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Audiologist credited for work in hearing loss Tamala Bradham, Ph.D., assistant professor and director of the MUSC Cochlear Implant Center, is this year’s recipient of the Elizabeth Wade Memorial Award presented by the S.C. Academy of Audiology. She also received recent notice that she is a third-place winner of the national Oticon Focus on People Award in the Practitioner Category.  Oticon, a world supplier of advanced hearing aids, informed Bradham, “You were selected from over 100 nominees for your individual spirit, perseverance and drive to show that hearing loss does not limit a person's ability to make a difference in their families, communities or the world.” Nominees are evaluated on how their professional work has contributed to better understanding of hearing loss and the technologies that can benefit those with hearing loss, according to Oticon literature. Bradham, who came to MUSC in August from the University of South Carolina, is a past president of the academy and is the current president of the S.C. Chapter of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, an organization that provides information and support to parents of children with hearing loss.  The current academy president, Ken Johns, Ph.D., said that the award was presented to Bradham as the academy's “outstanding audiologist of the year.” He said that Bradham has actively worked with the S.C. Legislature to benefit the hearing impaired and with insurance companies to improve reimbursements for the treatment of hearing loss.  She has been an active board member of First Sound, a program to test the hearing of newborns before they leave the hospital. Bradham, who has a degree of hearing impairment herself, said that early diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss is essential to normal speech development. Bradham's is the third Elizabeth Wade Memorial Award presented by the academy. Elizabeth Wade was  a Columbia audiologist who had made significant contributions to the field of audiology in South Carolina.  The S.C. Academy of Audiology is an independent, 110-member organization formed to promote mutual interests, discuss issues and provide support for audiologists in the state.