From the KHRI Director

Dr. Gabriel Corfas

Welcome to the Kresge Hearing Research Institute (KHRI). As the new director of the KHRI, I am honored and excited to lead the Institute into a new era.

Established in 1960, the KHRI has a rich history full of remarkable people and accomplishments. As we move into the future, the KHRI will continue to use a multidisciplinary neuroscience approach to understand the auditory and vestibular systems and to work to develop approaches to cure hearing loss and vestibular disorders. These are among the most common chronic disorders in the world, affecting millions of people and their families and costing upwards of $122 billion in the United States alone.

At the KHRI, we believe that basic research is key to understanding and curing hearing loss and vestibular disorders. Therefore, our investigators research fundamental aspects of the development, anatomy, physiology and cell-molecular biology of the auditory and vestibular systems. This research helps us to answer important questions as we work towards new therapies, including:

  • How to prevent hearing and vestibular loss
  • How to restore hearing and vestibular function after loss
  • How to effectively deliver drugs to the inner ear
  • How to improve devices to enhance hearing (hearing aids, cochlear implants)
  • How to treat tinnitus
  • How to improve early identification of people at risk to develop hearing deficits and understand the basis for inherited forms of hearing loss

The KHRI has a tradition of collaboration and interaction that extends beyond the Institute’s walls, working with colleagues from across the University of Michigan and around the world. This exceptional collegial environment makes the KHRI an exciting and dynamic place to do basic and translational research. Ph.D.s and physician scientists work together not only to move the science and therapeutics forward but also to train the next generation of auditory and vestibular scientists and clinicians.

This website serves as a window to the KHRI. Please, contact any of us by e-mail or telephone for additional information.

Sincerely,

Gabriel Corfas, Ph.D.