American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACI Alliance) revealed the selection of Ruth Litovsky, PhD, to deliver the annual Niparko Memorial Lecture at CI2024 Vancouver, on “Successful Pathways to Outcomes in Bilateral Cochlear Implantation.” 

The Niparko lecture was established to recognize John K. Niparko’s commitment to cochlear implant research and clinical care and honor his significant contributions to the field. 

Litovsky is the Oros Family chair in the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. She has a joint appointment in the Division of Otolaryngology in the Department of Surgery, and serves as the Academic Associate Dean for the Division of Natural, Physical & Mathematical Sciences in the College of Letters & Science.

After receiving BA and MA degrees from Washington University in St. Louis, she completed her PhD in Developmental Psychology from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, and trained as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research has included sound localization, binaural hearing, source separation, speech intelligibility, and echo suppression. Litovsky’s work explores how experience impacts perception and auditory development. Since joining the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2001, her research has focused on auditory function in children and adults with bilateral cochlear implants, with an eye towards ultimately improving outcomes in cochlear implant users.

Litovsky was the first woman to receive the Silver Medal from the Acoustical Society of America. She was also honored with Carhart Memorial Lecture of the American Auditory Society, was a Fulbright Senior Fellow, Elected Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America, was President of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology, elected chair of the Auditory System Gordon Research Conference, and is now the Editor in Chief of the journal Ear and Hearing.

ACI Alliance is a not-for-profit membership organization created with the purpose of eliminating barriers to cochlear implantation by sponsoring research, driving heightened awareness, and advocating for improved access to cochlear implants for patients of all ages across the U.S.

Photo: ACI Alliance