北科罗拉多大学 听力学博士 student 凯蒂·金 combined her fascination with technology and research in her scholarly project, "Hearing Aid Data Security: User Perceptions and Bluetooth Low Energy Security 评估."

"I've been enamored with technology since my dad and I built my first PC together," 金说.

She earned a Bachelor of 艺术 degree from the Metropolitan State University of Denver in 2021, where she majored in Speech, Language, and Hearing 科学s and minored in 计算机信息系统.

Her groundbreaking research was conducted with the guidance of 唐·费南教授, who chairs the Communication 科学s and Disorders department in the College of 自然与健康科学.

"In a world where everything is digital, protecting your 信息 is imperative. Knowing what your devices are broadcasting, whether they're hearing aids or something else, allows you to ascertain what precautions should be implemented."

——凯蒂·金

“我在Dr. Finan's class, and we were talking about deepfakes, or AI, and I wondered if you could hack a hearing aid," Kim recalled.

Key to her study is Bluetooth technology — a standard for short-range wireless transmissions, commonly used to establish connections between devices like smartphones, headsets, 汽车音响系统和智能手表. Bluetooth low energy is an energy-conscious version that allows for hearing aid adjustments using smartphones or computers.

Kim的研究是双重的. First, she surveyed audiologists and their patients to gauge their concern about hearing aid security. 然后，她测量了听力 辅助设备使用蓝牙进行广播.

That's significant because patient's names are protected under the 健康 Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, which restricts the release of medical 信息. Wearers and their doctors are unable to change the device name themselves.

"In a world where everything is digital, protecting your 信息 is imperative. Knowing what your devices are broadcasting, whether they're hearing aids or something else, allows you to ascertain what precautions should be implemented," she 说. "I want my research to be a wakeup call for audiologists and hearing aid users and manufacturers."

Finan recalled the research project hitting a brick wall early on when manufacturers refused to share technological details of how their devices work, what 信息 they're sending or how they're using that 信息. 他说，金正恩匆忙进入 hearing aids from six major manufacturers to make her own measurements.

她的努力得到了回报. Kim was one of only four students nationally to receive a monetary award and the opportunity to present her work at the American Academy of Audiology's 学生研究论坛.

"Katie's research probably hasn't been seen before in that group of professionals. A lot of people haven't thought about what type of 信息 could be compromised from a wireless medical device, so her research is going to open up some minds," Finan 说.

Kim credits Finan with encouraging her to keep at her research.

“每次和Dr. Finan I found myself reinvigorated and ready to go back 我在看，”金说.

In addition to her research, she's had plenty of hands-on experience during her studies. Kim在医院接受了临床培训 UNC Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology Clinic. As a graduate assistant, she performed hearing screenings alongside her UNC professors. Her off-campus work will provide new learning opportunities. 金正在完成一项 internship at a school district, and her next internship rotation will occur at a 退伍军人医院. Then she'll have a yearlong externship at a medical audiology practice that works alongside an ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinic.

After graduating in May 2025, she plans to work as a clinical audiologist for a while, eventually becoming a research audiologist.

"The rigor of both my undergrad and my graduate degree prepared me to do things that 我不知道这是可能的，”金说.