SPCR Masterclass | Making your research accessible to people living with hearing loss and the Deaf community.

Speakers: Dr Eithne Heffernan 

When: 05 March 2025 11:00 

How: Zoom 

Register: https://forms.office.com/e/9rUAqbcj3S

Masterclass Summary:  Hearing loss affects approximately 18 million people in the UK, or as many as one in three adults. It is a progressive, long-term condition that can significantly impair communication and quality of life. However, this invisible condition often goes undetected and untreated. People living with hearing loss and the Deaf community encounter many barriers to accessing health services and are frequently under-represented in clinical research. It is vital that primary care investigators who work with the adult population, especially older adults, ensure that their research is accessible to people living with hearing loss and Deaf people. This masterclass will provide essential information about hearing loss, as well as strategies and resources that can be used to involve people living with this condition in research. It will also provide insights on working with members the Deaf community who use sign language and people who live with tinnitus or hyperacusis. It will be facilitated by an experienced hearing researcher with input from a hearing healthcare professional and an expert with lived experience. 

About the Speaker: Eithne is a Senior Research Fellow in the University of Nottingham. She was awarded an NIHR School for Primary Care Research Postdoctoral Fellowship to partner with stakeholders to co-design improvements to primary care services for adults living with hearing loss. In addition, Eithne leads the James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership for Co-existing Dementia and Hearing Conditions. Previously, she was awarded funding from the NIHR Clinical Research Network East Midlands and the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre to co-design a toolkit to improve the inclusion of under-served communities in research about co-existing dementia and hearing loss. Her PhD and postdoctoral research examined social isolation in adults living with hearing loss. Eithne sits on the European INTERDEM Academy Management Board, which supports the development of early career dementia researchers. 

Target audience: SPCR Member and wider with interest in topic area 

Admin support: SPCR Directorate