Anu Sharma is an American

audiologist Audiology (from Latin , "to hear"; and from Greek , ''-logia'') is a branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Audiologists treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage. By employing various ...

and academic. She is a professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Science and a fellow at the Institute for Cognitive Science and Center for Neuroscience at

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado s ...

. She is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Otolaryngology and Audiology at the

University of Colorado Denver The University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) is a public research university in Denver, Colorado. It is part of the University of Colorado system. History University of Colorado System Anschutz Medical Campus The University of Colorado creat ...

Medical School. Sharma received her doctorate at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Chart ...

while working under

Nina Kraus Nina Kraus is a professor at Northwestern University, investigating the neural encoding of speech and music and its plasticity where she is the Hugh S. Knowles Chair. Her Auditory Neuroscience Lab, also known as Brainvolts, examines the biologica ...

, PhD.

Research

Sharma researches the impact of

hearing loss Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spoken la ...

on the brain. Her research includes examining the effects of auditory deprivation on development and re-organisation of the central

auditory pathway Auditory means of or relating to the process of hearing: * Auditory system, the neurological structures and pathways of sound perception ** Auditory bulla, part of auditory system found in mammals other than primates ** Auditory nerve, also known ...

s, and on cross-modal compensatory plasticity from visual and

somatosensory In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch (haptic perception), as well as temperature (thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It is ...

modalities. She also looks at the effects of intervention with

hearing aid A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers su ...

s and

cochlear implant A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for improved speech und ...

s on

cortical plasticity Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity, or brain plasticity, is the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization. It is when the brain is rewired to function in some way that differs from how it p ...

and behavioural outcomes. Further, Sharma has an interest in

neuroplasticity Neuroplasticity, also known as neural plasticity, or brain plasticity, is the ability of neural networks in the brain to change through growth and reorganization. It is when the brain is rewired to function in some way that differs from how it ...

for both infants and young children and age-related hearing loss in older adults.

Funding and publications

Sharma's research has been funded by

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U ...

(NIH) since 2001. Her work has been published in journals such as ''

Hearing Research The ''Hearing Research'' is a peer-reviewed monthly journal that publishes research work with basic peripheral and central auditory mechanisms. Indexing and abstracting According to the ''Journal Citation Reports'', the journal has a 2017 impact ...

'', '' PLOS ONE'', ''Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience'', ''Ear and Hearing'', and ''Journal of Communication Disorders''.

References

External links

Anu Sharma's cv from University of Colorado Boulder
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Anu Audiologists American women academics Living people Northwestern University alumni Place of birth missing (living people) University of Colorado Boulder faculty University of Colorado Denver faculty Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women