# Conference on Implantable Auditory Prostheses

> **NIH NIH R13** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2020 · $100

## Abstract

This application seeks partial support for the 2017, 2019, and 2021 Conferences on
Implantable Auditory Prostheses (CIAP). The 2017 CIAP is scheduled to be held at the Granlibakken
Conference Center, Lake Tahoe, CA, July 12-17, 2017. The cochlear implant (CI) is the first neural
prosthesis in widespread clinical application. It provides the only effective therapy for restoring sound
sensation and speech understanding to the profoundly deaf. Over the past 20 years dramatic
improvements in patients' performance with these devices have been achieved. Currently the
average speech understanding score for implanted postlingually deafened adults is 80-100% correct.
Congenitally deaf children who receive a CI prior to age 2 are achieving nearly normal rates of
speech and language development with cochlear implants. CIs provide significant improvement in
communication even in postlingually deafened adults who have significant residual acoustic hearing.
The auditory brainstem implant, a variation on the cochlear implant that stimulates the cochlear
nucleus, can provide speech understanding in children and adults who have no cochlear nerve.
These advances have benefitted substantially from the collective efforts of researchers in a broad
array of scientific disciplines, from engineering, materials science, and signal processing, to linguistics
and cognition. This broad, interdisciplinary collaboration and cooperation has been fostered in large
part through this series of biennial research conferences, originating with a 1983 Gordon Conference.
These conferences are the only forum related to cochlear implants in which scientific research issues
are the sole focus.
 The long-term goal of this conference series is to generate new research ideas that will
improve the design and function of auditory prostheses. The Specific Aims of this proposal are (1) to
provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of the latest and highest quality basic research on
cochlear implants and other auditory prostheses, (2) to provide a meeting venue and atmosphere that
is conducive to scientific discussion, brainstorming, and social networking, and (3) to provide an
opportunity for young investigators in the field to present their work and network with established
investigators. The CIAP conferences use the Gordon Research Conference model of organization,
which includes ample time for discussion within the program, ample unstructured time to encourage
spontaneous informal discussions and brainstorming, and an isolated “retreat” location so that
participants spend almost all their waking hours in the company of other conference participants.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9892998
- **Project number:** 5R13DC015965-04
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** John S Oghalai
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $100
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-04-01 → 2022-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9892998

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9892998, Conference on Implantable Auditory Prostheses (5R13DC015965-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9892998. Licensed CC0.

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