Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences

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
August 28, 2025

Jennifer Pack, a mother and a real estate agent, wanted to better hear the voices of her children and her clients; how VUMC research audiologist Jonathan Neukam helped that happen

“My preconceived idea was that cochlear implants are for deaf people, and I didn’t understand that they’re also for hearing-impaired people.”

By Evan Dorian
May 29, 2025

Melissa Duff named chair of Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences

She is nationally recognized for her research to understand and improve long-term outcomes of individuals with acquired brain injury.

By John Howser
April 8, 2025

Audiology and speech-language pathology programs garner top recognition for Best Graduate Schools

The Doctor of Audiology program topped the list of 74 contenders and the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program ranked above 282 others.

By Danny Bonvissuto
Melissa Duff, PhD
February 17, 2025

Melissa Duff elected president of the Academy of Neurologic Communication Disorders and Sciences

Duff is a cognitive neuroscientist and speech-language pathologist who studies the role of hippocampal-dependent memory in language processing and communication.

By VUMC News and Communications
February 10, 2025

Anne Marie Tharpe steps down as Hearing and Speech Sciences chair

Under Tharpe’s leadership, the department has maintained a remarkable trajectory of advancing clinical care for those with communication disorders.

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
August 23, 2024

Children with developmental disabilities less likely to receive gold-standard hearing assessment

More than 30% of children with permanent hearing loss have additional disabilities. A timely diagnosis of reduced hearing and access to appropriate interventions can maximize developmental outcomes.
By Danny Bonvissuto
May 29, 2024

Mama Lere Hearing School graduation

The Mama Lere Hearing School teaches children, mostly with hearing loss, to listen, read, sing and talk.
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
October 30, 2023

Restoring balance

Doctoral students recently traveled to Krakow, Poland to provide free vestibular testing and treatment to 53 Ukrainian refugees experiencing dizziness and imbalance.
By VUMC News and Communications
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
July 20, 2023

Rare case: brain injury stirs creativity, synesthesia

Vanderbilt researchers report on a musician who acquired synesthesia — a merging of sensations — and improved creativity following a traumatic brain injury.
By Paul Govern