office of the Director
National Institute on Deafness and
Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) Building 31, Room 3C02
31 Center Drive, MSC 2320
Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
JASA Call
For Submissions:
JASA is currently accepting manuscripts for the following Special Issues:
• COVID-19 Pandemic Acoustic Effects
• Additive Manufacturing and Acoustics
• Education in Acoustics
• Theory and Applications of Acoustofluidics
• Ocean Acoustics in the Changing Arctic
Special Issue articles are free to read for one year after publication and don’t incur any mandatory page charges.
Find out more at
asa.scitation.org/jas/info/specialissues
70 Acoustics Today • Spring 2021