Translational Auditory Physiology and Perception Laboratory

10/06/2025

If you happen to be in Belgium next week, stop by to hear TAPP Lab Director, Gabrielle Merchant, and TAPP Lab physician-scientist, Richard Tempero, share our work on the use of Wideband Tympanometry in children with otitis media.

29/05/2025

Trisha is a second-year Doctoral student of Audiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is very excited to work in the TAPP Lab this summer for her T-35 Traineeship! She is interested in how research can be applied to clinical practice in audiology and is eager to explore this process at Boys Town.

Trisha holds a BA in Linguistics, Anthropology, and Communication Sciences & Disorders from UW-Madison, along with a Certificate in Global Cultures, Languages, and Education. In her current AuD program, Trisha works in the Soundscape & Audiology Research Lab under Dr. Erik Jorgensen. She helps investigate how hearing loss and hearing aid usage impact social-emotional outcomes in older adults. Additionally, Trisha is looking forward to beginning her traineeship in LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) next year.

In her free time, Trisha enjoys exercise, spending time with friends, hiking, playing the flute, and reading.

13/05/2025

The TAPP Lab is looking for participants to join us for a paid hearing research study. Reach out to us to learn more!

08/05/2025

Most adults are familiar with the "listen for the beep" hearing test. But how can a child's hearing be checked if they are too young to tell you they heard the beep?

Audiologists use a test called VRA, which stands for Visual Reinforcement Audiometry, to check children's hearing between the ages of 6 months and 3 years. During VRA, the child is taught to associate the "beep" with a video on a screen. Once they learn to expect a video after the beep, they will signal this by looking toward the screen when the beep plays. The audiologist then presents the corresponding video as a reinforcement to keep the child interested. Responses to the beeps indicate how the child is hearing.

Be sure to follow our page and stay tuned for the next post to learn about other types of hearing tests!

05/05/2025

The TAPP Lab bid farewell to research assistant, Nafeesah, last week. Nafeesah was a valued team member and will be missed by her colleagues and our little participants who always had so much fun with her during visits!

Nafeesah graduated from the University of Nebraska Omaha with a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in communication disorders. She will continue on at UNO in pursuit of a Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology. Best of Luck, Nafeesah!

14/04/2025

Meet our scientist and earn CEUs! Dr. Merchant will give the first presentation in the Meet the Scientist series sponsored by the BTNRH Research Champions Network. She will be sharing work from the TAPP lab on pediatric otitis media and wideband tympanometry in a Zoom presentation on May 5th at 12:00pm CST. Registration link below:

https://study.boystown.org/surveys/?s=RCM4PMAD9FPH49H9

10/03/2025

Help us advance our understanding of hearing and balance in Down syndrome! Our team at Boys Town National Research Hospital is teaming up with the team at the Linda Crnic Institute for Down Syndrome from April 12-18 at Boston’s Children’s Hospital in Waltham. A hearing test and results will be provided at the appointment. Email jenna.paulsen@boystown.org for more information and to schedule your appointment today!

12/02/2025

If you find yourself in Scottsdale this week for the annual conference of the American Auditory Society, be sure to stop by the TAPP Lab's presentations to get caught up on our recent work!

12/02/2025

30/01/2025

Introducing the TAPP Research Vehicle (RV)! While we received the fully upfitted van a couple of months ago and have been using it full-time since then, we finally got our name on the van last week. The TAPP RV is complete!

Hearing * Research * Community
Bringing Research to YOU!

02/12/2024

Congratulations to TAPP Lab Director, Dr. Gabrielle Merchant!

Dr. Gabrielle Merchant is the recipient of the 2025 Ealy Career Research Award! Dr. Merchant’s translational hearing research focuses on auditory mechanics, auditory perception, and advancing evidence-based practice through improved clinical diagnostic tools. Her laboratory, Translational Auditory Physiology and Perception Laboratory, focuses on pediatrics, conductive hearing loss, and wideband acoustic immittance. As the award recipient, Dr. Merchant is presenting her work, “Improving the Diagnosis of Otitis Media and Associated Hearing loss in Children,” at 8 am on Friday, February 14th!

31/10/2024

We've seen some fun, adorable costumes in the TAPP Research Van this Halloween season 🎃 Happy Halloween from our TAPP team!