Training in Hearing and Communication Neuroscience

Project Summary In 2009, faculty at the University of Southern California (USC) who study the neuroscience of hearing and vocal communication established a research training program for pre- and post-doctoral scholars. The Hearing and Communication Neuroscience (HCN) Training Program brings together a broad spectrum of scientists to enhance inter-disciplinary communication and offers the advantage of providing research training opportunities that bridge basic science with translational research and clinical applications. The program serves to reinforce research and training interactions between scientists who study basic aspects of hearing and vocal communication in the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences; the Keck School of Medicine; and the Viterbi School of Engineering at USC. The program combines the strengths of an outstanding group of researchers, the resources of USC graduate programs in Neuroscience, Development / Stem-Cell / Regenerative Medicine, Psychology, Linguistics, and Biomedical Engineering, as well as the excellence in clinical otology provided by the Department of Otolaryngology. The rationale of this proposal is to engage pre- and postdoctoral trainees in a highly interactive and multi-disciplinary training experience—ranging from cell biology and engineering to cognitive neuroscience and linguistics, but unfettered by conventional departmental barriers—to actively facilitate their development as independent scientists. We have successfully filled positions with outstanding pre- and post-doctoral scholars during the first fifteen years of the program. Predoctoral trainees typically join the program during the second year of their graduate training; the level of experience of post-doctoral trainees participating in the program varies. All trainees receive multi-disciplinary training in all aspects of hearing and communication neuroscience, as well as practical skills that prepare them for careers in independently funded research, education, and industry. Our demonstrated ability to expose trainees directly to cutting-edge research in basic science as well as ongoing clinicalresearch and applications is a major strength of the program.