Perth audiologist Ms Tamara Veselinović, whose research has revealed high rates of hearing loss in Aboriginal infants in metropolitan areas, is a finalist in the student scientist of the year category of the 2024 WA Premier’s Science Awards.
Her PhD also identified novel ways to identify otitis media (OM) including wideband acoustic immittance.
Extremely high rates of OM and hearing loss have been documented in First Nations children in remote areas of Australia, but Veselinović’s Australian-first research found that Indigenous infants in cities and regional areas also have very high rates of ear disease.
“We found OM in 50% of Aboriginal babies in metropolitan areas, with 45% having associated hearing loss by 12 months of age,” she told Hearing Practitioner Australia (HPA).
Veselinović is a clinician-scientist and PhD student completing her research with the Ear Health team at Telethon Kids Institute and the University of Western Australia where she is a clinical lecturer. She is also a clinical audiologist with the Djaalinj Waakinj Centre of Ear and Hearing Health and a paediatric audiologist at Perth Children’s Hospital and Fiona Stanley Hospital.
As part of her PhD, she developed a highly impactful program of research to improve Aboriginal ear health which is having a significant impact locally. In partnership with local Aboriginal community members, she led research showing the need for better ear healthcare in metropolitan areas and is developing novel ways to improve the identification of ear disease to improve future treatment for Aboriginal families.
“Research in remote areas has shown a higher prevalence of OM (70-90%). However, more Aboriginal children by number (not proportion) live in metropolitan areas so technically there are more children with ear problems in metro areas,” she told HPA.
“A lot of research and resources have been directed towards rural and remote areas given the high prevalence of OM; however, there are many barriers to care in metro areas too (long wait lists, poor access to tertiary hospitals via public transport, systemic racism), which we postulate is a contributing factor to high rates of disease in cities.”
She said otitis media rates were about the same in cities as in regional areas, for example, Perth and Kalgoorlie have similar percentages, but both are lower than in remote areas based on studies done in northern WA and the Northern Territory.
“Our research has also found rates of chronic suppurative otitis media are much lower in the city, compared to remote areas,” she said.
Novel ways to identify otitis media used through her PhD include wideband acoustic immittance.
“This focuses on an advanced middle ear assessment method which can provide more comprehensive information about middle ear status compared to conventional tympanometry,” Veselinović told HPA. “This method has not really been used outside of research settings and has not been applied to Aboriginal children so evaluation is an important part of my work.
“Additionally, we found that evaluating the quality of life of children, using culturally adapted measures through community consultation, yielded high sensitivity to picking up kids with OM.”
Science awards
WA Premier Mr Roger Cook and Science Minister Mr Stephen Dawson announced 34 finalists across eight categories on 31 July 2024 with winners to be revealed at a ceremony on 19 August. The $120,000 prize pool will award $50,000 to the scientist of the yar and $10,000 to winners of other categories.
The Premier said the awards recognised and celebrated the outstanding scientific research and engagement taking place in WA and were a keystone in the WA Government’s efforts to raise the profile of science. He said this year’s awards recognised STEM educators who were on the frontline of engaging and expanding STEM capabilities and skills which were critical to building a smart, sustainable state and creating jobs of the future.
“Award winners and finalists become vital role models and help inspire future generations to take up courses and careers in STEM,” he said.
Dawson added: “We have an incredible cohort of scientists, researchers and innovators in Western Australia and this award plays an important role in raising the profile of these unsung heroes as well as the importance of STEM.
“The award is a chance to turn the spotlight on these dedicated individuals who are using their knowledge and skills to solve real-world problems, to better understand the universe or focus on improving people’s lives.”
For the first time this year the WA community has been invited to get involved and vote for their favourite finalist across all the categories. The finalist with the most votes will be awarded a People’s Choice award at the ceremony
Vote for Tamara Veselinović in the People’s Choice award here.
