Dr. Daniel Polley Inducted into CORLAS and Received James B. Snow Jr., MD, Tinnitus Research Award
CORLAS was established in 1926 when its founders, C. E. Benjamins and A. P. H. de Kleyn, two renowned otologists and scientists from the Netherlands, recognized the need for a European community to exchange scientific research following the devastation of World War I.
Today, CORLAS is an international otolaryngology society with members from 55 countries. Its primary focus is to foster networking, collaboration and discussion around new scientific advancements and discoveries in the field.
Membership is open to any country where otolaryngology is a recognized specialty. New members are selected by their national delegation, although there is a quota per country. The United States is allowed a maximum of 20 clinical members and six non-clinical members.
In addition to his induction, Dr. Polley received the James B. Snow Jr., MD, Tinnitus Research Award at the annual meeting. Named in honor of James B. Snow, Jr., MD, an alumnus of the otolaryngology residency program at Harvard Medical School/Mass Eye and Ear and the first director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, this eminent award recognizes a researcher who has made significant contributions to advancing the understanding of tinnitus and the development of its treatments.
Dr. Polley is well-known for his research on the neurobiology of sound perception and the development of new biomarkers and treatment avenues for tinnitus, hyperacusis and other types of “hidden” hearing disorders. In 2011, Dr. Polley joined the faculty at Harvard Medical School and became an investigator in the Eaton-Peabody Laboratories (EPL) at Mass Eye and Ear. In 2017, Dr. Polley was appointed Director of the Lauer Tinnitus Research Center, and in 2021 he was promoted to Professor.
Most recently, Dr. Polley, the inaugural Amelia Peabody Chair in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Mass Eye and Ear, was named Director of the EPL, the world’s largest private research enterprise focused on hearing and deafness, as well as Vice Chair for Basic Research for the hospital’s Department of OHNS. Under Dr. Polley’s leadership, a two-year renovation of the EPL was recently completed. A primary goal of the renovation was to create additional lab space for expanded research capabilities and to reconfigure existing areas to facilitate cross-disciplinary research collaborations.
“It is a great honor to be inducted into CORLAS. Only the brightest minds in our field, who are at the forefront of cutting-edge research in otolaryngology, are invited to join this prestigious society,” said Mark A. Varvares, MD, FACS, Chair of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at HMS and Mass Eye and Ear. “Dr. Polley is highly deserving of being one of the six non-clinical members. His work in investigating the underlying mechanisms of sensorineural hearing loss and developing effective treatments has significantly advanced our field, and his collaborative leadership approach has and will continue to shape the minds of hearing investigators worldwide.”