Global network formed to improve hearing implant outcomes

The Cochlear Implant Program at the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) working in collaboration with researchers at The University of Western Ontario's National Centre for Audiology, has joined 16 other world-class centres to form HEARRING – the International Network of Comprehensive Hearing Implant Centers of Excellence. These centres, which are leaders within their specialities, have come together as a globally networked "cluster". This will allow members to set scientific and clinical standards and raise the quality of patient care.

Dr. Lorne Parnes is a professor of Otolaryngology and Clinical Neurological Sciences in the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western, and the Medical and Surgical Director for LHSC's Cochlear Implant Program. Started in 1987, the program has treated over 220 adults and 115 children with cochlear implants. Some notable North American achievements include implanting the first Pulsar (2005) and Sonata (2007) cochlear implant devices. The National Centre for Audiology at the Faculty of Health Sciences, under the leadership of Dr. Prudence Allen, is one of the largest audiology and hearing research centres in the world.

The cochlear implant program will continue to focus on traditional cochlear implants, hearing preservation surgery and research. Dr. Parnes notes that "HEARRING will provide a new and unique opportunity for collaborative research, clinical problem solving and support."

Member clinics are from Austria, Belgium, Poland, Germany, France, Spain, UK, China, Columbia, India, Australia, Argentina, Russia, and Switzerland. The goals for HEARRING network are to set standards for scientific research, establish training and define interdisciplinary clinical skills sets to meet the needs of the patient throughout the cochlear implant journey.

For more information on HEARRING, visit www.hear-ring.com.

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