Photo By Ricardo Reyes-Guevara | Dr. Douglas S. Brungart poses for a photo in front of the tower at Walter Reed...... read more read more
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By James A. Black – WRNMMC – Office of Command Communications
Presidential Rank Award: Recognition for the Nation’s Best of the Best
When Dr. Douglas S. Brungart, Ph.D., the Chief Scientist of the National Military Audiology and Speech Pathology Center (NMASC) at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) learned he had won a prestigious 2023 Presidential Rank Award for his leadership, contributions, and relentless commitment to public service, he was joyfully astonished.
“It’s always a pleasure to be recognized by your peers for your research and accomplishments,” shared Brungart. “I’m indebted to my colleagues and senior leaders within the Defense Health Agency and the Department of Defense (DOD) community for championing my nomination for this great honor – culminating with the recent approval of the White House.”
The Presidential Rank Awards Program recognizes a select group of federal employees in Senior Executive (SES), Senior Leader (SL), or Senior Scientific and Professional (ST) position who demonstrate exceptional performance over a sustained period. The award has two levels: Meritorious Executive, which is limited to the top 5% of senior leaders each year, and Distinguished Executive, which is limited to the top 1% of senior leaders each year. Brungart, who previously won the award at the Meritorious Level in 2017, was the only SL/ST to receive the 2023 Distinguished Senior Professional award in the Department of Defense, and one of only four winners in the entire US government. Brungart, whose youthful appearance belies his accomplishments, has already published over 250 scholarly articles and been cited more than 6,000 times, according to ResearchGate – a collaborative digital platform connecting 20 million researchers worldwide.
Prior to arriving at Walter Reed in 2009, Brungart was a research engineer at the renowned Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Dayton, Ohio, where his research focused on developing advanced auditory displays for spatial and speech information.
National Military Audiology and Speech Pathology Center
At Walter Reed, Brungart focuses on the application of advanced technology to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing loss and other hearing and speech disorders. “We are building on the tremendous legacy of hearing and speech research at WRNMMC, which dates back to the establishment of the first Army hearing treatment center at Walter Reed General Hospital in 1943, “ Brungart explained. In 1946, the Army consolidated all four of its treatment centers into a single location at the Forest Glen annex of Walter Reed, which was the start of the Army Audiology and Speech Center. “One of the four programs consolidated into the Walter Reed annex was led by Raymond Carhart, who is credited with coining the term “Audiology” and is often referred to as the father of the profession.”
Brungart earned his master’s and doctorate in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a bachelor’s in computer engineering from Wright State University, paving the way for his rapid ascent in the field of audiology.
“I’m grateful that my professors set me on the path of success,” confided Brungart who now oversees the research program at the premier institution for research and clinical care in audiology and speech pathology within the Military Health System.
DOD Champions Auditory Fitness to Prevent Hearing Loss
According to Brungart, auditory fitness for duty is assessed for individuals in jobs that are potentially dangerous or involve the safety of others (i.e., firefighting, law enforcement, operation of an aircraft, etc.). Military Auditory Fitness for Duty standards refer to the hearing thresholds and profiles that will dictate whether a service member is able to perform his or her duties safely and effectively in the field. One of the main missions of auditory fitness for duty efforts is to determine what level of hearing is necessary for military personnel to perform the requirements of their jobs.
The DOD conducts more than 1.5 million auditory exams each year, a source of pride for Brungart and audiologists committed to preserving the hearing of the nation’s service members. “Although some hearing injuries are the result of acute acoustic traumas, most hearing loss in the military is an invisible injury that develops slowly over the course of a service member’s career. Consequently, the only way to identify hearing problems in the military services is to conduct regular audiometric testing, “explained Brungart.
Hearing Health Requires Collaboration and Comprehensive Data Stewardship
Protecting the hearing health of the nation’s service members requires collaboration among many chains of commands and health professionals. Many of the accomplishments cited in Dr. Brungart’s award were the result of his role as Scientific Advisor for the Auditory Studies and Investigations Group (ASIG), a cooperative agreement between WRNMMC and the Defense Public Health Center, Aberdeen (DPHC-A) that was established when Walter Reed left the Army to join the Defense Health Agency in 2011.
His research also depends on the unique data infrastructure that makes it possible to access hearing health data from Service Members all over the world. “It wouldn’t be possible without the Defense Occupational & Environmental Health Readiness System for Hearing Conservation (DOEHRS-HC), an automated system that allows a single technician or audiologist to collect audiograms on multiple individuals in a four-man or even an eight-man booth,” confided Brungart. This system also provides a database for tracking annual audiogram information and any hearing sensitivity changes for all military personnel. There is also a Joint Hearing Loss Auditory System Injury Registry (JHASR) that stores clinical data from all Service Members who have hearing or vestibular injures. This system was developed by the DoD Hearing Center of Excellence, which has also been an important collaborator on Brungart’s research programs. The Defense Health Agency (DHA) publishes an annual hearing health report, the latest one is from fiscal year 2021, as posted on the agency’s website.
Personal Protective Equipment
The military employs many forms of personal protective equipment (PPE) to aid in protecting hearing, but many of these options impair situation awareness and communications and/or are not comfortable for continuous use, according to Brungart.
That’s why Brungart and his colleagues continue to promote the use of custom-fitted noise reduction devices. DOD personnel exposed to continuous or intermittent noise at or above 85 decibels during an 8-hour period, or impulse noise sound pressure levels of 140 decibels or greater for at least one day per year, must be enrolled in a hearing conservation program.
“Hearing plays an innate and profound role in our ability to communicate with one another, so I hope this 2023 Presidential Rank Award paves the way for continued research and development to protect our service members,” said Brungart – who is proud to be the face of DHA’s commitment to hearing health.
| Date Taken: | 11.08.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 11.08.2023 14:19 |
| Story ID: | 457483 |
| Location: | BETHESDA, MD, US |
| Web Views: | 622 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Walter Reed Hearing Scientist Wins Prestigious 2023 Presidential Rank Award, by James Black, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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