UHealth ENT Leaders to Chair American Cochlear Implant Alliance’s Annual Symposium

The CI 2019 Symposium on Pediatric Cochlear Implants (CI), presented by The American Cochlear Implant Alliance, will take place July 11 – 13 at the Diplomat Resort in Hollywood. This year’s event is hosted by the University of Miami Health System’s Otolaryngology Department and chaired by Fred Telischi, M.D., department chair and professor of neurological surgery and biomedical engineering at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and Ivette Cejas, Ph.D., University of Miami Ear Institute director of family support services and associate professor at the Miller School of Medicine.

This year’s theme is “Treating the Whole Child” and will be addressed through a comprehensive scientific program that addresses both clinical and research innovations in pediatric CI. The program will also provide a platform to discuss the common cognitive, social, and emotional challenges experienced by pediatric CI users.

CI 2019 will target multidisciplinary teams—including otologists, audiologists, speech therapists, educators, and psychologists—to discuss research on best clinical practices and evidence-based interventions.

With a record number of more than 400 abstracts, the scientific program will address a variety of interests. Some highlights include:

• Medical and surgical advancements of cochlear implants including surgical challenges such as implantation under 12 months, outcomes in cases with malformations, and use of robotics.
• Advanced programming topics will include use of physiologic measures to estimate CI stimulation levels, use of FOX programming, and advanced noise program managements.
• The use of Electrocochleography (ECochG) intra-operatively and post-operatively is growing. This session will present clinical and surgical applications of ECochG, as well as audiology and speech perception outcomes.
• Social and emotional development sessions will be geared toward psychologists, social workers, educators and others working with adolescents. Data on predictors of psychosocial outcomes, depression, anxiety, and bullying in the CI population will be addressed.
• Educational outcomes of pediatric CI users will review how this population is performing academically. This session will discuss the impact of early intervention, reading achievement, and outcomes of children enrolled in inclusive and/or specialized listening and spoken language programs.
• Telemedicine being used for remote cochlear implant programming and auditory verbal therapy will be discussed.

To register for the CI 2019 Symposium on Pediatric Cochlear Implants, click here.

Tags: Dr. Fred Telischi, Dr. Ivette Cejas, Symposium on Pediatric Cochlear Implants, University of Miami Ear Institute