Project Summary/Abstract This grant request is for the 15th Symposium on Cochlear Implants in Children (CI2017 Pediatric) to be held July 27-29, 2017 in San Francisco. This unique clinical research symposium is held biennially. American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACIA), a non-profit organization of clinicians from across the CI continuum of care, is partnering with two academic institutions?Stanford University School and University of California San Francisco?to develop the scientific program. San Francisco is a nexus of medicine, science, technology and innovation?unlike any other region in the world. This will provide a unique opportunity for these two leading institutions to combine resources and draw from the surrounding technology community. ACIA will focus on meeting planning and on-site arrangements. Attendees at this meeting are drawn from across the continuum of cochlear implant care including otolaryngologists, audiologists, speech pathologists, educators, psychologists, and others on cochlear implant teams or in educational settings. Secondary audiences include health insurance plan representatives and Federal and state employees especially those from early intervention agencies, Medicaid, Medicare, Tricare, and VA. The conference will assemble a multi-specialty group of clinicians and scientists to explore current topics having the greatest impact on improving pediatric cochlear implant outcomes. The symposium will be organized around six themes with keynote speakers and panels addressing these themes and podium talks providing further research and clinical insights. Speakers include several preeminent experts from outside of CI to bring fresh insights to our examination of factors and strategies. The six conference themes are: (1) Music: Improving perception and appreciation; (2) Technology: Improving CI results in an increasingly interconnected world; (3) Cognition: Improving our understanding of language development and central plasticity; (4) Outcomes: Improving the use of metrics for success; (5) Indications: Improving hearing in expanded populations; and (6) Delivery: Improving efficacy, availability, and efficiency in CI care. Proceedings will be developed and published in online, open access format. A post conference parent workshop will provide a unique opportunity to share information on the future of cochlear implants and recent research findings regarding pediatric outcomes.
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