University of Birmingham
Paramita Baruah is a Consultant ENT Surgeon at the University Hospitals of Leicester. She completed higher surgical training in ENT in the West Midlands Deanery.
She undertook a PhD in Immunology in Milan, Italy and a post-doctoral fellowship at Imperial College London.
More about Paramita’s work
Paramita is currently an Honorary Senior Clinical Research Fellow with the University of Birmingham with ongoing research on immune responses in vestibular schwannoma, head and neck paraganglioma, and cholesteatoma – all conditions that can cause significant hearing loss and tinnitus.
Paramita has an active clinical and surgical practice and treats both adults and children with a variety of ear conditions that cause hearing loss and tinnitus. Her research is aimed at understanding the immune mechanisms of ear disease and to develop treatments that tackle the disease while preserving inner ear health.
Understanding the role of inflammation in hearing loss and tinnitus linked to vestibular schwannomas
Read about Paramita ‘s research projectParamita’s hopes for hearing research
I have worked with individuals with hearing loss and tinnitus for over two decades now. I have witnessed the challenges and despair hearing loss and tinnitus can bring. People with hearing loss and tinnitus do not often get the support and priority they need.
I see ear diseases regularly in my clinics which if treated early and with different approaches will result in improved hearing outcomes – I work towards making ear and hearing health a priority in the NHS.
Ear diseases often cause significant hearing loss before and during treatment. Research into the causes of diseases affecting the ear will lead to development of therapies that preserve hearing while eliminating the disease.
My research focuses on the underlying immune mechanisms of ear disease. Vestibular schwannoma is an important condition because while it is considered a ‘benign’ tumour, its impact on the patient is anything but benign. Its first presentation is often hearing loss which can worsen with current treatments. Helping the immune system recognise the tumour and prevent it from growing, or indeed shrinking the tumour, will help preserve hearing and reduce tinnitus.
The main challenge I have faced as a surgeon and scientist in the field of hearing is a lack of engagement from funding bodies – which reflects the current challenges facing research in ear disease and hearing.
I am delighted that RNID has funded my work on vestibular schwannoma which will allow us to study the immune responses in the tumour and how inflammation and metabolism affect the inner ear. This work will generate novel research findings and open new lines of investigation and treatments into preserving hearing.
This funding will allow my research group to consolidate our research within the scientific and surgical community.