Supports the Student Research Grant in Audiology

Dr. Ira M. Ventry was an audiologist whose career focused on teaching and imbuing in students the scientific rigor necessary to perpetuate and advance the field of audiology, both clinically and academically. Throughout his careers, his goal was to educate doctoral students who went on to perpetuate his passion for the conduct of high-quality clinical research. His research career began with a seminal publication on functional hearing loss, which was an outgrowth of his work at the San Francisco Veterans Administration Hospital.

In 1963, Dr. Ventry became one of the first employees at the ASHA National Office in Washington, DC. Working beside Ken Johnson, Dr. Ventry served as Associate Secretary of ASHA for several years. He later became a professor at Columbia University, where he was able to pursue his love of teaching and research.

Dr. Ventry's research interests were wide ranging, and he always insisted on a high standard from his numerous master's and doctoral students. He published in the areas of suprathreshold hearing, conductive hearing loss, hearing screening in the elderly and hearing handicap assessment.

His textbook, entitled Evaluating Research in Speech Pathology and Audiology, set a high standard for reading and understanding research. It remains a resource for master's and doctoral students in speech-language pathology and audiology. Dr. Ventry was the co-author of the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly, a self-report questionnaire that is widely used in audiology practices across the country.

At the time of his death in 1983, he was a professor at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City.

Past Recipients of the Student Research Grant in Audiology

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