# RR&D Research Career Scientist Award Application

> **NIH VA IK6** · PORTLAND VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · —

## Abstract

Primary (sensorineural) tinnitus of at least 6 months duration is usually a permanent condition with no cure
available. Veterans whose tinnitus is bothersome must rely on methods designed to reduce emotional and
functional reactions to tinnitus. Dr. Henry's research activities are focused on producing evidence-based
research supporting such methods, and disseminating these methods throughout VA as well as to non-VA
national and international audiences. Over his 30-year VA research career, including 20 VA research grants,
Dr. Henry has led a research team that has developed Progressive Tinnitus Management (PTM), a multi-
disciplinary stepped-care method designed to be efficiently implemented in busy VA clinics. The five levels of
care include Level 1 Referral, Level 2 Audiologic Evaluation, Level 3 Skills Education, Level 4 Interdisciplinary
Evaluation, and Level 5 Individualized Support. Level 1 consists of referral guidelines for any provider
encountering patients who complain of tinnitus. Level 2 involves audiologic testing, brief tinnitus assessment,
hearing aids if needed, and brief tinnitus counseling. Dr. Henry's team has completed two randomized
controlled trials (RCTs) to evaluate the use of hearing aids and combination instruments (hearing aid with built-
in sound generator) for tinnitus management. These RCTs validated both types of ear-level devices as
efficacious for tinnitus management—findings that were consistent with the only other comparable RCT and
supporting PTM Level 2 Audiologic Evaluation as the gateway of any PTM program. Patients requiring tinnitus
services beyond Level 2 are advised to attend Level 3 Skills Education, involving five sessions (individual or
group) of educational counseling to learn self-care skills for bothersome tinnitus. Two of the sessions are
conducted by an audiologist who teaches the principles of sound-based therapy, and three are taught by a
mental health provider who administers components of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). In his recent VA-
funded projects, Dr. Henry led a “clinically embedded” RCT at two VA medical centers—Memphis, Tennessee,
and West Haven, Connecticut—revealing efficacy of PTM Level 3 Skills Education. He then led a second RCT,
evaluating a telephone-administered version of Level 3 Skills Education (“Tele-PTM”), which demonstrated the
efficacy of remote counseling for bothersome tinnitus. Combined, these four RCTs have provided an evidence
base for providing effective clinical services for tinnitus, either in the clinic or via telehealth, which address the
tinnitus needs for the great majority of Veterans suffering from this invisible condition. A very small number of
patients require Level 4 and Level 5 services. Since 2009, the VA National Audiology and Speech Pathology
(ASP) Service has endorsed PTM as the VA standard of care for tinnitus and, since this time, Dr. Henry and
his team have conducted numerous trainings and provided individual consultation to hundreds of cl...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9821154
- **Project number:** 5IK6RX002990-02
- **Recipient organization:** PORTLAND VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** JAMES A HENRY
- **Activity code:** IK6 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9821154

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9821154, RR&D Research Career Scientist Award Application (5IK6RX002990-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9821154. Licensed CC0.

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