WWU doctoral student of audiology spending the summer studying side effects of HIV medications
Kacey Wilson is a second-year doctoral student of audiology at Western who is spending the summer in a research training program at the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research in Portland, Oregon, where she is studying ototoxicity — a medication side effect that causes inner ear damage.
During her time in the competitive, NIH-funded T35 internship, Wilson is focusing on damage to the inner ear associated with antiretrovirals like PrEP, which are used to treat HIV. Wilson said she’ll spend the bulk of her time researching tinnitus and balance-related issues.
“People who have or are at risk of contracting HIV have to take antiretrovirals, and that’s what allows them to live. But there’s growing evidence that those types of medications can cause damage to our hearing system,” Wilson said.
Wilson said that one huge benefit of this internship is the opportunity to spend time with a mentor doing lab research with the goal of producing an academic paper by the end of the summer that can be submitted for publication.
Wilson’s capstone mentor at Western, Associate Professor of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences Anna Diedesch said Wilson is excelling in her clinic rotations on campus.
“Having taught Kacey in research methods, I can attest that she has a strong interest in auditory research and doesn’t shy away from challenging research topics in our field,” Diedesch said.
Wilson began volunteering in special education programs through her home school district when she was 10 years old. Originally from Allen, Texas, she got her bachelor’s degree in wildlife ecology from Texas A&M University. As an undergrad, she continued her volunteer work in an organization that hosted events and provided resources for local families who have children with disabilities.
After she graduated, Wilson moved to Colorado to work in animal care rescue. But after a couple years, she switched career paths and took a job managing the Deaf and hard of hearing accommodations at the Disability Office at University of Colorado. That job inspired a deeper interest in hearing loss, and Wilson decided to pursue audiology in graduate school.
Wilson said working with professors and staff in the Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences Department at Western has been an incredible experience.
“Through their mentorship I’ve been able to develop strong skills as an audiologist, and I feel grateful for their gentle expertise that has guided me over the last two years,” Wilson said. “Dr. Diedesch has been integral in the process of me receiving the T35 award. Her guidance has helped me build a strong application, make the difficult choice between research sites, and navigate the research side of audiology. She also has helped me settle into Portland and pick from the many exciting things the city has to offer.”
Diedesch said that lots of folks are excited for Wilson’s opportunity.
“We are all incredibly proud of Kacey in the department, and we look forward to hearing about her work at the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research this fall when she presents to our department,” Diedesch said.
After the T35 internship, Wilson will complete a series of internships and externships around the Seattle area in the third and fourth years of her doctoral program. Eventually, she wants to work in pediatric audiology with children who have complex cases and multiple diagnoses.
Learn more about Western’s Clinical Doctorate of Audiology program here.
Allie Spikes covers the WWU Graduate School and Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies for University Communications. Reach out to her with story ideas at spikesa@wwu.edu.