Thanos Tzounopoulos Receives Hearing Research Award

Thanos Tzounopoulos, Auditory Physiology Professor and vice chair of basic research of otolaryngology, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, and director of the Pittsburgh Hearing Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, received the prestigious Dr. Richard J. Bellucci Pioneer Award. 

This honor celebrates his outstanding contributions and dedication to hearing research. His remarkable work has been at the forefront of auditory neuroscience, offering hope for effective treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus, and his leadership efforts have established one of the leading hearing research programs in the United States. 

The award is provided by the Bellucci-DePaoli Family Foundation. The award recipient gives the keynote address at a symposium and receives a monetary prize. 

Bellucci graduated from the Creighton School of Medicine in 1942 and began his career treating soldiers and veterans who sustained hearing injuries in the war. He later became a pioneer in stapedectomy and invented the Bellucci Micro Ear Scissors—which remain a standard instrument for otologic surgeons. He was a teacher, scientist, surgeon and leader at several universities in New York City. He was also a humanitarian who volunteered his time and expertise in Haiti. 

Previous awardees include Thomas Friedman from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, Karen Steel from King’s College in London, and Jaime García-Añoveros from Northwestern University. 

 

Media contact: HSNews@pitt.edu