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A U.S. Air Force Airman signals to an F-35A Lightning II pilot at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, Aug. 1, 2023. The aircraft are the first of more than 70 F-35s slated to arrive to the 325th Fighter Wing fleet, filling three projected squadrons as Tyndall simultaneously rebuilds into the “Installation of the Future.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman Zeeshan Naeem)
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Hearing Center of Excellence

The Defense Health Agency's Hearing Center of Excellence works to improve hearing and balance health.

Our Goals

  • Improve hearing health
  • Enhance operational performance
  • Optimize readiness
  • Enhance service members and veterans quality of life

We work with the Department of Veterans Affairs to achieve our goals in partnership with:

  • Federal health care organizations
  • Universities
  • Public and private institutions

Congressional Mandate

The HCE was created by Congress through the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 to address military hearing injuries. This work includes:

  • Prevention
  • Diagnosis
  • Mitigation
  • Treatment
  • Rehabilitation
  • Research

Our primary focus and responsibilities include:

  • Developing a data registry to track military hearing loss and auditory injuries
  • Encouraging and facilitating hearing health research
  • Developing best practices and clinical education
  • Promoting and implementing hearing loss prevention strategies

Our Structure

We're a branch of the DHA Research and Engineering Directorate. We're led by a branch chief and deputy branch chief. We have service audiology liaisons from the Army, Navy, and Air Force. They connect HCE to the field to address operational needs and problems.

Our Services

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Service Member Resources

Image for Clinicians and Technical Resources

Clinicians and Technicians Resources

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HCE Research and Collaboration

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Boothless Audio Testing Helps Military Hearing Experts Advance Science While Improving Force Readiness

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Hearing problems—such as hearing loss and tinnitus, a ringing or buzzing in the ears—are the leading conditions for service-connected disability compensation. To prevent these conditions, the military requires routine hearing readiness testing which has been limited by the use of specialized booths. To increase testing ability, military audiology ...

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Two experts from the Defense Health Agency’s Hearing Center of Excellence recently updated military health providers on these developments during a briefing during the September 2023 Clinical Community Speaker Series, provided by the DHA Continuing Education Program Office. The series offers continuing education credits and helps ensure health care ...

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Concussion Protocols Aid Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery

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Whether on the sport field or the battlefield, the Defense Health Agency is the global leader in research on the effects of concussion—known as mild traumatic brain injury—in the military. Its research has fueled the development of protocols to help providers assess and treat concussion from initial injury to acute and post-acute medical settings, ...

Last Updated: December 05, 2024
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