Effective hearing and communication are the foundation for nearly every aspect of physical and mental health. However, hearing is rarely the focus of public health research and interventions. The Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health aims to change this paradigm not only through research to better understand how hearing problems affect health, but by identifying and implementing viable and scalable solutions. Research at the Center spans areas including the impact of hearing loss in older adults on public health; developing and testing strategies to mitigate these effects; and helping to implement policies at the local, national and global levels to address hearing loss. This work bridges a variety of fields including otolaryngology, audiology, epidemiology, health economics, neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience and biostatistics.