08/30/2024
It is with great sadness we inform you of the unexpected passing of Paul J. Abbas on Monday, August 26, 2024. Paul, a beloved and brilliant colleague, mentor and friend, fulfilled a life-long and esteemed career as an auditory physiologist and cochlear implant expert at the University of Iowa. His contributions spanned from characterizing single-fiber response properties in animal models to assessing every level of the auditory pathway and the encoding of various domains of acoustic/electric signals with noninvasive measures in humans. He leaves a lasting impression with words that continue to breed insight, techniques that create opportunity, and a legacy of lives enhanced. He is missed.
“He started by studying how the ear worked. He then joined the Otolaryngology Department at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics who had just begun exploring the use of electrical stimulation to activate the hearing nerve in individuals with profound hearing loss. His expertise pushed the development of Cochlear Implants forward across the global field. He was a treasured mentor to all students he taught and worked beside. Paul made many dear lifelong friends and continued to guide them even after he retired.”
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