Dr Diana Tang and the Macquarie University Hearing x Join Us Collaboration
Expanding opportunities in hearing health research
We’re excited to announce a new collaboration between Macquarie University Hearing and Join Us – a national partnership helping Australians take part in hearing-related research.
Hearing loss affects people of all ages from infants through to older adults. It can affect communication, social connection, and cognitive health – contributing to loneliness, depression, and anxiety when left unaddressed. According to Macquarie University Hearing, an estimated 3.6 million Australians currently live with some degree of hearing loss, making it one of the country’s most common chronic health conditions. Yet many people with hearing loss remain underserved and underrepresented in research.
By combining Macquarie University’s leadership in hearing science and public health with Join Us’s national reach, this collaboration will help researchers connect with participants more effectively. Together, we aim to expand the impact of hearing health research – supporting innovation, shaping policy, and improving outcomes for people living with or at risk of hearing loss.
This partnership also shows what’s possible when researchers and Join Us work side by side. If your institution or organisation is interested in exploring future collaborations, please get in touch.
Stumbling across Join Us was such a gamechanger for participant recruitment - for the first time, I even had to put people on a waitlist for my study.
Researcher Spotlight: Dr Diana Tang, Macquarie University
The collaboration began with Dr Diana Tang, who first reached out to Join Us to support recruitment for her study, Co-Designing a Wellbeing Program for Older Adults with Dual Sensory Impairment.
Using Join Us, Diana recruited all the participants she needed within just one week — even building a waitlist — and has since become a strong advocate for the platform. Her positive experience helped pave the way for the broader partnership between Macquarie University Hearing and Join Us.
We asked Diana to share her thoughts on hearing health research and her experience using Join Us.
Why is hearing health such an important area of research in Australia right now?
Hearing health research is needed in Australia because our population is ageing, and age is a significant risk factor for hearing loss. In fact, due to our ageing population, the number of people with hearing loss is expected to increase from 1 in 6 to 1 in 4 by 2050. A large research study has also recently reported that hearing loss in your 40s to 60s was potentially the biggest modifiable risk factor for a future dementia diagnosis. So, despite how common hearing loss is and the links hearing loss has to other health conditions, there’s still so much we don’t know. More research is needed to ensure that we’re in the best place we can be to support Australians with and at risk of hearing loss.
What was your experience like using Join Us to recruit participants?
Stumbling across Join Us was such a gamechanger for participant recruitment. This phase of a research project has always been a big and unpredictable challenge but through Join Us, I received so many expressions of interest in just one week that I was able to recruit all the participants I needed and for the first time, I had to put people on a waitlist for my study. So, I couldn’t be happier with my experience with Join Us. Even from the very first interaction with the Join Us team, Jessica was extremely prompt and helpful, and I’ve been very happy to recommend Join Us to my colleagues.
What excites you about the new collaboration between Macquarie University and Join Us?
Macquarie University are leaders in hearing health research from discovery to public health. I think this new collaboration with Join Us will help to create a hearing health community across Australia, strengthening engagement between end users and researchers, and as such establish a translational pathway for our research to have real-world impacts. This will be extremely valuable as a common hurdle in research is getting the word out there.
How can you get involved in research?
Simply sign up online in minutes by providing a few basic details. Our secure system then matches you with relevant studies, and you decide whether to take part. Your participation helps researchers find participants faster, accelerating breakthroughs in medical science.
Find all research studies on our website:
Dr Diana Tang and the Macquarie University Hearing x Join Us Collaboration
Macquarie University Hearing and the Join Us have joined forces to make hearing research more accessible across Australia. With around 3.6 million Australians living with hearing loss, this collaboration aims to connect researchers with participants, drive innovation, and improve outcomes for people affected by hearing health conditions.
Participant Stories: Jane’s journey in health research
At Join Us, we love hearing from participants about their experiences taking part in health research. Every story helps inspire others to get involved and highlights the real impact of research participation. Today, we’re sharing Jane’s* reflections on contributing to a study exploring cardiovascular screening during routine mammography in Australia.
Join Us Reaches 10,000 Participants
We’re pleased to share an exciting milestone: the Join Us research register has now reached over 10,000 participants. This achievement marks a significant step forward in our mission to accelerate health research by connecting researchers with a large and diverse community of Australians.