The American Academy of Audiology (AAA) recently announced an award of Distinguished Achievement to National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) intramural scientist Carmen Brewer, Ph.D. The award was given in acknowledgement of her "dedication to the profession of audiology for almost 40 years as an innovator in clinical teaching and mentoring, a pioneer in the area of delivery of clinical services, and a translational researcher whose body of work has impacted generations of audiologists."
For the past 11 years, Dr. Brewer has served as a research audiologist and chief of the NIDCD’s Audiology Unit. The NIDCD’s Audiology Unit is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Intramural Research Program (IRP) and functions as both a research and clinical laboratory. The unit conducts audiology-specific research studies and has current collaborations with more than 30 intramural research protocols from various institutes and centers within NIH, including the NIDCD.
Dr. Brewer’s current position was preceded by a 28-year tenure at the Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., where she began her professional career as a clinical fellow and rose to the position of director of hearing and speech, and administrative director of oral surgery and otolaryngology.
"Through her clinical, scientific, and training leadership," said NIDCD Scientific Director Andrew Griffith, "Dr. Brewer has raised the profile of NIH audiology into an internationally recognized center with unparalleled expertise in the auditory and vestibular phenotypes of rare diseases. Her expertise is reflected in the referral of dozens of visiting audiology doctoral candidates from a variety of institutions across the U.S. for clinical and research mentorship in the Audiology Unit."
The award was presented on March 27, 2014, at the AAA’s annual meeting, AudiologyNOW!, in Orlando, Florida.