I investigated responses of auditory nerve fibers to sustained electric pulse trains. I showed that these electric stimuli evoke activity in a deaf ear that is akin to spontaneous activity observed in a healthy ear. This stimulation technique could be used with human users of cochlear implants to provide sound percepts that are more akin to those of a healthy ear.
I conduct research with cochlear implant users. I developed a novel processing strategy for mapping sounds to electric stimulation of the cochlea. The strategy utilizes the “virtual channel” capability of the implanted device to direct stimulation to the optimal place in the cochlea. The majority of the patients tested preferred the new strategy to their own wearable strategy when listening to music and conversing in large groups. This strategy is likely to be commercialized later this year.
SHBT taught me what I call good “scientific ethic,” the desire and determination to obtain scientifically-valid knowledge through hypothesis-driven solid experimentation. Each student in the Program is encouraged to work as independently as possible. The advisors’ role is to provide support and encouragement to the students’ explorations, while challenging them to delve into greater depths of understanding. This emphasis on independence was important to me because, when I started at Advanced Bionics, there were no other scientists involved in auditory research.
