The World Hearing Centre of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warsaw, Poland is now eligible to award an academic degree and the first nominee to receive such promotion is Dr Monika Matusiak. She is a pioneering researcher in the molecular neuroplasticity of deafness and its relationship to cochlear implantation, which was the basis of her promotion.
Her research delves into the complex molecular regulation of synaptic plasticity in language memory formation. Dr Matusiak demonstrated that serum level of matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9) measured during cochlear implantation in very early implanted children can serve as a diagnostic tool to identify children who are at risk of poor speech and language outcomes.
She argued that MMP-9 measurement should be done early, for example at the same time as electrophysiological diagnostics, to inform future management and enable the counselling of caregivers. In case of an expected poor prognosis, a more intensive rehabilitation programme could be implemented.
Dr Matusiak specialises in otorhinolaryngology, audiology and phoniatrics. For over 15 years, she has been conducting research related to the paediatric cochlear implantation programme at the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing in Warsaw, Poland. Her habilitation colloquium was conducted by four reviewers and three council members on 19 April 2024. On 9 May she was promoted to the level of associate professor by the Scientific Council of institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing in Warsaw.
