#1: The Past and Future of Cochlear Implants: Bilateral Cochlear Implantation with Dr. Carly Anderson

In the first episode of season 5, we explore the bread and butter of implantable hearing devices: Bilateral cochlear implantation. Host Sofia Olaizola chats with Dr. Karen Gordon and Dr. Carly Anderson. Dr. Karen Gordon is a senior scientist and director of research at the Archie’s Lab Cochlear Implant Lab. She is a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology and a graduate faculty member in the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto. Dr. Karen Gordon will be featured in all of the episodes this season!

Dr. Carly Anderson is a lecturer in neuroscience at Lancaster University who studies multimodal communication and plasticity. This episode looks at the beginnings of cochlear implants and how research shapes our current approaches to surgery, rehabilitation, language development and auditory processing. Sofia, who is completing her MSc in Audiology at Dalhousie University, brings a perspective of a bilaterally implanted user and shares her experiences with cochlear implants.    

Transcript of S5E1 

Dr. Carly Anderson at Lancaster University   

Previous episodes featuring Dr. Carly Anderson: #3: Insights from Early Career Hearing Researchers with Dr. Hannah Stewart and Dr. Carly Anderson  

Recorded on Oct 10, 2025 

Produced by Maria Khan 

Music composed and performed by Dr. Blake Papsin, Otolaryngologist-in-Chief, Department of Otolaryngology (Head and Neck Surgery) at the Hospital for Sick Children