Dr. Grace Gore Sturdivant, Doctor of Audiology (AuD) spoke to the Rotary Club of North Jackson at the Club’s April 13 meeting. Sturdivant is a native of Grenada, MS, and resides in Jackson. She received her undergraduate degrees from the University of Mississippi and her doctoral degree from Vanderbilt University. She is the founder and president of OtoPro Technologies which provides tailored technology for active ears. By active ears, Sturdivant means ears exposed to high decibel sounds such as music, hunting, shooting sports, high-speed automobiles, or jet engines She can also provide recommendations as to clinical audiologists for persons with hearing loss. Sturdivant came to Jackson and completed her doctoral externship at UMMC after which she served as an Assistant Professor and Vice Chief of the Audiology division before founding OtoPro Technologies in 2018.
Sturdivant discussed hearing, its loss, and the causes of hearing loss. She also discussed recent research that appears to link untreated hearing loss and the onset of dementia. That link has yet to be conclusively proven, but she said that there is a high correlation between the two. The hypothesis linking hearing loss and dementia relates to the lack of stimulation of certain brain areas by sound which stimulation is not present when the person doesn't hear. This is thought to result in loss of memory or dementia.
We thank Sturdivant for her presentation and for her service to Mississippians having or at risk of having hearing loss. She (center) is shown below following her presentation with club member Bill Osborne (left) and club President Lee Carney (right).
Sturdivant's presentation and the entire meeting can be seen at the following link: https://vimeo.com/536898436