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Northwestern School of Communication

Sumitrajit (Sumit) Dhar

(he/him)
Professor; Hugh Knowles Chair in Hearing Sciences
I study hearing, hearing loss, and hearing healthcare. One major focus of my work is to understand the physiology and biophysics related to sounds created in the inner ear (otoacoustic emissions). The sounds are recorded using small microphones placed in the ear in an attempt to understand the workings of the inner ear by analyzing them in various ways. I am also keenly interested in using these sounds to detect malfunction of the ear at the earliest. A second major focus is on hearing healthcare delivery. I am interested in understanding why so few people seek hearing health care. Once barriers to access are identified, our research group attempts to devise tools and methods to remove these barriers, thereby improving the affordability and accessibility of hearing health care.

Department

Communication Sciences & Disorders

Area(s) of Expertise

Hearing

Affiliated Center(s)

Auditory Research Laboratory
Sumitrajit (Sumit) Dhar

Sumit Dhar studies hearing, hearing loss, and hearing healthcare. One major focus of his work is in understanding the physiology and biophysics related to sounds created in the inner ear (otoacoustic emissions). The sounds are recorded using small microphones placed in the ear in an attempt to understand the workings of the inner ear by analyzing them in various ways. He is also keenly interested in using these sounds to detect malfunction of the ear at the earliest. A second major focus is on hearing healthcare delivery. Dhar is interested in understanding why so few people seek hearing health care. Once barriers to access are identified, Dhar’s research group attempts to devise tools and methods to remove these barriers, thereby improving the affordability and accessibility of hearing health care.

Lab

Education

  • PhD, Hearing Science (minor area Neuroscience), Purdue University
  • MS, Audiology, Utah State University
  • BSc, Audiology, University of Bombay

Awards and Honors

  • 2013 Clarence Simon Award for Teaching and Mentoring

Recent Publications

  • L.M. Ferro, G. Tanner, S.F. Erler, K. Erickson, S. Dhar (2007). Comparison of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programs in Illinois Hospitals, International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 217-230.
  • S. Nordrum, S. Erler, D. Garstecki, S. Dhar (2006). Comparison of performance on the hearing in noise test using directional microphones and digital noise reduction algorithms, American Journal of Audiology, 81-91.
  • L.A. Shaffer, S. Dhar (2006). DPOAE component estimates and their relationship to hearing thresholds, Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 279-92.
  • S. Dhar, G.R. Long, C.L. Talmadge, A. Tubis (2005). The effect of stimulus-frequency ratio on distortion product otoacoustic emission components, Journal of the Acoustic Society of America, 3766-3776.

Grants and Funding

  • 2007 – 2012 Reformulating hearing assessment: Translating new discoveries through a large-scale study in the audiology clinic, $3.2M
  • 2004 – 2007 Evaluation of DPOAE components in time and frequency domains, NIH/NIDCD, $216,000

Courses

  • CSD 423: Evaluation of the peripheral hearing mechanism
  • CSD 411: Evaluation and use of amplification devices