Jolene’s Creator

Genna Martin, a 2009 graduate of Boston University in photojournalism, created Jolene as a research and education tool during a summer fellowship in 2006 in the Oregon Health & Science University – Center for Research in Occupational and Environmental Toxicology.

Genna began her career in hearing health as an 8th grade student studying the effectiveness of truly “digital” hearing protection (using your fingers as ear plugs). As a student at Lincoln High School in Portland, OR she was a research educator for a National Institute for Deafness and Other Disorders funded component of the Dangerous Decibels® project. She and other high school students presented the Dangerous Decibels® classroom program to 4th graders as we studied the impact on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding exposure to loud sounds.