The UCL Ear Institute is an academic department of the Faculty of Brain Sciences of
University College London (UCL) located in
Gray's Inn Road
Gray's Inn Road (or Grays Inn Road) is an important road in the Bloomsbury district of Central London, in the London Borough of Camden. The road begins at the City of London boundary, where it bisects High Holborn, and ends at King's Cross and ...
in the
Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions.
Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...
district of
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local government. Its characteris ...
, England, next to the
Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital
The Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital (the RNTNEH) was a health facility on Gray's Inn Road in London. It closed in October 2019 when services transferred to the new Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospitals on Huntley Street, L ...
, the UK's largest ear, nose and throat hospital.
Together with the Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, the institute constitutes the largest centre for audiological research in Europe.
History
In 2000 an £11 million grant from the
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of one of the predecessors of Glaxo ...
was awarded to UCL to fund the creation of a new Centre for Auditory Research bringing together auditory research scientists and clinicians from across the university. The new centre was linked to the long-standing Institute of Laryngology and Otology (ILO) and its incorporated School of Audiology.
[ In order to provide this cross-faculty, multidisciplinary group with a unifying identity the ILO was disestablished and the UCL Ear Institute created on 1 January 2005. Prof Tony Wright was its first director, followed by Prof David McAlpine from June 2006 and (as interim co-directors) Dr Jennifer Linden and Dr Jonathan Gale from September 2015.][ In January 2019 Prof Jonathan Gale was appointed as the Director of the Institute.
In December 2006 the results of tests carried out at the institute were published which showed that many children's toys available that Christmas could damage a child's hearing. In February 2007 the Widex Noise Report, a major survey of noise levels in 41 English towns and cities authored by Deepak Prasher of the UCL Ear Institute, was published. In July 2008 the UCL Ear Institute participated in an architectural jelly competition, with the sound of the competing structures being recorded in one of the institute's anechoic chambers.
In March 2010 a team including Professor Martin Birchall of the UCL Ear Institute performed the first windpipe transplant using a whole tissue engineered windpipe organ crafted from a patient's own stem cells. In the same month a team from the institute began a major study to investigate the role of the brain rather than the ear in contributing to hearing difficulties. In August 2010 Aura Satz, the UCL Ear Institute's artist-in-residence, exhibited the results of her work at the institute in 'Location, location, location' at the ]Jerwood Space
Jerwood Space is an arts venue at Bankside on Union Street, Southwark, London. The facilities include rehearsal studios, gallery/exhibition space, meeting rooms, a café, etc. Exhibits include contemporary art and photography throughout the bu ...
gallery in London.
Education
At postgraduate level the institute currently offers the following courses:
* Advanced Audiology (MSc, PGDip, PGCert)
* Audiological Science (MSc, PGDip)
* Audiological Science with Clinical Practice (MSc, PGDip)
* Otology and Audiology (MSc, PGDip, PGCert)
* Sensory Systems, Technologies & Therapies (MRes)
Three- and four-year PhD programmes are available in a wide range of basic and clinical disciplines, including genetics
Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...
, cell and molecular biology, auditory neuroscience and human auditory function.[
]
Library
The UCL Ear Institute and Action on Hearing Loss Libraries are a collaborative venture between UCL, Action on Hearing Loss (RNID) and the NHS
The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
. The libraries are based at the Royal National Throat Nose & Ear Hospital and together constitute the largest specialist collection for audiology
Audiology (from Latin , "to hear"; and from Greek , ''-logia'') is a branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Audiologists treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage. By employing various ...
, Deaf studies, and otorhinolaryngologic medicine in Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. As well as providing services to staff and students at UCL, and the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) is an NHS foundation trust based in London, United Kingdom. It comprises University College Hospital, University College Hospital at Westmoreland Street, the UCH Macmillan Cancer ...
, the libraries are open to the public and provide reference and enquiry services to anyone conducting relevant research.[
]
See also
*UCL Neuroscience
UCL Neuroscience is a research domain that encompasses the breadth of neuroscience research activity across University College London's (UCL) School of Life and Medical Sciences. The domain was established in January 2008, to coordinate neurosci ...
* UCL Partners
References
External links
UCL Ear Institute
UCL Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL School of Life and Medical Sciences
University College London
Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital
The Royal National Institute for Deaf People
The Wellcome Trust
{{authority control
Medical research institutes in the United Kingdom
Departments of University College London
2005 establishments in England