Education plays a key role at the Hough Ear Institute (HEI). For many years surgeons, audiologists and scientists at HEI have freely given their time and energy to teach others their skills and technology.

Thousands of physicians and allied clinicians have been trained by HEI personnel in short courses or seminars, either at the Institute or in their own states or countries. Oklahoma medical students and residents frequently come here for part of their clinical training. Teams from HEI have made overseas trips to such countries as Vietnam, Moldova, Siberia, Ukraine, Bosnia, and Jordan, performing ear surgery and/or teaching doctors.

Through a year-long training fellowship in otology (the study of ears) and neurotology (the study of ear-related nerves), many physicians who have trained here are now practicing ear medicine and teaching others all over the world. Investing time and training in young professionals who will be leaders in their home cities or universities here and abroad, especially in underdeveloped countries, continues to be a major emphasis. At the present time two to four doctors a year are coming to HEI primarily from the Middle East and Southeast Asia for short term fellowships.

This teaching of others has also been a continuous practice of audiologists and scientists of the Hough Ear Institute throughout the years as a steady flow of students have been equipped for future service.

Educational programs for the deaf, especially among the very young, had not kept pace with the technological advances in cochlear implantation methods. In 1993 the Institute inaugurated a unique educational-assistance program called the INTEGRIS Hearing Enrichment Language Program (HELP) for severely and profoundly hearing impaired children. Now, HELP coordinates doctors, audiologists, speech language pathologists, family counselors, physical therapists and, most importantly, parental involvement into a multi-sensory language education program which greatly expands the early educational opportunities available to children.

The ultimate goal of the HELP program is for children with severe to profound hearing impairments to learn to use spoken language, both to hear and to speak. This is essential if these children are to be equipped to function in a hearing world. Now, with early surgical implantation of the cochlear implant, this goal can and is being reached. Implantation and training, even for the totally deaf, provides hope for hearing to these children and their families.

The education and rehabilitation of those many adult patients who are suffering from hearing and balance disorders has also been very important at HEI. One goal of the HEI staff is helping individuals and their families to thoroughly understand and adapt to their situations.