My research focuses on the development, evaluation, and implementation of hearing healthcare service delivery models that improve access, affordability, and outcomes—particularly for older adults with hearing loss. A central goal of my work is to advance self-management approaches and leverage digital technologies to deliver scalable, patient-centered hearing care.
My research program is organized around the following thematic areas:
- Hearing Healthcare Service Delivery Models: Development of evidence-based service delivery models—including direct-to-consumer and community-based rehabilitation approaches—to improve accessibility, affordability, quality, and outcomes of hearing healthcare.
- eHealth and Telehealth: Development and evaluation of internet-based and digital interventions for hearing-related disorders, including guided behavioral rehabilitation delivered via tele-rehabilitation and digital therapeutics.
- Consumer Health Informatics: Examination of patient-generated health data and online health communities, with emphasis on how individuals use digital platforms (e.g., internet resources, social media) for self-assessment, self-management, and decision-making related to communication disorders.
- Psychosocial Aspects of Hearing Loss: Investigation of psychosocial determinants of hearing health, including (a) knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to music-induced hearing loss among adolescents and young adults, with a focus on prevention, and (b) factors influencing help-seeking, uptake, and sustained use of hearing rehabilitation, to inform patient-centered intervention strategies.
I co-lead the Virtual Hearing Lab with Prof. De We Wet Swanepoel. The Virtual Hearing Lab is an interdisciplinary collaborative research initiative with the aim to improve hearing health access, affordability, and outcomes by capitalizing on the internet, virtual spaces, and digital health.