Home Department: Human Biology
Mentor: Peter Santa Maria, Otolaryngology (Head & Neck Surgery)

Chronic suppurative otitis media is a persistently discharging eardrum perforation in the middle ear, producing hearing loss in more than 50% of cases. Recent work in Dr. Santa Maria’s lab has led to the creation of a suitable rodent model, and Layla will conduct studies using this model to identify potential therapeutic targets for intervention. She will accomplish this by studying the pathogenesis of bacterial biofilms within the middle ear in a model system that allows the lab to assess the effectiveness of new therapeutics in full organisms.