Loma Linda, CA— Rep. Aguilar announced $183,125 for Biological Research Related to Deafness and Communicative Disorders at the Loma Linda Veterans Association for Research and Education (LLVARE). This National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) funding will help develop and improve diagnosing and treatments for hearing loss.

“We owe it to our veterans to make sure they have the best quality health care once they return civilian life,” said Rep. Aguilar. “I’m proud to announce this funding to ensure groundbreaking research to better the lives of veterans in the Inland Empire and across the country can continue.”

Dr. Wei Dong, Research Scientist of the Auditory Research Group, VA Loma Linda Health Care System said, “About 15% of the Americans aged 18 and over report that they have some trouble hearing due to noise overexposure or aging. We will use a new approach optical coherence tomography (OCT), a real-time anatomical imaging and functional system, to study the mechanics of hearing and establish the relationship between cochlear mechanics and otoacoustic emissions which will allow us to detect subtle cellular changes in function precisely never before possible. The results from this work will allow us and others to develop more sensitive and more accurate methods to detect and diagnose sensory hearing loss, which will in turn lead to new and better treatments for this ailment.”

The LLVARE is one of the leading nonprofit organizations in the country focusing on veteran health care through medical research.

Rep. Aguilar serves as Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as a member of the House Appropriations Committee, the committee responsible for funding federal programs and agencies like HHS.

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