Hearing loss is a significant health issue affecting a large proportion of the population; the World Health Organisation estimates that over 430 million have a hearing loss that affects their lives and this number reaches about 400,000 in New Zealand. A lot of advances have been made to reduce the impact of hearing loss and to increase the provision of ear and hearing care services, in New Zealand and globally. In this talk, Peter will reflect on the period of his academic career at the University of Auckland, spanning over 40 years, and look at considerable advances in identification, interventions and prevention of hearing loss and global advocacy for ear and hearing care.
Peter has held senior management positions at the University of Auckland, where he led the establishment of the Section of Audiology and the Master of Audiology degree programme in 1990. Professor Thorne was the inaugural Director of the Eisdell Moore Centre for hearing and balance. Peter was co-director of Brain Research New Zealand, a National Centre of Excellence on the ageing brain, currently co-leads the Aotearoa Brain Project and plays a pivotal role in New Zealand's MedTech ecosystem. He also contributes substantially to the community with hearing difficulties, having served as the President and Council Member of the National Foundation for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for many years. Peter was one of the lead advocates for the establishment of Newborn Hearing Screening through Project Hearing Impairment and Early Detection and Intervention (HIEDI). He has supervised many Masters and PhD students and been a mentor to many of New Zealand's hearing researchers. In recognition of his services to audiology and auditory neuroscience, Professor Thorne was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in 2009.
Light refreshments will be served after the lecture.
