The Cochlear Center Hearing and Aging Mentoring Program at the Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health brings together students early in their doctoral training from audiologic, medicine, and public health programs for an intensive, multidisciplinary, one-week, in-person program each summer.
CHAMP's aim is to provide a foundation of public health concepts and methodology in the context of age-related hearing loss to stimulate and promote future research careers to address hearing loss with aging in public health.
2026 CHAMP dates are Saturday, June 20 - Friday, June 26, 2026, with the expectation that CHAMPs arrive by Friday, June 19 and stay for the duration of the program.
Who can apply to be a CHAMP?
This program is designed for audiology, public health, allied health, and medical graduate students currently enrolled in an
AuD, MD, or public-health related PhD program who are interested in building a foundation in age-related hearing loss and
public health research.
Does this sound interesting but you're not looking for a research career? Scroll down for information about our Summer Institute course.
Program Details
Students will begin the program with a 1-day, intensive, in-person course, Epidemiologic Approaches to Hearing Loss and Public Health (340.690.11), which includes didactic lectures covering epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical trials, gerontology, and intervention concepts in hearing loss. The rest of the program will include additional didactic lectures, as well as seminars and journal clubs with Cochlear Center faculty. During the entirety of the program, students will work in cross-disciplinary teams under the mentorship of Cochlear Center faculty to produce a final research project.
Presentation of summer projects at a national conference is highly encouraged (travel funding may be available).
CHAMP Funding
Successful applicants will receive complimentary tuition for required didactic coursework and there is no cost to participate. Housing, meals, and local transportation will be provided by the Cochlear Center from June 19 to June 26, 2025. Travel to and from the program will not be funded. Participants are eligible for up to a $500 stipend.
CHAMP participants are expected to be in-person for the duration of the program, arriving in Baltimore, Maryland on Friday, June 19 for check-in and staying until the program ends on Friday, June 26.
Please note: acceptance into Summer CHAMP is contingent on participants being able to participate in Baltimore, MD, USA during the time of the program. Please be aware of the notification date in relation to the program start date for the time it will take to obtain a visa from your home country. This program does not qualify for F-1 or J-1 student sponsorship.
How to Apply to CHAMP
CHAMP candidates must submit the requested documents through the application link that is available during the application period.
Required CHAMP application materials:
- Completed application
- Curriculum vitae
- Personal statement (2-page max) describing interest in hearing loss and public health and what one hopes to gain from the program
- One letter of support from an academic mentor, research mentor, program director, or department chair
- If applicable, support letters must explicitly state the applicant has permission to miss classes or clinical duties to attend the program. If the letter is not from a mentor with the authority to grant such permission, a brief additional letter stating such from the appropriate person is acceptable.
