Audiocampus: when walls have ears
The Audiocampus space in building C of the Faculty of Pharmacy was inaugurated on Friday, October 11. This 2 million euro project, made possible thanks to Opération Campus, will help meet the national need for treatment of hearing loss, by increasing the number of students enrolled in training courses in audioprosthesis and sensory neuroprosthesis techniques.
25% of the French population and one in two people over 65 suffer from hearing problems (deafness, tinnitus). With increasing life expectancy and greater exposure of younger generations to noise, these figures are only set to rise. When they are destroyed, the auditory sensory cells of the inner ear do not grow back, and hearing aids are the main recourse. In response to the national need to treat hearing loss, it was decided to create an Audiocampus facility in Montpellier, with national and international visibility and specially adapted premises.
This project became a reality on October 11, with Pierre André-Durand, Prefect of the Occitanie Region and Prefect of Haute-Garonne, Sophie Béjean, Rector of the Occitanie Academic Region, Rector of the Montpellier Academy and Chancellor of the Universities, Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, Jean-Luc Puel, Director of Audiocampus, and Vincent Lisowski, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, inaugurating the Audiocampus space. This €2 million project, carried out on building C of the Faculty of Pharmacy, was made possible thanks to the Opération campus program.
Train more professionals
The main objective of the Audiocampus space is to increase the number of students in three courses. Firstly, the state diploma in audioprosthetics, which will increase from 30 to 50 students per year. This diploma is designed to train healthcare professionals capable of assessing hearing loss, proposing suitable hearing aids and adjusting them to the patient's lifestyle.
The second course, the "Sensory Neuroprostheses" master's degree, taught exclusively in Montpellier, has grown from 30 to 60 students. It covers the fields of prosthetic fitting for children, implantable prostheses, and functional exploration of hearing and language. Lastly, the "Techniques en audioprothèse" diploma will now welcome 40 students instead of 20, in response to increased demand from the profession. Technicians welcome patients, maintain and repair hearing aids.
In addition, Audiocampus is backed by a joint research laboratory (Inserm/University of Montpellier) which works in collaboration with manufacturers of cochlear implants and hearing aids, as well as with the ENT department of Montpellier University Hospital and the Institut Saint Pierre in Palavas, dedicated to pediatric rehabilitation.
Patient reception
In terms of real estate, this restructuring involved the first floor of Building C on the Faculty of Pharmacy site, with the creation of three lecture theatres for DE audioprothésiste and Master's students (which can be converted into an e-learning room) and 2 computer rooms dedicated to practical work, as well as offices for teachers, researchers and technicians. A 3D printer is now available for the manufacture of prostheses, and the shaping room is dedicated to the production of earmolds.
The Audiocampus area also welcomes patients. It features seven audiometric booths for assessing hearing acuity, a "practice laboratory" for fitting hearing aids under the supervision of a healthcare professional, a waiting area for patients, and a "fun" area where hearing science professionals can meet the public.
