Djalilian has a joint faculty appointment in the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Dr. Djalilian’s research is focused on 4 primary areas. The first is the development of devices for the treatment of diseases of the ear. The primary device is a novel hearing device that directly vibrates the tympanic membrane. This device (Direct Hearing Device) would theoretically have a sound quality that would be similar to an implantable hearing aid without the need for surgery. The second device is a balance augmentation device which combines sensors and gaming technology to assess and rehabilitate imbalance. The third and fourth devices are focused on the development of devices for diagnosis and treatment of otitis media. Other devices of interest include a novel combined vestibular and cochlear implant and a free standing vestibular implant.

The second area of focus is on novel treatment of tinnitus. The lab has been working on a web-based customized sound and music therapy for the treatment of tinnitus. The work is based on the principle of harmonic therapy and its unique effect on the brain and the sources of tinnitus in the brain. This work has resulted in a technology transfer to Mind:Set Technologies which has commercialized this work in http://www.beyondtinnitus.com . Clinical trials of various tinnitus therapies are on-going.

The third area of interest is in the analysis of large databases of health data. We are interested in examining trends, outcomes, and influencing factors in the treatment of diseases of the ear and skull base surgery by looking at databases of national and state samples.

The fourth area of research is clinical outcomes research related to novel treatments of conditions such as chronic ear infections, tympanic membrane perforations, skull base surgery, cochlear implantation, sudden hearing loss, perilymph fistula, and vertigo. An area of interest is the genetics and novel treatments of Meniere’s disease and migraine related ear disease. Surgical approaches and treatment of petrous apex lesions including cholesterol granuloma, cysts, cholesteatoma, among others is another area of current research.