Assistant Professor Receives National Grant to Support Hearing Research

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Posted on October 15, 2024

Joy Washington

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University of South Alabama Assistant Professor of Audiology Dr. Nicholas Stanley has received a National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program award. This award will repay 50 percent of Stanley’s qualified educational loan over two years in exchange for a commitment to conducting research involving patients with communication difficulties.

“To receive this award is very validating for me as a researcher, but also for the collaborative work in our department, and the patients we serve,” said Stanley. “During this study, we hope to serve and help people who are experiencing communication difficulties associated with their aphasia or other stroke-related issues.”

According to Stanley, individuals with aphasia experience communication difficulties, as a result of their acquired language disorder which makes everyday communication more difficult.  Stanley and colleagues will be seeking additional participants for this study.

“The overall purpose of this research is to address hearing-related difficulties in persons with aphasia from individual and clinical practice perspectives,” Stanley said. “The overall goal of this research is to find ways to better address hearing-related difficulties in persons with aphasia in hopes they achieve better therapeutic outcomes and improve their overall quality of life.”

To qualify for the repayment program award, participants with terminal-level degree programs must submit the application and be engaged in a research project.

Stanley’s award is through the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders. Drs. Kimberly Smith and Tara Davis are collaborators on this line of research. Stanley is also grateful for the support he has received from Dean of the Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions Dr. Susan Gordon-Hickey.

“Dr. Stanley is the second allied health faculty member in the history of the college to earn this grant,” Gordon-Hickey said. “Faculty in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology are working every day to find new ways to support patients in need of speech, language and hearing services. I am excited to see how the funding from this grant will allow him to better address the needs of patients with aphasia.” 

According to Stanley, he received a great deal of support from the team of faculty members as he incorporated the initial idea and development of this line of research.

“They were gracious enough to support me in applying for this award with the projects developed,” he said. “My grant award represents the important investment by the National Institutes of Health in the future of health discovery and the wellbeing of the nation. And, Dean Gordon-Hickey supported  me as I submitted my application and is serving as my Loan Repayment Programs mentor .”

Any qualified scientist working in a research institution that can comply with all the relevant National Institutes of Health requirements is eligible to apply for this grant award. With the escalating costs associated with earning an advanced education and training, this grant can provide funds for a significant amount of student loans.

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