NIH 1998 Almanac/The Organization/NIDCD/
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders : Important Events in NIDCD History
October 28, 1988--Public Law 100-553 authorized the formation of the National
Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
June 26, 1989--The NIDCD Advisory Board held its first meeting.
September 18, 1989--The Advisory Council of NIDCD convened for the first time.
March 1, 1991--The NIDCD information clearinghouse was established.
April 4, 1991--The board of scientific counselors of NIDCD held its first meeting.
November 19, 1991--The deafness and other communication disorders interagency
coordinating committee met for the first time.
May 8 1992--NIDCD/American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
sponsored a live interactive satellite conference, "Warning! The Impact of Pollution
on the Upper Alimentary and Respiratory Tracts," to inform scientists, physicians and
the public about health problems associated with pollution and identify areas of needed
research.
August 21, 1992--NIDCD/Department of Veterans Affairs directors signed a Memorandum
of Understanding which established a collaboration to expand and intensify hearing aid
research and development.
October 23, 1992--NIDCD/National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
established formal scientific collaboration to enhance basic knowledge and understanding
of vestibular function in both clinical and normal states and provide investigators access
to NASA’s unique ground-based research facilities and to space flight.
March 1-3, 1993--Consensus Development Conference, "Early Identification of
Hearing Impairment in Infants and Young Children," evaluated current research and
provided recommendations regarding hearing assessment from birth through 5 years of age.
October 25, 1993--NIDCD fifth anniversary lecture, "A Celebration of Research
in Human Communication," was given.
1994--The NIDCD Advisory Board held its final meeting.
February 14, 1995-- "The Partnership Program" began, designed to maximize
opportunites for underrepresented students to participate in fundamental and clinical
research in the NIDCD research areas, with four academic centers: Morehouse School of
Medicine; University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine; University of Alaska System,
Fairbanks; and Gallaudet University.
May 15-17, 1995--Consensus Development Conference, "Cochlear Implants in
Adults and Children," to summarize current knowledge about the range of benefits and
limitations of cochlear implantation.
September 11-13, 1995--First biennial conference, "Advancing Human
Communication: An Interdisciplinary Forum on Hearing Aid Research and Development,"
was held.
September 22-24, 1997--The second biennial hearing aid research and development
conference took place.
