Bio

René Gifford is an active clinician/scientist who maintains a clinical practice in the cochlear implant clinic at Vanderbilt, seeing adults and children who use cochlear implants and hearing aids.

Her research interests include combined electric and acoustic stimulation (EAS) with cochlear implantation, speech and auditory perception for adults and children with hearing loss, and spatial hearing abilities of individuals combining hearing aids and cochlear implants.

Dr. Gifford’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health for nearly 20 years and she has published over 120 peer-reviewed articles, multiple book chapters, and a book, now in its second edition, Cochlear Implant Patient Assessment: Evaluation of Candidacy, Performance, and Outcomes.

She was a featured scientist on National Public Radio, Science Friday broadcast, Breakthrough: Portraits of Women in Science—Hearing a Whole New World. 

Dr. Gifford has especially enjoyed teaching and mentoring the next generation of clinicians and clinician-scientists. She couldn’t have wished for a more fulfilling career and looks forward to many more years of scientific discovery, teaching, mentorship, and evidence-based practice ensuring that every individual can achieve their maximum hearing potential.