A team comprising faculty, facilitators and students from the University of Maryland at College Park, USA, paid a visit to UHAS on March 21, 2024. This visit, specifically to the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences at the School of Allied Health Sciences (SAHS), was to enable them to interact and chart pathways for future collaboration with UHAS.
The UMD team, led by Professor Eliza Thompson, was received here by Professor Elvis E. Tarkang, Dean, Office of International Programmes, Mrs. Maria Gwira, Director of Public Affairs, and Dr. George Aboagye, the Acting Dean, along with some faculty of SAHS.
The UMD team also interacted with students of the department and took them through some projects they were working on. Prof. Thompson, who is championing a programme to demystify hearing disabilities, especially in developing countries, said she hopes to “train culturally and clinically competent students” through the programme.
The team also gifted the department with a diagnostic audiometer which is used for measuring hearing ability and determining types of hearing losses. It can also be used to determine the underlying causes of hearing loss. The otoscope is used to look into the ears and examine the integrity of the outer and the middle ear before a procedure is done.
Dr. Aboagye applauded the team for continuously creating awareness on speech and hearing impairment. He also asked for better research collaboration between the two universities for future exchanges.