Susan D. Emmett, MD, MPH is a unique otolaryngology surgeon scientist and public health leader who develops evidence-based solutions to address preventable hearing loss.  She studies novel pathways for prevention, develops digital innovations for improved screening and diagnosis, and changes paradigms for access to care in underserved populations in the US and abroad.  Dr. Emmett is the Founder and Director of the UAMS Center for Hearing Health Equity, the only one of its kind in the world.  She is currently the PI on four concurrent NIH grants totaling approximately $12 million, including two randomized trials spanning ~20,000 children in 100 schools.  Her epidemiologic studies form the basis for understanding hearing loss in multiple different underserved populations, and her large randomized trials are the foundation for expanded access to specialty care across rural areas of the US and internationally.  

Dr. Emmett consults for the World Health Organization and serves as Co-Chair of Innovations in Service Delivery for the Lancet Commission on Hearing Loss.  She is the Founder and Director of the Global Hearing Loss Evaluation, Advocacy, and Research (HEAR) Collaborative, a multidisciplinary group from 28 countries that represents the only international research network dedicated to global hearing health.  She also directs HEAR-USA, a separate national research network addressing hearing disparities in underserved and minority US populations.  She works closely with policymakers at the state, federal, and international levels to successfully transition her research findings into policy for sustained impact.  Current studies include letters of support from the Governors, Secretaries of Educations, and Secretaries of Health in two states.  She was named a TED Fellow in 2017 and is the only otolaryngologist in the world to receive this honor.  Her TED talk has received 1.3 million views to date.  Her research is further translated as a practicing surgeon specializing in cochlear implantation.