150 - Exploring the Impact of Cochlear Implant on Voice and Speech Production with Simin Soleimanifar

This week, Andrew Bellavia is joined by Simin Soleimanifar, a research scientist and product specialist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. They explore the Simin's research on the voice perception and control of cochlear implant (CI) users. The study involved recording the voices of 13 individuals with bilateral CI devices and analyzing their ability to control volume variations during sustained vowel vocalizations. The findings revealed that CI users experienced higher voice variation compared to normal hearing individuals, indicating a disrupted vocalization auditory feedback loop. The interview highlights the implications of these findings for CI users' communication and vocal health, emphasizing the importance of audiologists, speech language pathologists (SLPs), and interdisciplinary collaboration. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest episodes each week, and follow This Week in Hearing on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/company/this-week-in-hearing/ https://twitter.com/WeekinHearing