My name is René Gifford and by way of brief introduction, I hold the inaugural Fred H. Bess Chair in Audiology, am a tenured Professor of Hearing and Speech Sciences, and serve as Director of the Implantables, Hearing Enhancement, and Amplification Research (I HEAR) Laboratory at Vanderbilt University in the School of Medicine. In my professional life, I get the opportunity to serve in various roles such as clinical audiologist, hearing scientist, instructor, mentor, investigator, advisor, clinical leader, laboratory director, clinical and research team member, and advocate for individuals with hearing loss and communication disorders. I spent 16 years as Director of a clinical Cochlear Implant Program first at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN (2006-2010) and then at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (2011-2022). Additionally, I was fortunate to also serve as the Director of Pediatric Audiology at Vanderbilt (2011-2015).

I’m truly grateful that my research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) for over 20 years. My work focuses on auditory perception for individuals with cochlear implants and hearing aids including basic auditory function, audiovisual processing, spatial hearing, as well as speech, language, and literacy. I have over 160 peer-reviewed publications and am the author of a book, now in its second edition, entitled “Cochlear Implant Patient Assessment: Evaluation of Candidacy, Performance, and Outcomes” as well as co-editor of “Cochlear Implants: From Principles to Practice.” I’ve been honored with various clinical and research awards including the 2015 Louis M. DiCarlo Award for Recent Clinical Achievement from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the 2017 Vanderbilt University Chancellor’s Award for Research, the 2021 Jerger Career Award for Research in Audiology from the American Academy of Audiology, the 2022 John Niparko Memorial Lectureship for the American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACIA), and the 2023 Gene Bratt Outstanding Classroom Teacher Award from Vanderbilt University Medical Center. I’m lucky to have had multiple opportunities to serve in various leadership roles for our professional organizations and societies including being one of the founding members of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACIA), Co-Chair for the 2014 ACIA conference, Chair of the 2022 American Auditory Society (AAS) annual conference, Chair of the Research and Scientific Affairs Committee (RSAC) for the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (2020-2023), AAS President (2022-2023), as well as Director of the Advanced Audiology Course (AAC) for the Institute for Cochlear Implant Training (ICIT).

Thank you for visiting. Just like me, this website is a work in progress.