Graduate Research Assistant Darla McDonald won the audiology poster award at the American Cochlear Implant Alliance meeting for her presentation of a case study of a cochlear implant recipient with reported catastrophic tinnitus in the implanted ear who participated in clinical research aimed at improving individual patient outcomes.
Darla McDonald is a third-year doctor of audiology student in the Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences and a graduate research assistant in the Department of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery’s Cochlear Implant Clinical Research Laboratories. She received the Student Poster Presentation Award at the American Cochlear Implant Alliance Annual Conference for her presentation of a case study of a cochlear implant recipient with reported catastrophic tinnitus in the implanted ear who participated in clinical research aimed at improving individual patient outcomes.
A modified mapping procedure was conducted to reduce the tinnitus severity when listening with the cochlear implant. At the 3-month follow-up visit, the cochlear implant user reported a reduction in tinnitus severity, dropping to the moderate level. Her findings support that this modified mapping procedure may help reduce the perceived tinnitus severity for cochlear implant patients who continue to perceive tinnitus after cochlear implantation.
McDonald’s mentors on this collaborative project included Allison Young, AuD, Margaret Richter, AuD, and Margaret Dillon, AuD, PhD.