Pediatric Cochlear Implants Today: What Has Changed and Why It Matters - October 5
Cochlear Implant North Region Fall Workshop - Thornton, CO
Please Register by September 17.
This multidisciplinary conference will provide updates on evolving cochlear implant candidacy, surgical practices, habilitation strategies, genetics, developmental considerations, vestibular care, and family support services, with a focus on how recent changes influence outcomes for children with hearing loss.This multidisciplinary conference will provide updates on evolving cochlear implant candidacy, surgical practices, habilitation strategies, genetics, developmental considerations, vestibular care, and family support services, with a focus on how recent changes influence outcomes for children with hearing loss.
Target Audience
Otolaryngologists, advanced practice practitioners, nurses, clinical audiologists, speech pathologists, educational audiologists, deaf-and-hard of hearing therapists, occupational therapists, and psychologists will find the information and networking invaluable.
Learning Objectives
Review single-sided deafness, discuss the current intervention options, special considerations for implantation and therapy recommendations and outcomes after implantation.
Course summary
- 0.60 ASHA
- 6.00 Attendance
Agenda - Mountain Daylight Time (MDT)
Monday, October 5
8:30 – 9:00 AM - Registration & Coffee
9:00 – 9:15 - Welcome and Program Overview Jennifer Drohosky, AuD
9:15 – 10:15 - Audiology: Evolving Cochlear Implant Candidacy and Management Taylor Stevenson, AuD; Meghann Greear, AuD; Jennifer Drohosky, AuD
10:15 – 11:15 - Otolaryngology: From Timing to Technology: Key Surgical Considerations in Cochlear Implantation Patricia Yoon, MD and Brian Herrmann, MD
11:15 – 11:35 - Questions, Break, Meet the Surgeons
11:35 – 12:20 PM - Speech-Language Therapy and Aural Habilitation: Earlier implantation, Evolving Intervention Strategies, and Distinct Outcomes - Lindsay Kendall, MA, CCC-SLP
12:20 – 1:15 - Lunch (Provided) & Meet the Manufacturers
1:15 – 2:00 - Genetics: Emerging Therapies and Precision Counseling in Pediatric Cochlear Implant Care Shay Guetz-Lindhal, MS, CGC
200-230 - Vestibular: Clinical Implications for the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Population Karen Hendrick, AuD, VA-SC
2:30-2:50 - Break
2:50-3:35 - Developmental Pediatrics: Developmental, Cognitive, and Behavioral Factors Influencing CI Outcomes Debbie Mood, PhD
3:35 – 4:05 - Family Support Services: Navigating the Cochlear Implant Journey Together Jennifer Drohosky, AuD
4:05 - 4:15 PM - Key Takeaways , Resources, and Final Audience Questions - Jennifer Drohosky, AuD
Hosted Live - In-Person
Jennifer Drohosky, AuD
Jennifer Drohosky, AuD, is the Cochlear Implant Clinical Practice Specialist and a pediatric audiologist at Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO), where she has helped lead significant program growth and clinical innovation in pediatric cochlear implant care. She has over 25 years of experience in audiology, with a primary focus on pediatric cochlear implants.
Her career spans multiple leading institutions, including Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and The Portland Hospital for Women and Children in the U.K., where she also served as Cochlear Implant Program Manager.
Dr. Drohosky is a past Chair of the American Board of Audiology (ABA) and co-chaired the Joint Task Analysis for Pediatric Audiology practice. She remains actively involved with the ABA, contributing to initiatives such as the review and revision of the Pediatric Audiology Specialty Certification exam. She is a member of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACIA), Society for Ear, Nose and Throat Advances in Children (SENTAC), Colorado Academy of Audiology (CAA), and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).
She has expanded her clinical practice to include pediatric vestibular assessment as part of the vestibular team at CHCO and completed the ICIT Advanced Audiology course in 2023. Dr. Drohosky regularly presents at national and international audiology meetings.
Taylor Stevenson, AuD
Taylor joined the Bill Daniels Center for Children’s Hearing at Children’s Hospital Colorado in 2016. She graduated from the University of Utah Audiology Doctoral Program. As a previous LEND (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities) trainee in Utah and Colorado, she completed the Autism Enhancement and Pediatric Audiology tracks, as these are areas of interest for her. Taylor is Board Certified in Pediatric Audiology and enjoys seeing patients from birth to young adulthood. Taylor is a member of the cochlear implant program at Children’s Hospital Colorado and serves as a cochlear implant audiologist for the northern region of Colorado.
Meghann Greear, AuD
Dr. Meghann Greear earned her bachelor's degree in Physiology from the University of Arizona and her Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) from Northwestern University. After completing her clinical training at Brigham and Women's Hospital, she held positions at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and the University of California San Diego before joining Children's Hospital Colorado in 2022.
Dr. Greear is board certified in pediatric audiology and has extensive experience caring for both pediatric and adult patients. She is a member of the Northern Region Cochlear Implant Team at Children's Hospital Colorado. Her clinical interests have included implantable hearing devices with a focus on providing comprehensive care for children with complex hearing needs.
Brian Herrmann, MD
Dr. Brian W. Herrmann is an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and an attending pediatric otolaryngologist at Children's Hospital Colorado. He specializes in the evaluation and management of pediatric hearing loss, cochlear implantation, congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV), and a broad range of pediatric ear, nose, and throat disorders.
Prior to joining Children's Hospital Colorado, Dr. Herrmann served as Medical Director of the Children's Hearing Loss Program at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. He is active in national pediatric otolaryngology organizations and serves on multiple state and national initiatives focused on early hearing detection and intervention.
In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Herrmann leads and collaborates on research related to pediatric hearing loss, otologic surgery, and medical innovation. His work has resulted in numerous peer-reviewed publications, research grants, and patented technologies designed to advance pediatric otolaryngologic care.
Patricia Yoon, MD
Patricia J. Yoon, MD is the Medical Director of the Bill Daniels Center for Children’s Hearing at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and has been an attending physician at Children’s since 2003. Dr. Yoon completed her fellowship in Pediatric Otolaryngology at Seattle Children’s Hospital and the University of Washington, Seattle, WA, and completed her General Surgery internship and residency in Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery at Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA. Dr. Yoon earned her Bachelor of Arts in History magna cum laude at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, and her medical degree at Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL. Dr. Yoon has written and contributed to numerous publications and presentations both nationally and internationally and serves on numerous local and national committees. She has been named a Top Doc by 5280 Magazine for many years.
Shay Guetz-Lindhal, MS, CGC
Shay is a board certified pediatric genetic counselor currently working at Children’s Hospital of Colorado. She received her masters in genetic counseling from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in 2021. In addition to being a part of the General Genetics team, she currently runs a genetic counselor only telehealth hearing clinic and participates in the multidisciplinary hearing clinic at Children’s Hospital of Colorado through the Ear, Nose, and Throat department.
Debbie Mood, PhD
Deborah Mood, PhD is a Gallaudet-trained licensed psychologist specializing in working with children who are deaf/hard of hearing and children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Dr. Mood is an associate professor at University of Colorado Anschutz, School of Medicine, Department of Developmental Pediatrics where she serves as lead psychologist on the developmental behavioral pediatrics D/HH team, microtia team and cochlear implant team. Dr. Mood is passionate about supporting children who are D/HH with co-occurring developmental disabilities and is affiliated faculty with the JFK Partners/Developmental Pediatrics Leadership and Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program.
Karen Hendrick, AuD
Dr. Karen Hendrick is a Board Certified Vestibular Audiologist and Vestibular Clinical Practice Specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She graduated with her AuD from the University of Washington in 2015, following an externship at Seattle Children’s Hospital. She served on the board of the Colorado Academy of Audiology as the Vice President of Education from 2018 to 2020. Specialties include pediatric vestibular testing, auditory evoked potential testing, and global health. Current and past research includes characterizing gait patterns in pediatric cochlear implant (CI) recipients and audio-vestibular findings in congenital cytomegalovirus, pediatric CI recipients, cerebellar mutism syndrome, pediatric onset multiples sclerosis, and traumatic brain injury.
Disclosures:
Financial- No relevant financial disclosures.
Nonfinancial- No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists
Continuing education credit is pending approval from The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). ASHA learners should add their ASHA ID and BD to their profile to support ASHA reporting.
Available Credit
- 0.60 ASHA
- 6.00 Attendance

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