Auditory Development and Cochlear Implant Lab

Lab description

The Auditory Development and Cochlear Implant Lab (ADCIL) is located Friedman Building on the main UBC campus in Vancouver, B.C. The ADCIL is a continuation and expansion of the Pediatric Audiology Lab (PAL)  directed by Susan Small, Ph.D. until 2020. The laboratory is equipped for behavioural and physiological auditory research for infants and adults and has ample study space for students working on research projects.

Program of research

There are two central lines of research within the ADCIL. The first is to further our understanding of the auditory system of children with and without hearing loss. This line of research focuses on examining the impact of unilateral, or one-sided hearing loss, in childhood. Here we aim to understand how permanent unilateral hearing loss (PUHL) impacts auditory development and its consequences on understanding speech in noise, localization, and overall quality of life.

A second line of research is cochlear implantation. Here, our work aims to understand and improve outcomes for all people who receive a cochlear implant (CI). Most recently this work has focused on adults and children with severe-to-profound unilateral hearing loss, or single-sided deafness (SSD).

Main sources of funding to support this research:

  • University of British Columbia

Lab Personnel

Director: Doug Sladen, Ph.D., CCC-A

Current and recent student researchers:

  • Craig Stevenson
  • Bianca Biacorra

Past M.Sc. Thesis Students:

Past Student Researchers:

Collaborators:

  • BC Family Hearing Resource Centre
  • Adam Bosen, Ph.D., Boystown National Research Hospital
  • Anna Diedesch, Ph.D., Western Washington University
  • Sterling Sheffield, Ph.D., Western Washington University
  • Katie Berg, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
  • St. Paul’s Hospital Cochlear Implant Program
  • BC Children’s Hospital Cochlear Implant Program

Contact Us

School of Audiology & Speech Sciences, Faculty of Medicine
Friedman Building, 2177 Wesbrook Mall,
Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z3

email: adcil@audiospeech.ubc.ca  Lab phone: 604-822-6325