University of Colorado · University of Pretoria · WHO CC

Hearing care,
reimagined for a
digital world.

We develop and evaluate digital health technologies that make hearing care more accessible, more affordable, and more effective — for everyone, everywhere.

200+
Publications
4
Research themes
20+
Countries reached
5
Industry partners

Research themes at a glance

University of Colorado School of Medicine

University of Pretoria — WHO Collaborating Centre

Anglia Ruskin University, UK

About the lab

What we do,
and why it matters.

The Virtual Hearing Lab is a joint research initiative between the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the University of Pretoria — a WHO Collaborating Centre for Prevention of Deafness and Hearing Loss.

1.5 billion people globally live with hearing loss. The vast majority never see an audiologist. We build the evidence base for digital solutions that close that gap.

Meet the team →

How do patients find and act on hearing health information?
Theme 1 · Consumer Health Informatics

Can smartphones replace the audiologist’s booth?
Theme 2 · Digital Screening & Assessment

Do digital therapeutics improve hearing outcomes?
Theme 3 · Digital Therapeutics

How can hearing care reach the 80% who never get help?
Theme 4 · Service Delivery Models

Research

Four themes, one mission.

Theme 01

Active
Consumer Health Informatics & Patient Experience

How patients seek, interpret, and act on hearing health information — and what patient-generated data reveals about real-world hearing aid experiences and barriers to care.

NLP
Social media
Help-seeking

~53 publications →

Theme 02

Active
Digital Hearing Screening & Assessment

Developing and validating smartphone-based tools for hearing and balance screening — from automated audiometry to remote in-situ hearing aid fitting.

Smartphone audiometry
Teleaudiology

~38 publications →

Theme 03

Active
Digital Therapeutics & Self-Management

Internet- and app-based interventions for hearing loss, tinnitus, and balance disorders — designed, tested via RCT, and scaled to support structured self-management.

mHealth
RCT
Tinnitus

~31 publications →

Theme 04

Active
Hearing Healthcare Service Delivery Models

Evaluating OTC/DTC hearing devices and community-based digital rehabilitation — creating new pathways to reach the 80% of people with hearing loss who receive no intervention.

OTC hearing aids
LMIC

~40 publications →

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Recent output

Latest publications


View all publications →