Research role

We translate our lived experience serving the sick into research that is broadly disseminated in the scholarly literature and at academic and scientific conferences and meetings around the world. And we translate our research into action to improve both our service in impoverished communities and our advocacy on behalf of health care for the poor.

Building on our academic affiliations and global partners, GEO research explores how to get affordable hearing aids to those in need, affordable cochlear implants to the congenitally deaf, and assisting investigations into the prevalence of ear disease through projects sponsored by Public Health.

The clinical and social concerns that arise out of treating ear disease encourage us to delve into a widening range of issues and disciplines, from macroeconomics to epidemiology to anthropology. We conduct clinical research exploring side-effect management, optimal clinical regimens and improved diagnostics. We undertake operational research projects designed to improve program performance, such as examining the use of local anesthesia for middle ear surgery and the effects on safety and outcomes.

First and foremost, however, GEO's research examines our capacity building model of care in order to improve our programs and distill evidence and examples that will help others learn from and build upon our experience.