Dr. Obi Nwosu Presented 2023 Patricia & Barry Yellen Young Investigator Award
Long-time Mass Eye and Ear Trustee Barry Yellen and his wife Patricia have given generous gifts toward this endowed award since 2001. The award supports trainees who are eager to conduct research within their specialty early in their careers.
Dr. Nwosu, who graduated from the Indiana University School of Medicine as a George H. Rawls Scholar prior to matriculating at the Harvard residency program, will use funding from the award to improve the functionality of a proof-of-concept machine-learning tool he helped develop to automatically measure perforations, or holes, in the eardrum. Exceedingly common in patients worldwide, these perforations can impact hearing and lead to ear infections or chronic ear disease, and the size of the perforation can often determine symptoms and treatment. The lack of an objective standardized and efficient method of determining the size of these perforations complicates matters further.
In a small preliminary study, the proof-of-concept machine learning model estimated perforation size with significantly higher accuracy than sampled otolaryngologists. According to Dr. Nwosu, his research will focus on further development and validation of the model. Ultimately, he aims to develop a simple yet robust tool available on a web or phone app for real-time clinical and research use.