NIDCD’s Kelley Named President of ARO

Dr. Matthew W. Kelley

Dr. Matthew W. Kelley, chief of the Laboratory of Cochlear Development, National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, has been named president of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, the professional organization that encourages and promotes research in the field and stimulates scientific interest among its members. Kelley took office Mar. 1 after serving 1 year as president-elect. As president, he serves as the organization’s chief officer and chairs the ARO Council.

Kelley and his colleagues investigate the development of the cochlea, the snail-shaped structure in the inner ear that contains the organ of hearing. The overall goal of his lab is to understand the molecular and cellular factors of different structures in the cochlea that are essential for sound to travel from the inner ear to the brain.

Kelley has been an active member of ARO for the past several decades and has served on numerous ARO committees. He is looking forward to his new role and is honored to have the opportunity to build on the services and benefits ARO provides to its members.

Kelley received his B.A. from Cornell University and his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Washington, he became an assistant professor in the department of cell biology at Georgetown University in 1996. In 2000, he joined NIDCD, first as acting chief and then (since 2004) as chief of the laboratory’s section on developmental neuroscience.