Denver - March 30, 2009 - Cochlear Americas, the world's leader in advanced hearing technologies, today announced the winners of the 2009 Graeme Clark Scholarship awards. Since 2002, the Graeme Clark Cochlear Scholarship Foundation has recognized the remarkable achievements of individuals who have received a Nucleus® cochlear implant - a small electronic device that can provide a sense of hearing to someone who has severe to profound hearing loss. This year, five outstanding students have been selected to receive a total of $40,000 in financial assistance toward an accredited university.
"Cochlear Americas is dedicated to empowering our Nucleus recipients with an opportunity to pursue higher goals and achieve their greatest dreams," said Chris Smith, President, Cochlear Americas. "We are proud to provide assistance to such intelligent and engaged young adults who demonstrate superior academic achievement, leadership and community involvement."
The five scholarship winners are:
- Emily Fustos (Allison Park, PA)
For 2009, Cochlear Americas received 80 scholarship applications from students in 27 states across the U.S. and five provinces in Canada. Eligible students must have a Nucleus cochlear implant and must be entering their first year of college or enrolled in an accredited university. Selection criteria include academic performance, letters of recommendation, awards and activities, and a short personal essay describing academic inspiration and other interests. Past winners of the scholarship have gone on to achieve great success, including graduating college with honors, playing collegiate-level sports and pursuing graduate degrees in medicine and law. Brief biographies of the 2009 scholarship winners are available online at www.cochlearamericas.com.
About Cochlear Americas
Cochlear Americas is the world's leader in advanced hearing technologies. Since launching the first multichannel cochlear implant system more than 25 years ago, Cochlear Limited and its U.S. headquarters have brought the miracle of sound to more than 150,000 hearing-impaired individuals across the globe. Cochlear Americas' state-of-the-art cochlear implant technology, based on extensive research and development at preeminent academic institutions, provides the ability to hear sound and better understand speech, enhancing both learning capabilities and quality of life for those with severe-to-profound hearing loss. Cochlear Americas also markets an implantable bone-anchored hearing device for treatment of conductive and mixed hearing loss, as well as single-sided deafness. For more information about Cochlear Americas' products, call the Cochlear Hotline at 800/458-4999 (Voice) or 800/483-3123 (TTY) or visit www.cochlearamericas.com. You may also visit the Cochlear Web Channel on Audiology Online.
About the Graeme Clark Cochlear Scholarship Foundation
The Graeme Clark Cochlear Scholarship Foundation was established in 2002 in honor of Professor Graeme Clark, Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Melbourne, for his lifelong commitment to finding a solution for the hearing impaired and his pioneering work in the field of cochlear implant technology. Awarded by Cochlear Americas, this scholarship consists of financial assistance towards a college degree at an accredited university. The award is paid in yearly installments upon the completion of each year of study. Each award is in the amount of $2,000 per year for up to a total of four years. For more information about the Graeme Clark Cochlear Scholarship Foundation, call 800/458-4999 (Voice) or 800/483-3123 (TTY), or visit www.cochlearamericas.com.
About Cochlear Implants
A cochlear implant is an electronic device that is surgically implanted and works by directly stimulating functioning auditory nerve fibers in the inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, cochlear implants do not amplify sound, but instead are designed to mirror natural hearing. Cochlear implants convert sound waves to electrical impulses and transmit them to the inner ear, providing people with severe-to-profound hearing loss the ability to identify sounds in their environment and often to understand speech without reading lips. The cochlear implant is recognized as a standard treatment for profound deafness by the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. For more information about cochlear implants, visit www.cochlearamericas.com.
