The world over, researchers are working on placing together the pieces of the puzzle of age-related hearing loss. In “The Biology of Age-Related Hearing Loss” (p. 12) we see some of the pieces. One dedicated researcher working on other aspects of the problem of age-related hearing loss is Elizabeth Keithley, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Otolaryngology at the University of California, San Diego, and a research scientist at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Diego.
Keithley has contributed much to the overall understanding of age-related hearing loss in her prolific career, with significant research results documented in more than 50 scientific publications. Currently, she is publishing a study in the journal Hearing Research that shows the benefit of a diet high in antioxidants to protect against cochlear degeneration which results in age-related hearing loss (see FYI on p.15).
Keithley received her B.A. in 1974 from Boston University, Department of Psychology, and her Ph.D. in 1980 from Boston University, Department of Anatomy. She did a post-doctoral fellowship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University School of Medicine. She has been with the University of California, San Diego and the VA Medical Center since 1985. Dr. Keithley has focused on questions of mechanisms of hearing loss both as a result of old age and inflammatory reactions in the inner ear.
One afternoon in 1996, a coworker asked Keithley if she would “pinch hit” by sitting in on a meeting that he was unable to attend of the Deafness Research Foundation (DRF) Scientific Review Board. Keithley was familiar with DRF though she had never herself applied for a research grant. Her “pinch hitting” turned into a home run that afternoon, because in a graduated process of involvement, Keithley became a member of the board of directors of DRF and currently serves in that capacity.
As a researcher, Keithley appreciates the opportunity DRF creates for young researchers. “A DRF research grant affords the first amount of independence to a young investigator. This keeps young people with good ideas coming into the field,” says Keithley. Reflecting on the positive trend of private foundations notably contributing to research, Keithley adds that she would like to see a greatly expanded research grant program for the DRF. She points to breast cancer research as a prime example and believes DRF can provide the private sector funding for hearing research in much the same way.
Hopefully, Keithley’s influence will speed up the process. Incidentally, Keithley specializes in speed – she loves to go fast. When not in the lab, Keithley and her husband, John Olsen, can often be seen as blurs on bikes or skis, flying down mountains just outside San Diego.
