Meet Debara Tucci, Incoming Director of NIDCD

The recently appointed director of NIDCD brings an extensive research background in hearing loss, ear disease, and cochlear implantation—and an enthusiasm for addressing barriers to hearing health care. Interview by Jillian Kornak The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently named Debara L. Tucci the next director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), replacing acting director Judith Cooper. Tucci will leave her position as professor of surgery in the Division of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences at Duke University Medical Center, where she has served on the faculty since 1993. The Leader spoke with Tucci about her career and research passions as she prepares to begin her new role in September. Dr. Debara Tucci, MD, MBA, MS You began your career as an audiologist. What was it about this field that first attracted you? I initially was interested in speech-language pathology. I went to the University of Virginia and enrolled in its undergraduate speech-language pathology program and was required to take audiology courses as well. I developed a strong interest in audiology and switched to that major. It was fascinating to me to learn about hearing, the anatomy of the inner ear, and the physics of sound. What drew you to study cochlear implantation and how has this technology evolved since your career began? It came out of a normal outgrowth of my interest in hearing. I graduated from medical school in 1985, and at...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Academia & Research Audiology Health Care News Private Practice Schools Slider Aging and Hearing Loss audiologist hearing health care public health Source Type: blogs