CURRENT STUDIES
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The ENHANCE Study: Evaluation of Hearing Aids and Cognitive Effects
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COCHLEA: Cochlear Implant Outcomes and Cognitive Health - Longitudinal Evaluation of Adults
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The Social Experiences of Hearing Loss and Hearing Aid use
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Hearing Loss, the Silent Enemy of Good Health: Effectiveness, Cost-Effectiveness, and Potential Economic and Social Impact of Interventions to Promote Treatment to Facilitate Improved Hearing.
Collaborators/Sponsors
Our findings and research have been featured in different media outlets. Below is a selection of recent interviews and articles.
Articles
"Noisy restaurants, muffled voices: How hearing loss creeps up on us" The Age/Sydney Morning Herald. July 13, 2025. Link
"I'm all Ears; How surgery improved John's life." The Age, Melbourne. March 6, 2025. Link
There may be a window of opportunity to restore hearing and potentially slow dementia. Prof Julia Sarant, Pursuit, March 6, 2025. Link
Expert opinion for Dementia Prevention, The Telegraph, David Cox, UK (3 April 2024)
Medical Express online article: A hearing aid could extend your brain function by years
ABC Radio National, Sam Nichols, Barriers to cochlear implantation, (22 September 2023)
UK Telegraph, David Cox, Eight (scientifically proven) ways to keep your brain healthy (4 October 2022)
The Key Barriers to Meaningful Aged Care Reform. Pursuit, Aus (14 May 2021)
Hearing aids may preserve or improve cognition in older adults, MedicalResearch.com, USA (28 Feb 2020)
Hearing aids may protect your thinking ability, Futurity, USA (27 Feb 2020)
Hearing aids may delay cognitive decline, research finds, The National Tribune, QLD (27 Feb 2020)
Melbourne researchers find hearing aids delay onset of Dementia, Herald Sun, Melbourne (27 Feb 2020)
Hearing Aids could help delay onset of Dementia. Adelaide Advertiser, Adelaide (27 Feb 2020)
Aid to fight Dementia. Daily Telegraph, Sydney (27 Feb 2020)
Hearing Aids Boost Brain. Courier Mail, Brisbane. (27 Feb 2020)
Hearing aids a Brain Booster. Mercury, Hobart (27 Feb 2020)
Hearing Aid can delay dementia. Herald Sun, Melbourne (27 Feb 2020)
Use of hearing aids may delay cognitive decline in older adults, News Medical, Sydney (26 Feb 2020)
Hearing aids may delay cognitive decline, ScienceDaily, USA (26 Feb 2020)
Radio / Podcast
ABC Radio Evenings with Spence Denny (SA and NT); 30-min interview with talkback questions. Topics: Hearing loss, Airpods 2 as hearing aids, why people don’t take up hearing interventions, the connection between hearing loss and dementia. 16 January, 2025. Link
ABC Adelaide, Morning show interview on the ENHANCE Study outcome (8 March 2024)
ABC Melbourne, Evenings Radio program interview: Age-related hearing loss (June 25 2024)
ABC Radio National, Angus Randall, The impact of cochlear implants on child development (August 22 2023)
ABC Pilbara, Karratha, WA Statewide Drive Interview with Andrew Collins (03 Mar 2020)
ABC Radio Hobart, Hobart Drive Interview with Lucy Breaden (28 Feb 2020)
4BC Brisbane, News clip (27 Feb 2020)
ABC Radio Adelaide, SA, News clip (27 Feb 2020)
ABC Radio Darwin, NT, News clip (27 Feb 2020)
ABC Radio Melbourne, VIC, News clip (27 Feb 2020)
ABC Central West, NSW, News clip (27 Feb 2020)
ABC Radio Brisbane, QLD, News clip (27 Feb 2020)
Smooth FM 95.3, Sydney, News clip (27 Feb 2020)
3AW Melbourne, VIC, News clip (27 Feb 2020)
3AW Melbourne, VIC, Interview with Ross Stevenson and John Burns (27 Feb 2020)
4ZZZ Brisbane, QLD (16 Feb 2016)
Research Group
University of Melbourne Research Team
Professor Julia Sarant
Dr Julia Sarant is an audiologist and Professor in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences at The University of Melbourne. She has been conducting research and working clinically with adults and children with hearing loss for over 30 years, and is an international leader in the field of hearing loss and cognitive decline in older adults with hearing loss. Julia leads the Hearing Loss and Cognition research program which is investigating whether treatment of hearing loss with either cochlear implants or hearing aids can delay cognitive decline. The program also includes investigation of other co-morbidities of hearing loss in adults.
Charlotte Gauci
Charlotte is a Research Assistant in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology and a member of the Hearing Loss and Cognition team. Her work supports the exploration of the relationship between hearing aid use and cognitive decline. Charlotte also works clinically as a an adult and paediatric diagnostic Audiologist in The University of Melbourne Audiology clinic.
Jack Hargreaves
Jack is a Research Assistant and PhD candidate in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology. As a Research Assistant he is member of the Hearing Loss and Cognition team where his work supports the exploration of the relationship between hearing aid use and cognitive decline.
Jack also works clinically as a diagnostic Audiologist in The University of Melbourne Audiology clinic.
Hugo Loffhagen
Hugo is a Research Assistant in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology and a member of the Hearing Loss and Cognition team. His work supports the exploration of the relationship between hearing aid use and cognitive decline.
Hugo also works clinically as an adult diagnostic and rehabilitation Audiologist in The University of Melbourne Audiology clinic.
Nikolia Locke
Nikolia is a Research Assistant in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology and a member of the Hearing Loss and Cognition team. Her work supports the exploration of the relationship between hearing aid use and cognitive decline.
Nikolia is currently completing her clinical internship and works as an adult diagnostic and vestibular Audiologist in The University of Melbourne Audiology clinic.
Mater Hospital Cochlear Implant Clinic
Janeen Jardine
Ms Jardine is The Mater Cochlear Implant Clinic Program Manager.
Ms Jardine is an experienced General Nurse with many years of experience within the field of audiology and cochlear implants and graduate studies in Nurse Audiometry. Ms Jardine has previously been one of the lead researchers on the CUSP study, working to establish the benefits of updated cochlear implant technology and lobbying the government for policy change.
Contact us
University of Melbourne Research Team:
Julia - T: +61 3 9035 5325 E: jsarant@unimelb.edu.au
Charlotte - T: +61 3 8344 2928 E: charlotte.anderson1@unimelb.edu.au
Jack - T: +61 3 8344 8399 E: j.hargreaves@unimelb.edu.au
Hugo - T: +61 3 9035 5978 E: H.loffhagen@unimelb.edu.au
Nikolia - T: +61 3 9035 7838 E: locke.n@unimelb.edu.au
We are located in the Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, 550 Swanston St, Carlton
Mater Hospital Cochlear Implant Research Team:
Mater Hospital Cochlear Implant Clinic - T: +61 7 3163 8743 E: cochlear@mater.org.au
Janeen - T: +61 7 31638743 E: janeen.jardine@mater.org.au
We are located on the corner of Raymond Terrace and Stanley Street
South Brisbane, Qld 4101
