Mary B. Leutloff: Pioneer and Philanthropist
Legacy of a Life Well-Lived (12/8/1921 – 8/21/2019) Driven to discover and develop her breadth of talents, Mary B. Leutloff is remembered as a well-loved and remarkable woman who was devoted to her family and the causes she cared about. Self-made in an era where few women deviated from the pressures of traditional gender roles,…
AVA-Subtitles to Real-Life Conversations
The House Institute Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) patient Roselle Dyan Rico has bilateral hearing loss. But this does not stop the 26-year-old UC Riverside Biology student from participating in conversations. She uses the app AVA to increase the efficiency of her day-to-day communications. What is AVA? Roselle Dyan Rico: It is an accessibility app for…
Providing Care in a Global Pandemic
By Kevin Peng, MD and Jennifer Derebery, MD The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it numerous changes. As hearing health professionals who work in close proximity to our patients, we immediately began wearing face masks not just to protect ourselves, but our patients as well. With most of our clientele being deaf or hard of…
Hearing Impairment & Social Distancing
It was mid-March. We were nearing spring break, March Madness, festival season, and Easter, when suddenly, the world went quiet. Streets, highways, public transportation, and airports all emptied as millions of people followed safer-at-home orders from their governors. The coronavirus pandemic disrupted life in the United States in a way many thought impossible. A country…
Global Outreach in Young Medical Professionals
Incorporating neurotology fellows in our humanitarian efforts continues to be an important part of our global health and educational missions. Physicians develop strong humanitarian ideals through personal experience, often in collaboration with a medical team. Acquisition of lifelong appreciation and devotion to humanitarian work can be nurtured through various means. While the opportunity must first…
Changing the World, One Hearing Aid at a Time
When Audiologist Dr. Soo Jang is not providing diagnostics and treatments for patients in her clinical practice, she partners with the House Institute Foundation to increase access to hearing care in high-need communities worldwide. Soo Jang joined the House Institute in 2018 after graduating with her Doctorate in Audiology from Washington University School of Medicine…
In Memoriam: Fred H. Linthicum, Jr.
In January 2020, Frederick Hamilton Linthicum, Jr. passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by family. He will always be remembered for his contributions to otology and neurotology here at House. Dr. Fredrick H. Linthicum, Jr., MD, was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. He completed his undergraduate studies at Pomona College and graduated…
A Look into Our Temporal Bone Lab
By Dr. Hossein Mahboubi, MD, MPH For decades, our fellowship program at the House Institute Foundation has educated neurotologists in surgical techniques of the temporal bone. Current fellow Hossein Mahboubi, MD, MPH, details the importance of his time spent in the bone lab. The ear canal, eardrum, hearing bones, and inner ear containing the hearing…
Temporal Bone Anatomy and Function
The temporal bone is divided functionally into the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear (Figure 1). As sound enters the ear, it travels through the external auditory canal, vibrates the tympanic membrane and middle ear bones (also called ossicles) (Figure 2), and then is translated into a neural impulse by the inner ear. As…
Tinnitus Drug Trial
The House Institute participated in an industry-sponsored trial for an experimental medication that treats severe tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. The trial required that we recruit patients with severe tinnitus in one ear that had been present no longer than six months. The medication was injected through the eardrum (tympanic membrane), then absorbed into…
