A Sound Foundation Through Early Amplification 2001 - Proceedings of the Second International Conference - Section V - Chapter 17 - Optimization of Amplification for Deaf-Blind Children

Anne Marie Tharpe, PhD

Professor and Chair, Dept. Hearing and Speech Sciences - Vanderbilt University& Associate Director

Anne Marie Tharpe, Professor and Chair of the DHSS and Associate Director of the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, is the author of over 75 journal articles, books, and book chapters dealing with pediatric audiology. In addition, she has spoken to over 175 audiences around the world about various aspects of childhood hearing loss.  Dr. Tharpe maintains a small clinical practice in addition to running a research laboratory and teaching audiology, speech-language pathology, and deaf education graduate students. Most of her research has focused on the early identification and intervention of hearing loss in the pre-school and school-age child. Specifically, she is interested in the impact of hearing loss on overall child development.

Daniel H. Ashmead

Todd Ricketts, PhD, CCC-A

associate professor at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson center for Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences and Director of the Dan Maddox Hearing Aid Research Laboratory

Todd A. Ricketts, Ph.D, CCC-A, is an associate professor at the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson center for Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences and Director of the Dan Maddox Hearing Aid Research Laboratory. Prior to moving into the Vanderbilt position in 1999, Todd spent three years as an assistant professor at Purdue University. His current research interests are focused in amplification and microphone technology, as well as the relationship between laboratory and everyday benefit. Todd has published more than fifty scholarly articles and book chapters. To date he has presented over 100 scholarly papers/poster presentations, short courses, mini-seminars, and workshops to professional and scholarly conferences both nationally and internationally. He was also named a fellow of the American Speech Language Hearing Association in 2006. He continues to pursue a federally and industry funded research program studying the interaction between amplification technology, listening environment and individual differences as they impact benefit derived from hearing aids and cochlear implants. His current work includes examination of the viability of directional technology for school aged children, the relative benefits and limitations of manual switching, automatic switching and “asymmetric” microphone technology;the impact of extended high frequency bandwidth on user perceived sound quality as a function of hearing loss and the relative benefits and limitations of bilateral cochlear implants. He also serves as the chair of the Vanderbilt University Institutional Review Board: Behavioral Sciences Committee. none

Ann Rothpletz

Robert Wall