Proceedings of CI 2022DC Symposium: Emerging Issues in Cochlear Implantation

The 2022 DC: Emerging Issues in Cochlear Implantation Symposium organized by American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACI Alliance) was the first in-person cochlear implant (CI) conference held by the organization in 3 years. There was considerable excitement by attendees in being back together in-person to learn from, and connect with, others in the field from the United States and around the world. The program included keynote talks, podium presentations, discussion panels, and posters that had been selected by the Scientific Program Committee co-chaired by Drs. Matthew Bush (a physician) and Lisa Park (an audiologist). The attendees were offered the choice of attending in-person, virtually, or accessing both attendance options with session content available for 30 days after completion of the live, in-person conference. We were gratified to welcome the largest number of student participants ever to attend a CI conference, which offered them unique opportunities to participate in poster and podium sessions as well as a student position competition judged by experienced clinicians and scientists who could offer insightful comments on their work. A student scholarship program also supported involvement of the next generation of CI scientists. The program for CI2022 promoted a sense of connection and collaboration in the cochlear implant field, emphasizing the critical ways that clinicians, educators, and scientists from various disciplines work together on science and clinical care of patients of all ages. The prestigious John Niparko Memorial Lecture was given, for the first time, by an audiologist—Rene Gifford PhD—who discussed the evolution of cochlear implant care. A summary of her remarks is included in these proceedings. Other unique topics addressed were gender disparities in healthcare, advances in imaging and artificial intelligence, single-sided deafness outcomes and access to care for SSD, changes in care stemming from the COVID pandemic, and cognition related to hearing loss and related technology options. The US CI meeting facilitates the exchange of ideas with colleagues on clinical research. The emerging issues explored were especially relevant given the landscape of the previous years and the recognition that none of those engaged in cochlear implant provision can appropriately serve patients without the help of colleagues, patients' family members, and other supporting professionals. We continue to explore who the multidisciplinary CI team should include to provide appropriate care and how to ensure this is possible given the financial constraints of healthcare. This meeting continues to be a celebration of that collaborative spirit. A number of presentations explored new ways of providing care and their relevance to CI services for increasingly complex populations in the future. The CI2022 Conference Program Committee was drawn from multiple institutions from around the United States (and one member from New Zealand). This format allowed for broad participation and wide exchange of ideas and will be the manner in which the conference program will be planned going forward. We are grateful for the many hours this group contributed to the effort. The articles included in these proceedings provide a snapshot of what was presented at the conference and where we feel the CI field is going. For more information on the presentations at the 2022 CI meeting, as well as past conferences, please visit the ACI Alliance website www.ACIAlliance.org. We are grateful to the Board of Directors and staff of American Cochlear Implant Alliance and the many other volunteers who support the conference and our other initiatives. We wish to acknowledge and thank all of the presenters, coauthors, and corporate partners who made this important gathering possible. Donna SorkinAmerican Cochlear Implant Alliance McLean, VAMatthew BushDepartment of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck SurgeryUniversity of Kentucky Medical Center Lexington, KYLisa ParkThe Children’s Cochlear Implant Center at UNC University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC