Ear disease has been my primary clinical, surgical and research focus since my residency at Harvard (a few decades ago). Treating pediatric hearing loss provided me with challenges and a chance to meet concerned loving parents needing safe resolution and in some instances, surgery for their child.

Early detection and intervention nearly always resulted in optimum outcomes and in cases of delay, resulted in destructive changes to the child's middle and inner ears.

On the personal side, I've been involved with the lives of my (now grown) daughters, leading me to participate in their school life. As a trustee at their schools (I'm a helicopter parent) Phillips Brooks School, Castilleja School in Palo Alto and finally Wesleyan University, I am keenly aware of the needs of the classroom teacher /parent environment.

Central to the success in high achieving learning environments are at a minimum, healthy set of ears. Many young students are mislabeled as slow learners or behavioral challenges when they simply can't hear well even out of one ear.

Recent sets of studies from Harvard's Eaton Peabody Labs implicate permanent hearing nerve damage and brain related auditory problems caused by commonly missed chronic fluid retention behind the eardrum. The KidsHearing game is the direct outcome of that shocking data. Putting hearing screening in the hands of parents and teachers allows for earlier intervention and prevention of irreversible ear disease.

Applying my engineering experience to new methods for hearing health: new ways to measure hearing, assess higher auditory function and and rehabilitate hearing loss and tinnitus.