From personal inspiration to professional impact: Student makes a difference in audiology

Did you know that audiologists now screen patients’ eyes as well as their ears? Jana Al Jurdi, a graduate student in the CMU Audiology doctoral program, presented her research describing how audiologists can screen for rapid movement of both eyes (saccade) to help diagnose mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia, and Alzheimer’s Disease. Al Jurdi says that those who saw her poster thought it was a real “ah ha” moment and that some audiologists took notes so they could implement her research in their practices. 

Al Jurdi works with Dawn Nelson, Ph.D. in the Audiology Department and presented her findings at the Michigan Audiology Coalition Conference (MAC), a collaborative, nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of audiology and audiologists in Michigan. This marks her second time presenting a research poster at MAC. 

Al Jurdi is inspired to become an audiologist because when she was younger her grandpa had some problems with his balance and dizziness because of his hearing. Additionally, Al Jurdi had a friend who had a cochlear implant which sparked her interest. Al Jurdi strives to make a change with her research, hoping that her study shows that testing of eye movements as well as hearing is effective and can continue to be used by future audiology researchers.