Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center

From left, SLP graduate students Leah Wirthlin, Sydney Lex, Abby Ragan, Bella Blanchet, and Sam Eason pose with adapted Mickey Mouse dolls at the Adaptive Toy Workshop. Photo by Emily Mathis.
November 17, 2025

Latest workshop to modify toys for children with physical disabilities held at Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center

Participants successfully adapted more than 30 toys using simple modifications that allow children with limited mobility to operate them with an accessibility switch.

By Evan Dorian
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
Mama Lere Hearing School students lead the Pledge of Allegiance.(photo by Erin O. Smith)
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
November 6, 2023

Christmas Village, benefiting the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, is one of the oldest philanthropic events in Nashville. For many, it has been a family tradition for generations.

A story of love, and loss, and shopping

By Danny Bonvissuto
October 27, 2023

Winners of 2023 pumpkin carving/decorating contests announced

Space aliens! Minions! Nerds! A candy corn blowfish! This year’s entries have it all.

By Wayne Wood
June 21, 2022

Evaluation of hearing brochures

Most brochures given to parents about newborn hearing screening results need to be modified to make them more understandable, Vanderbilt hearing researchers found.
By Emily Stembridge
April 13, 2022

Hearing and Speech Sciences celebrates 70 years of service

The Vanderbilt Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences is celebrating 70 years of serving people with hearing, speech, language and related disorders.
By Emily Stembridge
February 10, 2022

Christmas Village celebrates 60 years of tireless support

By Emily Stembridge
November 18, 2021

Vanderbilt Audiology offers 20% discount on hearing aids through Jan. 31

By VUMC News and Communications
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
June 23, 2021

NBA player brings message of hope to Camp T.A.L.K.S.

The children of Camp TALKS (Talking and Learning with Kids who Stutter) were excited to welcome Michael Kidd-Gilchrist — NBA player and person who stutters — to camp recently, where they were able to listen to his story and advice. Kidd-Gilchrist, an advocate for the stuttering community, recently launched Change & Impact, a stuttering initiative focused on improving access to health care and expanding services and resources for those who stutter.
By VUMC News and Communications
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