Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences

May 13, 2021

Research explores how people with traumatic brain injury have adapted to the pandemic

The Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences has conducted research to better understand how individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers think the findings may apply to many disability populations in future crises.

By Emily Stembridge
May 6, 2021

American Academy of Audiology honors Gifford, Roberts

Two faculty members from the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences — René Gifford, PhD, and Richard Roberts, PhD — were recognized for their work in the field at the 2021 American Academy of Audiology (AAA) convention.

By Emily Stembridge
January 21, 2021

Special Olympics honors Wilkerson Center, Hearing and Speech Sciences

Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Bill Wilkerson Center, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, has been awarded the Special Olympics’ Golisano Health Leadership Award for Tennessee. The award is the highest honor health partners can receive from the Special Olympics.

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
Rene Gifford, PhD, works with patient Davy Hillis to program his cochlear implant.
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
Rene Gifford, PhD, works with patient Davy Hillis to program his cochlear implant.
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
May 21, 2020

Preschools for autism and hearing loss adapt to virtual learning

As social distancing mandates have been implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many teachers have relied on creativity to continue providing educational opportunities for their students.
By Kelsey Herbers
May 7, 2020

Project seeks to help adults with TBI access social media

With more than $2 million in funding, researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center are developing software to make social media platforms more accessible for adults with cognitive disabilities.
By Kelsey Herbers
May 7, 2020

Study to explore memory system’s role in TBI behavior deficits

VUMC researchers are beginning a new five-year study to characterize the role of a memory system in behavioral deficits commonly seen in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI).
By Kelsey Herbers
April 1, 2020

Study to explore TBI’s impact on language processing

Researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University have been awarded more than $3.8 million to study the impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on one’s ability to process language in everyday settings.
By Kelsey Herbers
March 19, 2020

Partnership speeds speech-language interventions

Preschoolers in the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) district are more quickly being identified as having a communication disability thanks to a new partnership between the district and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
By Kelsey Herbers
February 20, 2020

It takes a village

The 59th annual Christmas Village, a three-day November shopping extravaganza organized by the Nashville Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club, raised $530,600 to benefit the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center and other Pi Beta Phi philanthropies.
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
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