Former Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Joseph Nadol’s current research focus is the histopathology of the human temporal bone, including those from patients who in life had undergone cochlear implantation.

Anatomic correlates of word recognition and evaluation of damage done to the cochlea and spiral ganglion during implantation and the biologic response, including new bone formation and cellular infiltrates, are studied. To date, 65 specimens with a detailed clinical history of deafness and implantation results have been collected. The principal methods used include semi-serial two-dimensional and three-dimensional reconstruction of the inner ear by computer-assisted methods.