Campbell Callier Prize Conference: Bench to Bedside in Auditory Neuroscience: Investigating Suprathreshold Hearing Disorders

2026 Campbell Callier Prize Recipient
Richard J. Salvi, PhD

Speakers: Richard J. Salvi, PhD | Benjamin D. Auerbach, PhD | Fatima T. Husain, PhD | Sarah M. Theodoroff, PhD

Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2026

Time: 8:15 AM – 4 PM

Location: Callier Center for Communication Disorders – Glorig Auditorium
1966 Inwood Road, Dallas, Texas 75235

Continuing Education: .5 AAA CEUs | .5 ASHA CEUs

Cost: Free, registration is required

Registration

Contact: Tiffani Kreybig at 972-883-3003

Course Description

Some of the most debilitating auditory disorders are defined not by what is inaudible but instead by the perception of phantom sounds (tinnitus) or the sensation that everyday sounds are uncomfortably loud, distressing or physically painful (hyperacusis). These suprathreshold hearing disorders pose major challenges for diagnosis and treatment, as the field lacks sensitive clinical tools and widely effective treatments. This symposium bridges basic auditory neuroscience with clinical research to illuminate mechanisms and management of these complex disorders. The session will begin by summarizing decades of basic science research and recent advances that have led to a greater understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying tinnitus and hyperacusis in neurotypical and neurodivergent populations. The focus will then shift toward describing how this foundational work has been translated to neuroimaging studies in humans, detailing how altered connectivity in auditory and limbic networks contributes to symptom distress and variability across individuals. We will end by discussing current and emerging approaches for assessing and managing suprathreshold hearing disorders in real-world clinical settings. Together, these presentations will illustrate how advances in auditory neuroscience inform new strategies for diagnosis, intervention and rehabilitation, moving discoveries from the bench to the bedside. This session will be of interest to researchers, clinicians and trainees who seek to understand and address this elusive constellation of auditory disorders.

Learning Outcomes

Discuss contemporary definitions of tinnitus, hyperacusis and subtypes of those disorders.
Describe the proposed mechanisms of suprathreshold hearing disorders.
Identify brain regions that are implicated in the generation of hyperacusis and tinnitus.
Identify evidence-based principles that guide clinical interventions for suprathreshold hearing disorders.

2026 Campbell Callier Prize Recipient & Conference Speaker:

Robert J. Salvi, PhD

Research Professor, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Central Florida; State University of New York Distinguished Professor Emeritus and former Director, Center for Hearing and Deafness; PhD in Experimental Psychology from Syracuse University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Auditory Neuroscience at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse

The Thomas F. Campbell Callier Prize in Communication Disorders recognizes individuals from around the world for their leadership in fostering scientific advances and significant developments in the diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders. Past Recipients

Presentation Title: A Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Guides Our Lives

Richard J. Salvi, PhD, is currently a research professor in communication sciences and disorders at the University of Central Florida, where he is involved in studies of hyperacusis, tinnitus and hearing loss. Salvi is a State University of New York Distinguished Professor Emeritus. He was a professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University at Buffalo, where he served as director of the Center for Hearing and Deafness, 1987-2022. Salvi received his PhD in experimental psychology from Syracuse University and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in auditory neuroscience at Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse. Salvi has served as a reviewer for numerous national/international grant review panels and serves on the editorial board of several international journals. He has more than 600 scientific publications related to noise-, age- and drug-induced hearing loss, tinnitus, hyperacusis, neuroprotection, brain imaging, auditory plasticity, hair cell regeneration, neuroinflammation, pain and memory.

Disclosure: Dr. Salvi does not have any relevant financial relationships to disclose. He is the principal investigator for projects funded by the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau and other public and private entities for the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management and serves on the board of Global Partnerships for Hearing Health, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to improving hearing health in low-resource countries.

Conference Speakers

Benjamin D. Auerbach, PhD

Assistant Professor, Molecular and Integrative Physiology, Beckman Institute of Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Presentation Title: The Role of Central Auditory Gain Control in Hyperacusis of Diverse Origin

Benjamin D. Auerbach, PhD, is an assistant professor of molecular & integrative physiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He received his PhD in neuroscience from MIT, where he studied synaptic plasticity in Fragile X syndrome and related neurodevelopmental disorders in the lab of Dr. Mark Bear. He then did his postdoctoral training with Dr. Richard Salvi at the Center for Hearing and Deafness at the University at Buffalo, where he investigated auditory perceptual disorders associated with hearing loss. The Auerbach Lab is focused on understanding the mechanisms of sensory perception and experience-dependent plasticity, using the rodent auditory system as a tractable model. Beyond the advancement of basic insight into brain function, the goal of this research is to identify pathophysiology at the intersection of autism and auditory hypersensitivity disorders, with the hope of translating these findings into novel therapies and treatment strategies.

Disclosure: Dr. Auerbach does not have any relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.

Fatima T. Husain, PhD

Professor, Department of Speech and Hearing Science, Neuroscience and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Associate Dean, Access, Belonging and Community, College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Presentation Title: Neural Correlates of Tinnitus and Hyperacusis: Findings from Human Brain Imaging Studies

Fatima T. Husain, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Speech and Hearing Science and an associate dean in the College of Applied Health Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is also a faculty in the Neuroscience Program and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the same university. Dr. Husain uses a multidisciplinary approach combining behavioral, brain imaging and computational neuro-modeling tools to study tinnitus, hearing loss, hyperacusis and other hearing disorders. She is the immediate past chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee, American Tinnitus Association and serves on the scientific boards of Hyperacusis Research and SoQuiet Foundation. She is presently an editor of the American Journal of Audiology and an associate editor of the Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology.

Disclosure: Dr. Fatima does not have any relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.

Sarah M. Theodoroff, PhD, CCC-A

Interim Associate Director, VA National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, Associate Professor of Otolaryngology-HNS, Oregan Health & Science University and adjunct faculty at Western Washington University.

Presentation Title: Translating Research Evidence into Routine Clinical Practice

Sarah Theodoroff, PhD, is the associate director of the VA National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, an associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-HNS at Oregon Health & Science University and adjunct faculty at Western Washington University. Her research focuses on the poorly understood perceptual consequences of noise, specifically tinnitus, hyperacusis and noise sensitivity.

Dr. Theodoroff serves on the scientific advisory committees for the American Tinnitus Association and Hyperacusis Research. She was a member of the VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guidelines for Tinnitus Working Group that developed the first VA/DOD national guidelines for tinnitus. Her work is informed by her clinical background as an audiologist and focuses on developing effective paradigms that have the necessary supporting evidence to guide patient care for Veterans and non-Veterans with these health conditions. Dr. Theodoroff’s research highlights taking an interprofessional approach to best meet the needs of patients with tinnitus and sound tolerance conditions.

Disclosure: Dr. Theodoroff receives a salary from PerkinElmer. She is a member of ASHA, IHE, HL7 and Texas E-Health Alliance.

Continuing Education

American Academy of Audiology (AAA):

The Callier Center for Communication Disorders with The University of Texas at Dallas is approved by the American Academy of Audiology to offer Academy Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for this activity. The program is worth a maximum of .5 CEUs. Academy approval of this continuing education activity is based on course content only and does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, clinical procedure or adherence of the event to the Academy’s Code of Ethics. Any views that are presented are those of the presenter/CE Provider and not necessarily of the American Academy of Audiology.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA):