cochlear implant

January 21, 2026

New study finds that deaf children with cochlear implants read well, despite weak speech sound processing

Vanderbilt Health researchers report that many prelingually deaf children who use cochlear implants achieve age-typical language and reading comprehension.

By Danny Bonvissuto
January 27, 2025

Personalized, image-guided approach to programming may improve music perception abilities for patients with cochlear implants

As research in cochlear implant stimulation expands to include music perception, clearing up channel interaction remains the focal point as audiologists aim to customize how electrodes stimulate the auditory nerve to improve patients’ ability to hear music.

By Evan Dorian
March 29, 2024

What happens when musicians lose their hearing? Many find their way to VUMC’s Katie Berg — a scientist, a clinician — and a musician.

Cochlear implants can restore the ability to hear speech, but not music. In the heart of Music City, Katie Berg helps fit cochlear implants tuned specially for the needs of musicians.

By Wayne Wood
July 31, 2023

Researchers in I HEAR lab recruit patients for donepezil and neuroplasticity study

Researchers in Vanderbilt’s Implantables, Hearing Enhancement and Amplification Research Laboratory have launched a study of neuroplasticity, or the brain’s ability to adapt to new information, in cochlear implant outcomes.

By Danny Bonvissuto
February 27, 2023

Moberly extends impact of cochlear implantation research, quality of life outcomes

Vanderbilt’s Aaron Moberly, MD, is developing an adult cochlear implant research/clinical program that aims to tailor rehabilitative treatment protocols to individual patients based on their auditory, linguistic and cognitive profiles.

By Danny Bonvissuto
October 26, 2021

Lydia Gross is 100. She just piloted a plane for the first time — and she heard every sound because of her cochlear implants.

Performing an elective procedure on an older patient initially raised concerns for her doctor, David Haynes — but the results have been a resounding success

By Emily Stembridge
December 2, 2020

New bone anchored hearing implant enhances patient’s life

Although Elisabeth Mouw, 23, knew she would benefit from having a bone-anchored hearing implant, she put off getting one for several years. Aside from being concerned about the aesthetic of wearing an external hearing device, she was worried it would interfere with her ability to play sports.
By Kathy Whitney
September 10, 2020

Global recommendations for cochlear implants outlined

More than 432 million adults across the globe live with a disabling hearing loss, but of those who are candidates for cochlear implants, only 4-5% receive one.
By Kelsey Herbers
August 6, 2020

Team to create customizable cochlear implant programming

A team of Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers has received a $3.1 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to develop advanced, patient-specific cochlear implant stimulation models for customized implant programming.
By VUMC News and Communications
January 9, 2020

Same-day cochlear implant surgeries reduce travel burden, wait times

VUMC is testing an optimized cochlear implant delivery model that offers patients hearing tests, radiologic scans, surgical consultation, device selection and outpatient surgery all on the day of their initial visit.
By Kelsey Herbers
February 21, 2019

Study takes personal approach to cochlear implant programming

Vanderbilt University Medical Center recently received a $3.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to improve outcomes for children with significant hearing loss by providing individualized, prescription-like programming for their cochlear implants.
By Kelsey Herbers
August 25, 2016

Cochlear implant team shares insights in Ireland

An interdisciplinary team at Vanderbilt that developed an innovative method of programming cochlear implants to help people hear better recently presented at Deerfield Residence, the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland’s official residence in Dublin.
By Matt Batcheldor
January 28, 2016

Cochlear implant’s success is music to patient’s ears

Sidney Kleinman is living proof that you’re never too old to have your hearing restored.
By Matt Batcheldor