The Children's Cochlear Implant Centre

Similar to House Ear Institute, CCIC is dedicated to researching the causes and effects of hearing loss in children. Working in conjunction with the University of Sydney and the Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, now known as the New Children's Hospital, Westmead, the Centre is a leader in the research and development of cochlear implants.

One of the main questions that researchers at CCIC are attempting to answer is why some children who are deafened by meningitis receive cochlear implants successfully while others have more difficulty. A CCIC-sponsored study indicates that part of the reason that children may have trouble adapting to their cochlear implant is that meningitis causes damage to the part of the brain that controls behavior patterns. This damage is what causes the difficulty in rehabilitation after the implant procedure is complete.

The gift from the We Share Foundation sponsored the work of Dr. Penny Cousens, who has conducted research to obtain data on children deafened by meningitis. Dr. Cousens' investigation is helping to determine the specific features that cause problems with the cochlear implants. As a result of her work, improvements can be made on the device to better assist implant recipients and help the children adjust to the implants. Quotarians should be proud that their gift is helping doctors and technicians around the world help children thrive in a hearing world.