EP/50: SAFE LISTENING

Thinking Twice About ‘Cranking the Volume to 11’ with the W.H.O.’s Dr. Shelly Chadha

LISTEN ON: APPLE SPOTIFY STITCHER

The iPhone was first introduced in 2007. This world changing product brought us some amazing benefits but it also created some issues. Besides the screen addiction affecting us all, there is growing evidence that our constant use of  headphones might be creating a hearing loss epidemic - especially in younger people. We wanted to learn what listening habits might contribute to the problem and if there’s anything we can do about it.

To answer our questions, we reached out to one of the world’s leading experts on the topic, Dr. Shelly Chadha. She was trained as an otolaryngologist at the University of Delhi, India, where she also undertook doctoral studies in public health. Dr. Chadha oversees the WHO's work on prevention of deafness and hearing loss including advocacy for prioritization of hearing care; technical support to countries for development of hearing care strategies and development of technical tools and guidance. She joins us today from Geneva, Switzerland.

About SHELLY

Dr Shelly Chadha is responsible for WHO’s work on prevention of deafness and hearing loss including advocacy for prioritisation of hearing care; technical support to countries for development of hearing care strategies and relevant tools. Dr. Chadha was trained as an otolaryngologist at the University of Delhi, India, and subsequently undertook doctoral studies in public health at the same university. Prior to joining WHO in 2011, she was a Professor of Otolaryngology at the Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi, India. She has long-standing experience in community ear and hearing care, planning and policy development for hearing care. Dr. Chadha oversees WHO's work on prevention of deafness and hearing loss including advocacy for prioritization of hearing care; technical support to countries for development of hearing care strategies and development of technical tools and guidance.

Learn more about the WHO’s work at: www.who.int/activities/making-listening-safe and follow Shelly on Twitter: @shellychadha1