Susan D. Emmett, M.D., MPH, Professor of Otolaryngology and Epidemiology and the Thomas McGill Chair in Otolaryngology, secured a historic K24 mentoring award from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) to train the next generation of hearing health researchers.
This landmark achievement represents the first mid-career mentoring award ever received by a UAMS faculty member. Dr. Emmett is one of only two otologists nationally to hold a K24, a highly competitive award reserved for well-funded clinician-scientists with a deep commitment to mentoring. This five-year, $1,036,837 award will support hearing health scientific workforce development– and it’s desperately needed. Hearing loss affects an estimated 1.6 billion people worldwide, with 80% living in rural and underserved communities where access to care is severely limited. Tackling a challenge of this magnitude requires a research workforce fluent across epidemiology, trial design, technology innovation, community engagement, implementation science, and policy.
Dr. Emmett has mentored 34 individuals over the past decade, ranging from undergraduates to postbaccalaureates, medical students, residents, clinical fellows, pre- and postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. Her trainees hail from UAMS and universities across the U.S. and Canada. This award will support ongoing mentorship of 4-6 mentees annually, providing valuable training opportunities using the plethora of existing datasets from NIH- and Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)-funded projects led by Dr. Emmett and the team at the Center for Hearing Health Access.
“Mentoring is one of the most rewarding aspects of my career. It is truly an honor to support the growth of so many talented individuals as they gain essential skills that will expand access to care for future generations of patients,” Dr. Emmett remarked.
Dr. Emmett is the founding director of the UAMS Center for Hearing Health Access, the first research center of its kind dedicated to expanding access to hearing care and is recognized as the 12th highest NIH-funded otolaryngology investigator in the country according to the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. She brings a rare dual perspective to her research: she is a practicing surgeon and public health-trained expert who studies the full continuum from novel screening technology to large-scale randomized trials, expanding access to specialty care. She works closely with a dynamic team, including Samantha Robler, Ph.D., AuD, Assistant Professor and Associate Director of the Center, who are all deeply committed to transforming access to hearing care for rural Arkansas and beyond.