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Hearing and balance research showcased at Mountain Home VAMC

The VA in Mountain Home, Tenn., highlighted its hearing and balance studies during National VA Research Week.

The VA in Mountain Home, Tenn., highlighted its hearing and balance studies during National VA Research Week.

During National VA Research Week, observed in 2015 from May 18-22, VA medical centers throughout the nation showcased the numerous achievements of VA researchers and the role they play in providing high-quality care for Veterans and advancing medical science.

The James H. Quillen VA Medical Center in Mountain Home, Tenn., was one of many medical centers holding open houses for visitors, demonstrating the research activities being conducted at the facility. Mountain Home's open house, which was attended by the Johnson City Press, showcased different types of hearing and balance research the center conducts, and demonstrated how that research has improved the lives of local Veterans.

The open house featured tours of several audiology facilities, including labs designed to test and diagnose disorders that affect hearing and balance.

"Our work focuses on hearing, hearing loss, and hearing disorders and how they affect Veterans," the Press quoted Dr. Faith Akin as saying. "Some of our work is focused on developing better assessment tools, better ways to measure or determine if someone has an inner-ear balance problem. "

The hearing and balance research program is supported by VA Rehabilitation Research and Development through the Auditory Vestibular Research Enhancement Award Program.

The article concludes with a quote from Dr. Courtney Hall, a physical therapist at the medical center. "We've got lots of great research, and we try to spread the word," she told the Press. "This is just a way of trying to bring the spotlight on what we're doing."