Thomas Simpson
From 1963 to 1983, Dr. Simpson’s primary vocation was that of a professional musician. During that time he developed strong interests in the effects of noise on hearing and hearing loss prevention. After obtaining his Ph.D. and Certificate of Clinical Competence in Audiology, he has pursued these interests through direct consultation with industry and research sponsored by major American automotive manufacturers focusing on “best practices” in occupational hearing loss prevention.
Professional Positions
• 1985-1986 Clinical Fellow in Audiology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
• 1986-1990 Hearing Conservation Consultant, James Anderson & Associates, Lansing MI
• 1990- present Faculty, Wayne State University
Faculty Appointments
• 1983-1984 Lecturer Department of Audiology and Speech- Language Pathology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
• 1990-1995 Assistant Professor, Audiology, Department of Audiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
• 1995-1997 Assistant Professor of Audiology, Department of Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
• 1998-present Associate Professor of Audiology, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Research interest(s)/area of expertise
-
Quantitative measures of characterizing occupational hearing conservation program performance.
-
Assessing the real world attenuation of hearing protective devices.
-
Noise exposure profiling and risk assessment.
-
Damage Risk Criteria for impact/impulse noise exposure.
-
Non-occupational/recreational noise hazard assessment.
Education
- BA 1969 English, Butler University
- MA 1972 Audiology, Michigan State University
- PhD 1984 Audiology, Michigan State University
Awards and grants
In 1996, Dr. Simpson was appointed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as panel member for public discussion of proposed changes to the Noise Rule and Hearing Conservation amendment as promulgated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA, 1983).
Selected publications
Stewart M, Pankiw R, Lehman ME, Simpson TH. Hearing loss and hearing handicap in users of recreational firearms. J Am Acad Audiol. 2002 Mar;13(3):160-8.
Stewart M, Konkle DF, Simpson TH. The effect of recreational gunfire noise on hearing in workers exposed to occupational noise. Ear Nose Throat J. 2001 Jan;80(1):32-4, 36, 38-40.
Simpson TH, Amos N, Rintelmann WF. Effects of pre-existing hearing loss on proposed ANSI S12.13 outcomes for characterizing hearing conservation program effectiveness: follow-up investigation. J Am Acad Audiol. 1998 Apr;9(2):112-20.
Amos NE, Simpson TH. Effects of pre-existing hearing loss and gender on proposed ANSI S12.13 outcomes for characterizing hearing conservation program effectiveness: preliminary investigation. J Am Acad Audiol. 1995 Nov;6(6):407-13.
Simpson TH, Stewart M, Blakley BW. Audiometric referral criteria for industrial hearing conservation programs. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1995 Apr;121(4):407-11.
Kaltenbach JA, Falzarano PR, Simpson TH. Postnatal development of the hamster cochlea. II. Growth and differentiation of stereocilia bundles. J Comp Neurol. 1994 Dec 8;350(2):187-98.
Simpson TH, Stewart M, Kaltenbach JA. Early indicators of hearing conservation program performance. J Am Acad Audiol. 1994 Sep;5(5):300-6.
Simpson TH, McDonald D, Stewart M. Factors affecting laterality of standard threshold shift in occupational hearing conservation programs. Ear Hear. 1993 Oct;14(5):322-31.
Simpson TH, Stewart M, Kaltenbach JA. Effects of audiometric threshold step size on proposed ANSI S12.13 outcomes for characterizing hearing conservation program effectiveness. J Am Acad Audiol. 1993 Jul;4(4):258-63.
Kaltenbach JA, Meleca RJ, Falzarano PR, Myers SF, Simpson TH. Forward masking properties of neurons in the dorsal cochlear nucleus: possible role in the process of echo suppression. Hear Res. 1993 May;67(1-2):35-44.
Simpson TH, Schwan SA, Rintelmann WF. Audiometric test criteria in the detection of cisplatin ototoxicity. J Am Acad Audiol. 1992 May;3(3):176-85.