Jill B. Firszt PhD

Jill B. Firszt, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology and Director of the Cochlear Implant Program at Washington University School of Medicine. She is also Adjunct Professor in the Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences at Central Institute for the Deaf at Washington University. She earned her BS in Speech and Hearing Science, MA in Educational Audiology, and PhD in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Firszt has been working with cochlear implant adult and pediatric patients in clinical and research studies since 1985 and currently directs the CI Program at WU with an emphasis on clinical and research interactions. Her research Lab is focused on studies of asymmetry in hearing, including adults and children with unilateral hearing loss, and studies that explore optimization of cochlear implant performance. She is the recipient of a K23 award and two R01 grants from the NIH/NIDCD. Her previous research has been supported by the Deafness Research Foundation, the American Hearing Research Foundation, and the McDonnell Science Foundation. Dr. Firszt has numerous publications in the areas of speech recognition, electrophysiology, and imaging measures in individuals with substantial hearing loss using cochlear implants and hearing aids.