ANS Research Grant Award
Established: 2014/2015
First awarded: 2015
Funding provided by: the ANS Endowment Fund
NEXT FUNDING CYCLE - JULY 1, 2026- June 30, 2027
Please click here for ANS Grant submission instructions
ONLINE GRANT APPLICATION DUE
MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2026 - MIDNIGHT P.T.
Click here for Fast Facts about the ANS Research Grant!
WE ARE PLEASED TO AWARD THREE RESEARCH GRANTS IN 2025!
Congratulations to the 2025 ANS Research Grant Award recipients
(in alphabetical order)
Ryan Anderson, MD was selected as a 2025 research grant recipient for his grant titled, "Role of Endocochlear Potential in TMPRSS3 Cochlear Hair Cell Degeneration". Ryan Anderson is currently a PGY3 otolaryngology resident at Indiana University. He earned his bachelor’s degree in medical laboratory science at Weber State University and completed his medical training at University of Utah Medical School. Under the direction of Rick Nelson, MD, PHD, his research will investigate potassium's role in hair cell death in Tmprss3 mutant mice and explore whether pharmacologically reducing endocochlear potential offers therapeutic benefits. This study aims to elucidate TMPRSS3-related hearing loss mechanisms and identify potential treatment options. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and his two daughters.
Aparna Govindan, MD was selected as a 2025 research grant recipient for her grant titled, “Next-Generation Sequencing: A MicroRNA Profile of Cholesteatoma of the Middle Ear.” Dr. Govindan is currently a neurotology fellow at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital. She graduated from an accelerated BA/MD program, earning her bachelor's degree in chemistry from Rutgers University, and her medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. She then completed her residency training in Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery at the Icahn School of Medical at Mount Sinai/New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. Her other research endeavors include clinical outcomes research in endoscopic otologic surgery, and cochlear implantation. When she is not working, she can be found performing and teaching Bharatanatyam (Indian classical dance), hunting down the best gelato, or watching movies with family.
Joshua J. Sturm, MD, PhD was selected as a 2025 research grant recipient for his grant titled, “Defining Central Auditory Biomarkers of Tinnitus Perception and Distress.” Dr. Sturm is a surgeon scientist and Assistant Professor of Otorhinolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery in the Division of Otology and Neurotology at Montefiore Einstein in the Bronx, NY. Dr. Sturm earned his AB degree in Biochemistry and Cognitive Science at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. He pursued his MD-PhD training at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh, PA, where he completed his dissertation work studying the effects of noise-induced hearing loss on synaptic connectivity in the auditory midbrain of a rodent behavioral model of tinnitus. He then completed his residency training in Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery at New York Presbyterian Hospital- Columbia and Weill Cornell Campuses in New York, NY, followed by a fellowship in Neurotology at the Medical University of South Caroline (MUSC) in Charleston, SC. Dr. Sturm’s research is focused on using scalp-recorded event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to characterize electrophysiological biomarkers of central auditory perceptual processing in in patients with hearing loss and tinnitus. He will be working with Dr. Elyse Sussman, PhD, who leads the Human Brain and Cognition Lab at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine. Outside of work, Dr. Sturm enjoys cooking with friends, composing music and spending time with his wife, Camilla, and their adorable Pitbull, Lyra.
GRANT SUBMISSION INFORMATION
The purpose of the American Neurotology Society (ANS) Research Grant is to encourage and support academic research in sciences related to the investigation of otology and neurotology. Appropriate areas of research include diagnosis, management, and pathogenesis of diseases of the ear and/or skull base. Grants that focus on addressing clinical gaps are especially encouraged. Grants may involve cell/molecular studies, animal research, or human subjects research.
The maximum award request is $25,000 per year (US dollars) and is annually renewable on a competitive basis. ANS may distribute up to three $25,000 grants each funding cycle. Indirect costs (overhead), salary support are not allowed. Grants are available to physician investigators in the United States and Canada only. We particularly encourage those individuals without a history of K08, R03, R21, or R01 funding to apply.
If you would like to submit a grant for consideration in 2026-27, the deadline for applications is March 2, 2026. The grant application and reference letters are to be submitted via email in ONE PDF to Dr. Aaron Remenschneider, Chair of the American Neurotology Society Research Committee, [email protected] and Kristen Bordignon, Administrator for the American Neurotology Society, [email protected]
The American Neurotology Society Research Fund only accepts grant applications and reference letters electronically. Please prepare your application electronically and have everything including reference letters contained within one PDF. Please submit your final PDF application by email. Reference letters may be electronically prepared and signed as PDF documents, or may be scanned as PDF documents, in order that they may be included as part of the grant application.
The next ANS Grant Application Deadline is March 2, 2026 - 11:59 PM PT (NO LOI REQUIRED)
 
American Neurotology Society/Vestibular Disorders Association Grant collaboration
ANS/VeDA Clinical Outcomes Research Grant
Purpose: To encourage and support academic research in topics aimed at improving clinical outcomes
of patients with vestibular disorders.
ANS/VeDACOR Grant Topics
- New treatment methods
- Development of new instruments to gauge outcomes
- Multidisciplinary care delivery models
- Translational research projects
- Basic Research
All projects aimed at improving healthcare outcomes for people with chronic vestibular dysfunction arising from illness or injury to the peripheral or central vestibular system will be considered.
Click here for Fast Facts about the ANS Research Grant!
Please click here for ANS Grant submission instructions
ANS RESEARCH COMMITTEE -Aaron K. Remenschneider, MD, MPH - CHAIR
Aaron Remenschneider, MD, MPH
Christine Dinh, MD
Courtney Voelker, MD, PhD
Samuel Gubbels, MD
Theodore McRackan, MD
Jason Brant, MD
Andrew McCall, MD
Rick Nelson, MD, PhD
Ana Kim, MD
David Friedmann, MD, MSc
James Saunders, MD
Divya Chari, MD
Charlotte Hughes, MD (DI Committee representative)
MULTIPLE $25,000 RESEARCH GRANTS MAY BE AWARDED
Next Grant Submission Deadline: March 2, 2026
Previous Recipients
|
Christine T. Dinh, MD
University of Miami
Miller School of Medicine
Miami, FL
|
Cochlear irradiation and dosimetry: apoptosis, necrosis and hearing loss
|
$25,000 |
2015 |
|
Harrison W. Lin, MD
University of California-Irvine
Orange, CA
|
Chronic implantation of the facial nerve for selective facial muscle contraction |
$25,000 |
2016 |
|
Michael S. Harris, MD
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee, WI
|
Verbal Memory as Outcome Predictor in Adults Receiving Cochlear Implants |
$25,000 |
2017 |
|
Ksenia A. Aaron, MD
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
|
Modelling and Restoring Hearing and Vestibular Deficit of Non-Syndromic Deafness |
$25,000 |
2018 |
|
Dunia Abdul-Aziz, MD
Massachusetts Eye & Ear
Boston, MA
|
Targeting Epigenetic Modifying Enzymes for Hair Cell Regeneration |
$25,000 |
2019 |
|
Tatiana Correa, MD, MPH
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
|
Comparison of Surgical Routes for Localized Inner Ear Viral Vector-Mediated Gene Therapy in the Guinea Pig Using Helper-Dependent Adenovirus Type 5 |
$25,000 |
2020 |
| Courtney C.J. Voelker, MD, PhD
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
|
In Vivo Neuronal Mapping of the Auditory Pathway in Pediatric Patients with Congenital Unilateral Sensorineural Hearing Loss and those with Normal Hearing |
$25,000 |
2020 |
|
Douglas Bennion, MD and Megan (Foggia) Jensen, MD
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
|
Durable Zwitterionic Thin Film Coatings for Cochlear Implant Biomaterials |
$25,000 |
2020 |
|
Ashley E. Kita, MD
University of California, Los Angeles
|
Prolonged Elution of Cytokines for Inner Ear Rehabilitation
|
$25,000 |
2021 |
| Bing Teh, MD
Columbia University
New York, NY
|
Impact of Vestibular Dose on Post Gamma Knife Balance Function |
$25,000 |
2021 |
Aida Nourbakhsh, MD, PhD
University of Miami
Miller School of Medicine
Miami, FL |
Molecular Mechanisms of Hypofractionation and Radiation Resistance in Vestibular Schwannoma |
$25,000 |
2022 |
Vivian F. Kaul, MD
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH |
Improving Patient Satisfaction and Quality of Life Outcomes for Cochlear Implant Patients Through an Interactive Web and Mobile-Based Patient Education Platform |
$25,000 |
2022 |
Amit Walia, MD
Washington University
St. Louis, MO |
Predicting Performance in Background Noise for Cochlear Implant Recipients using Electrocochleography |
$25,000 |
2022 |
|
Nir Ben-Shlomo, MD
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
|
Sustained Drug Release of Dexamethasone and Neurotrophic Agents from Zwitterionic Thin Film Coatings for Decreased Inflammation and Improved Spiral Ganglion Neuron Survival following Cochlear Implantation
|
$25,000 |
2023 |
|
Janet Choi, MD, MPH
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA
|
Big Data to Personalized Hearing Health: Developing an Open Database for Hearing Devices and a Matching System
|
$25,000 |
2023 |
|
Adam C. Kaufman, MD, PhD
University of Maryland
Baltimore, MD
|
The Role of Sweet Taste Receptors in Middle Ear Mucosal Defense
|
$25,000 |
2023 |
|
Yin Ren, MD, PhD
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
|
Extracellular Matrix Remodeling and Tumor Inflammation Markers in Aggressive Vestibular Schwannomas
|
$25,000 |
2023 |
|
Douglas M. Bennion, MD, PhD
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
|
Characterizing the Translational Treatment Potential of Losartan After Acoustic Trauma
|
$25,000 |
2024 |
|
Alexander Chern, MD
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD
|
Psychometric Validation of an Item Bank and Development of a Profile Instrument Assessing Music Enjoyment in Individuals with Hearing Loss
|
$25,000 |
2024 |
|
Ankita Patro, MD, MS
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
|
Developing a Validated Adult Cochlear Implant Referral Guideline Using Machine Learning
|
$25,000 |
2024 |
|
