The Douglas Grant Cochlear Implant Center

The UCSF Cochlear Implant Center is housed in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.  The Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery has been actively involved in the development and design of cochlear implant systems for over thirty years.  What began as an experimental idea in the minds of some of this department’s greatest scientists, indeed in the field of Otolaryngology, has evolved into an FDA approved device used to improve the hearing for people who suffer from irreversible “nerve” hearing loss.  The UCSF Cochlear Implant Program was created to serve the needs of adults and children who no longer benefit from hearing aids and desire access to the world of sound.  Our team emphasizes working in partnership with the family and collaborating with schools, teachers, therapists and other providers.  Our goal is for each recipient to hear and understand more speech through the cochlear implant than was possible with hearing aids.  For children this means the opportunity to develop and enhance listening and speech skills and the potential to be mainstreamed with normal-hearing peers.  For adults this goal translates into less social isolation and more satisfactory social exchanges as a result of the improved ease of communication possible with a cochlear implant.

Our program is staffed by experienced audiologists, surgeons, psychologists, aural rehabilitation therapists and surgical staff dedicated to the evaluation and care of cochlear implant candidates and recipients.  UCSF has always been on the forefront of cochlear implant development and making available the latest cochlear implant technology to its patients.

Please review the following websites for information about the different cochlear device types. The information provided should be useful in making your device selection.