Audiology student aims to improve diagnostic accuracy in vestibular testing

Jana Al Jurdi chose Central Michigan Univeristy’s Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) program because it offers comprehensive clinical training with hands-on practice on different pieces of equipment, equipping us to handle a wide range of clinical situations.

 Since starting the program, she has found a passion for Vestibular Audiology. This year, she has worked under the supervision of Dr. Dawn Nelson, intending to improve the accuracy of vestibular testing in detecting inner ear disorders. She recruited 40 participants and recorded their oVEMPs across three different pieces of vestibular equipment. oVEMPs are a type of test that assesses the balance system in the inner ear through recording eye muscle activity. The results of each of the participants were compared across each of the oVEMP recording systems used. This comparison revealed that one of the mostly used parameters to diagnose inner ear disorders, the amplitude (size) of the oVEMP, is the least reliable across different pieces of equipment. Ms. Al Jurdi commented, “Knowing that oVEMP amplitudes are an unreliable measure and vary significantly across different recording systems might push towards the establishment of new criteria to diagnose inner ear disorders and/or the establishment of equipment-specific normative data.” Thus, her findings could ultimately improve the diagnostic accuracy of oVEMP testing in the field of audiology.

 As a result of her research, Ms. Al Jurdi will be presenting her findings at The Herbert H. and Grace A Dow College of Health Professions Research Symposium on April 9, 2024, from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Research across the health professions will be presented by faculty, staff, and students.

 Ms. Al Jurdi is expected to graduate in May 2026 and will be starting her externship at Vanderbilt. We are excited to see what the future holds for her. She feels the AuD program at CMU has equipped her with all the research and clinical skills needed to pursue her PhD in Vestibular Audiology following graduation.