House Ear Institute is a private, nonprofit organization that researches the auditory system from the ear canal through the inner ear and into the cortex of the brain in an effort to improve hearing aids and auditory implants and develop innovative treatments and intervention methods for hearing problems such as deafness and ear disease. Most recently HEI has embarked on an exploration of the structure of the systems cellular and molecular mechanisms in order to gain a better understanding of how a normal ear develops, matures and functions. Through the organization s Visiting Doctors Program, more than 26,000 specialists from 50 United States and 68 countries have visited and studied at the institute, taking their newfound knowledge to patients throughout the world. Founded in 1946 and located in Los Angeles, Calif., HEI has grown from a rented, one-person office to a five-story building accommodating more than 175 staff members in 19 departments.