History
Advancing research and knowledge to help people with hearing loss and balance disorders was the life's work of Dr. George E. Shaumbaugh, Jr. (1903-1999). The American Hearing Research Foundation is his legacy. In 1938, Shaumbaugh was instrumental in developing and performing a groundbreaking surgical technique called fenestration. Together with Dr. Julius Lempert (1890-1968), Shaumbaugh performed the first-ever successful operation to restore hearing, using this technique.
Specialties
AHRF funds research that explores hearing and hearing and balance disorders of the inner ear. We fund five to ten studies annually, for a total of over $250,000 per year. Since 2010, we have funded over $1.6 million of investigations, including those exploring the biology and genetics of hearing, and disorders such as Meniere's disease.