Professor
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
James E. Saunders, MD, FACS is a Professor of Otology / Neurotology at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, NH. He has broad research interests and have completed many research projects on the etiology and treatment of hearing loss in low resource environments, particularly in Nicaragua. This work includes evaluating the cost-effectiveness of hearing loss interventions such as cochlear implants in low resource countries throughout the world, exploring innovative technologies for large scale hearing screening, investigating the genetic causes of hearing loss in Nicaragua, and studying the role of environmental toxins (e.g., heavy metals and pesticides) on pediatric hearing loss in low resource settings. Working with the Dartmouth Space Medicine Innovations Lab, he is developing novel ways of detecting central auditory processing impairments through tablet-based screening and evoked potentials. He is also involved with multiple projects to investigate the role of bacterial resistance on treatment outcomes in chronic otitis media and to develop novel surgical techniques in chronic ear surgery. He also serves on the Lancet Commission for Hearing Loss, which is generating a detailed report on global hearing loss, and on the Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Global Initiative, an international research consortium. He serves on the Steering Committee for the World Hearing Forum at the World Health Organization. He is a co-founder of the Coalition for Global Hearing Health, an international organization to promote hearing healthcare in low resource environments, and of Mayflower Medical Outreach, an organization that supports and trains otolaryngologists and audiology providers in Nicaragua.