News Release

The Misophonia Research Fund announces recipients of the 2020 Misophonia Research Grants

Grant and Award Announcement

Milken Institute

The Misophonia Research Fund is pleased to announce the recipients of a new grant seeking to understand misophonia and develop new therapeutic strategies for those living with the condition. Funded research includes:

  • At Duke University, Dr. Clair Robbins will conduct postdoctoral research to develop a treatment protocol based on methods targeting emotional disorders.
  • At the University of Florida, Dr. Andres Keil will use multimodal imaging techniques to evaluate the interaction between auditory processing, emotion, and sensory perception in misophonia.
  • At University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dr. Fatima Husain will study misophonia in the context of the audiological disorders such as tinnitus and hyperacusis.
  • At University of Mississippi, Dr. Laura Dixon will evaluate the physiological basis of misophonia symptomology.
  • At the University of Nevada Las Vegas, Dr. Erin Hannon will examine whether misophonia is linked to differences in high-level auditory processing.
  • At the University of Sussex, Dr. Jamie Ward will test the hypothesis that atypical sensory sensitivity may underlie misophonia and predispose some people to develop misophonia.

Misophonia is a newly identified condition where individuals experience strong negative emotions in response to specific sensory stimuli, such as the sounds of a person chewing. Some studies have found that as many as one in five individuals report strong feelings of disgust, rage, or anxiety in response to specific sounds. Many of those suffering from misophonia report being unable to participate in key activities, such as attending school or participating in family gatherings.

In partnership with the Milken Institute Center for Strategic Philanthropy, the Misophonia Research Fund has awarded over $4 million in misophonia research-specific funding since its inception in 2019. The program supports two-year projects led by either faculty or postdocs with annual budgets of up to $200,000.

The Misophonia Research Fund remains committed to fostering diverse research. Interested investigators can find information about future funding on MRF's website, and further information about the condition in a recent guide.

The scientific field sits at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience, and audiology and the program hopes to attract novel proposals across these fields in its third year of funding.

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About The Misophonia Research Fund

The Misophonia Research Fund (MRF) is focused on advancing scientific breakthroughs and ending suffering from misophonia. MRF was launched in 2019 with an inaugural round of funding for medical research grants that seek to better understand misophonia, diagnose people who have the condition, and assess treatment strategies. MRF is an initiative of The REAM Foundation, a private family foundation. Through a competitive grants program, MRF seeks to foster innovative science and new treatments for misophonia. For more information, visit misophoniaresearchfund.org.

About the Milken Institute Center for Strategic Philanthropy

The Milken Institute Center for Strategic Philanthropy (CSP) advises individuals and foundations seeking to develop and implement transformational giving strategies, and offers leadership to make the philanthropic landscape more effective. We conduct deep due diligence across a range of issue areas, and identify the areas where philanthropic capital can make the biggest impact and create a better world. For more information, visit philanthropy.milkeninstitute.org.

About the Milken Institute

The Milken Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank that helps people build meaningful lives in which they can experience health and well-being, pursue effective education and gainful employment, and access the resources required to create ever-expanding opportunities for themselves and their broader communities. For more information, visit http://www.milkeninstitute.org.


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