Rate My Professor Catherine McMahon

Professor Catherine McMahon is Professor and Academic Director of the Australian Hearing Hub in the Department of Linguistics, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, at Macquarie University. She is the inaugural Director of the Macquarie University HEAR Centre, Director of Audiology at MQ Health, and has served as Head of the Department of Linguistics. Her career at Macquarie University encompasses leadership in audiology clinical services and research, integrating evidence-based practices to advance diagnostic and treatment tools for hearing disorders.

McMahon's research specializations encompass hearing research, newborn hearing screening, hearing health outcomes, cochlear implants, speech enhancement, and access to hearing care, particularly for Indigenous communities and older adults. She leads projects such as frameworks for newborn hearing screening readiness, HearHealth implementation, and studies on cochlear implant access. Key publications include 'Aging and Hearing Health: The Life-course Approach' (2016, The Gerontologist), cited over 540 times; 'Depressive Symptoms in Older Adults with Hearing Impairments: The Blue Mountains Study' (2009, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society); 'Severity of Age-Related Hearing Loss is Associated with Impaired Activities of Daily Living' (2012, Age and Ageing); and recent works like 'Access to Ear and Hearing Care Globally: A Survey of Stakeholder Perceptions from the Lancet Commission on Global Hearing Loss' (2025, Otology and Neurotology). She has earned recognition including the 2023 Excellence in Research Award for addressing Indigenous hearing health disparities, 2021 Editor’s Choice award, membership in the Lancet Commission on Hearing Loss, and directing a WHO Collaborating Centre for hearing research. Her contributions influence policy and practice in hearing rehabilitation, cognitive health links, and global hearing equity.