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10/12/2017  |   12:30 PM - 4:30 PM   |  East Ballroom at Shalala Student Services Building

Pre-Conference Session
The Global Challenge in Ear and Hearing Health - An Overview of the Course on Public Health Planning for Hearing Impairment

360 million people in the world have disabling hearing loss, including 32 million children. 80% live in low and middle income countries. It is also a significant problem amongst disadvantaged groups in high-income countries. Hearing loss delays and damages development of language in young children, slows school progress, causes difficulties obtaining and keeping a job, increases dementia in older people and leads to stigmatization at all ages. It results in poverty for individuals and families, and massive economic costs for society. Hearing loss is largely avoidable through appropriate prevention strategies but is generally neglected due to lack of awareness amongst health professionals and policy makers, as well as the general public. It can only be addressed on a large scale by adopting a public health approach within the existing health system. The purpose of this course is to expand capacity building for public health knowledge and skills in ear and hearing health (EHH) amongst professionals and health planners. The presenters are world reknown specialists who have provided course content for public health approaches in hearing Impairment since 2010 with colleagues in 7 centres in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. 646 participants from 41 countries have so far been trained in 23 courses.

• Relate the principles and practice of public health and the application of prevention strategies against hearing impairment.
• Review the epidemiology and evidence of ear disease and hearing loss globally, with a focus on low and middle income countries, and disadvantaged groups in high-income countries.
• Examine population-based research methods (qualitative and quantitative) used in ear and hearing care

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Andrew Smith (POC,Primary Presenter), London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, andrew.smith@lshtm.ac.uk;
I am an Honorary Professor at the International Centre on Evidence for Disability at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine since 2008. My interest is studying, promoting and teaching public health approaches to prevention and rehabilitation of hearing loss in low and middle income countries, and in disadvantaged communities in high-income countries. Since 2009, I and a colleague have developed and run 5-day courses on Public Health Planning for Hearing Impairment. Up till now, we have trained 946 health workers from 43 countries in 26 courses at 12 centres mainly in low and middle income countries.