Department of Audiology

Introduction
The practice of audiology includes the prevention and assessment of auditory, vestibular, and related impairments as well as the re/habilitation and following up the persons with these impairments. The overall goal of the preparing of audiology services should be optimizing and enhancing the ability of an individual to hear, as well as to communicate in his/her everyday listing environment. Therefore, audiologists consider comprehensive services to individuals with normal hearing and those with hearing impairment in order to improve their quality of life. Furthermore, this major includes hearing screening of different populations, diagnosis and rehabilitation of individuals with hearing and balance disorders associated with consultation to these individuals, their families or caregivers. Audiologists who hold a Bachelor’s degree in Audiology can work in both general and private hospitals and clinical settings as well as educational and industrial situations. Further to these occupational opportunities, the audiologists who successfully completed a master or a doctoral degree in audiology can successfully work in educational and research centers at institutes and universities.
The Department currently offers the Bachelor, the Master, and PhD Degrees in Audiological Science and provides a dynamic and innovative environment for its students and staffs with many opportunities for discussions and research in the balance and hearing sciences

Audiology scope of practice

A. Prevention

I. Promoting hearing health, preventing hearing loss and protecting hearing functionality through developing, performing, and coordinating military, occupational, and school settings;
II. Noise measurement and abatement of different acoustical environments to promote hearing wellbeing.

B. Identification

I. Identification of hearing, balance, and other auditory-related systems dysfunctions;
II. Designing, performing, and following up of newborn and school hearing screening programmes;
III. Coordinating assessment of speech, language, cognitive communication disorders with speech pathologist, or in referral for other examinations or services to respected professionals;
IV. Identification of individuals with hearing loss, auditory and balance peripheral and central dysfunctions, tinnitus, and related communication disorders and individuals with normal hearing as well;

V. Identification of individuals with acquiring speech and language disorders taking part with speech and language pathologists.

C. Assessment and diagnosis

I. Evaluation of hearing, auditory and balance mechanisms using behavioral, psychoacoustic, and electrophysiologic methods as well as appropriate interpretation, recommendation and reporting of the results and designing audiologic management programs when necessary along with considering referrals to other professions;

II. Evaluation of sensory and motor systems using evoked potentials, electromyography, etc. in order to monitor neurophysiologic intraoperation and evaluation of cranial nerve along with appropriate interpretation, recommendation and reporting of the results and designing audiologic management programs while considering referrals to other professions if necessary;
III. Evaluation of children and adults with peripheral and central auditory processing disorders as well as appropriate interpretation, recommendation and reporting of the results and designing audiologic management programs with considering referrals to other professions when necessary;
IV. Otoscopy examination and cerumen management to prevent blockage of the external ear canal and of amplification devices as well as considering medical referral when necessary.

D. Rehabilitation

I. Evaluation, selection, fitting and dispensing of hearing aids, cochlear implant, and assistive listening technology devices for different population with hearing impairment to meet comprehensive audiologic re/habilitation programs;

II. Comprehensive evaluation of individuals’ candidacy for cochlear implants before implantation and providing of fitting, mapping, and appropriate training program;

III. Consultation and providing of psychological aspects of hearing impairment, communication strategy training, consultation and training the utilizing of hearing aids, cochlear implant, assistive listing devices, etc. to hearing impaired populations and their families and to those professionals involving in the rehabilitation program;

IV. Providing comprehensive audiologic rehabilitation programs, including but not limited to peripheral and central-based auditory training, communication strategies training, language therapy, leap and/or speech reading training, manual communication training for different populations with hearing impairments/dysfunctions and evaluation and monitoring of treatment/management procedures. 

V. Evaluation, consultation, and providing vestibular and balance rehabilitation therapy for individuals with vestibular and balance disorders;

VI. Evaluation, consultation, and providing audiologic tinnitus treatment/management;
VII. Providing educational audiologic services for school and other educational settings, including but not exclusive to hearing screening programs, noise measurements and recommendations for treating classrooms’ listing environments to meet the accepted criterions, suggesting appropriate amplification systems for classrooms particularly those classrooms encompass children with hearing loss and/or central auditory dysfunctions.

VIII. Industrial and military noise measurements and controls.

E. Consultation

I. Consultation to families who have children who are deaf/hard of hearing as to individual, social, educational and occupational consequences of hearing loss and other auditory dysfunction, further consultation to educators and other members of interdisciplinary teams regarding communication management, educational programming, classroom acoustics, and amplification systems for children with hard of hearing and other auditory and balance disorders;
II. Consultation to governmental and private sections who are involved in urban architectures, building designing, urban programs, and other related services for individuals with hard of hearing and other auditory and balance disorders;

III. Consultation to military and industrial settings on the hazardous effects of noise on individuals, noise measurement and control programming, further consultation to manufacturers who are involved in the development of products and instrumentation related to the measurement and management of auditory or balance disorders.

F. Education/ Research/Administration

I. Education, supervision, and administration of undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate audiology students and other professional education programs;

II. Monitoring of functional outcomes, client satisfaction, effectiveness, and competence of practices and methods to preserve and enhance the quality of audiologic services;
III. Designing and accomplishment of basic and applied audiologic research to enhance the knowledge base, designing new techniques and programs, and determining the effectiveness and competence of evaluation and treatment methods;

IV. Contribution in developing of professional and technical criteria and standards.

Long-term courses include the following:

• Graduate degree programs:
• Master of Science in Audiology (M.Sc.) - Two years

Research Interests 

• Physiology of Cochlea
• Auditory Efferent Nervous System
• Otoacoustic Emissions
• Auditory Electrophysiology (ERP, ERA)

Clinics and Laboratories:

Faculty Members: