The four MOSAICS ESRs have taken their first steps towards a truly interdisciplinary research path, by taking part in two formation courses that Cochlear provides to their employees.
The first of these provided an introduction to audiology and an overview of the hearing solutions in the Cochlear portfolio of middle ear, bone conduction and cochlear implants. Further insights into surgery steps for each of these devices, sound processors and accessories, as well as important concepts on value selling techniques were incorporated. The course took part on February 24-28 2020 at the Cochlear Technology Center, Mechelen, Belgium.
On March 9-13 2020, the second course delved deeper into audiology, clinical practices and the fitting process. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the course was held online, yet this did not discourage communication and fruitful discussions amongst participants and instructors. This time, cochlear implants were the stars of the show, and important questions were discussed regarding candidacy and the role of counselling in decision making. Furthermore, more in depth concepts of sound processing and electrophysiology of the auditory periphery were introduced, along with fitting strategies and Cochlear Software functionalities.
This introduction was also an invaluable chance for the ESRs to meet colleagues coming from different backgrounds and working in different areas yet with a same common goal: strive to help hearing impaired people achieve their full potential.
The ESRs thank all of the instructors and participants in the courses for the great moments shared and the new knowledge gained. This is the first in a series of steps towards achieving their goal: minimise outcome spread and increase societal benefit for CI recipients. Stay tuned for more news from the ESRs and their training.