Cochlear Implant Surgeons

• Thomas J. Balkany, M.D., FACS, FAAP
• Fred F. Telischi, M.D., MEE, FACS
• Simon I. Angeli, M.D.
• Adrien A. Eshraghi, M.D.

Thomas J. Balkany, M.D., FACS, FAAP
Hotchkiss Professor and Chair, Department of Otolaryngology
Professor of Neurological Surgery and Pediatrics

Dr. Balkany is a pioneer in the field of cochlear implantation and recently implanted his 1,000th patient.  Some of his other milestones include:

• 12 American, European and International patents on cochlear implants
• Author of over 300 scientific publications
• Founder and past chair, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Cochlear Implant Committee
• Founder, William House Cochlear Implant Study Group
• Past president, Children’s Deafness Foundation
• Board of Directors and Medical Advisor, Empowerment Through Hearing
• Past Board of Directors, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
• Past Board of Directors, Auditory-Verbal International
• Past president, Florida Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
• Vice president, American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society
• Board of Governors, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute

His work on the ethics of cochlear implants in deaf infants was awarded the New York League for the Hard of Hearing’s Fowler Award and is the standard in the field.  Dr. Balkany was among the first to describe preservation of residual neural function with cochlear implants, use of electrical evoked potentials through a cochlear implant, neurotrophic effects of electrical stimulation on the dorsal cochlear nucleus, bilateral cochlear implantation, and endoscopic surgery of the cochlea. 

Dr. Balkany’s research has been supported by numerous NIH and industrial grants..

He has received the 1996 Teaching Award of the School of Medicine, the Honor Award and Distinguished Service Award of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, the U.M. Provost’s Award for Scholarly Activity, the President’s Honor Award of the American Neurotology Society, election to the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Hall of Fame, and the Barany Society (Uppsala, Sweden) Hallpike-Nylen Prize for Clinical Research (lifetime).  He has been guest of honor at national otolaryngology congresses in England, Ireland, Israel, Taiwan, Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Turkey and Argentina and visiting professor at more than 20 other academic institutions.  Dr. Balkany was honored by the Prime Minister of the State of Israel for implementing their first cochlear implant programs.  He has been a member of the editorial boards of the major peer review journals in Otolaryngology, both in the U.S. and Europe.  This year he will receive the highest honor of the American Academy of Otolaryngology, The President’s Award. 

Dr. Balkany and his wife Diane recently celebrated their 38th anniversary.  They have two amazing children, Jourdan and Sarah.

Fred F. Telischi, M.D., MEE, FACS is Professor and Vice-Chairman of the Department of Otolaryngology, Professor of Neurological Surgery and Biomedical Engineering. He is Director of the University of Miami Ear Institute.  Telischi is board certified by the American Board of Otolaryngology (1990). He is a graduate of Cornell University with bachelors and  masters degrees in electrical and biomedical engineering.  He received his M.D. from the University of Miami School of Medicine. His fellowship training in ear and skull base surgery was completed at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles.
Telischi is Chairman of the largest national cochlear implant surgeon study group, the William F House Cochlear Implant Study Group.  He has 18 years experience with cochlear implantation using all FDA approved devices. He has expertise in the implantation of unusual or difficult ears. He performed the first reported successful cochlear implant concurrent with acoustic tumor removal in a patient with Neurofibromatosis Type 2. Telischi has taught many ear surgeons the techniques of cochlear implantation, both in the laboratory and in the operating room. He helped start a number of cochlear implant centers internationally and performed the first implantation surgery at these institutions. He has authored or co-authored many papers and book chapters regarding the surgery and outcomes of cochlear implantation. Telischi has made presentations at national and international cochlear implant symposia.

Telischi is a fellow or member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, American Otology Society, American Neurotology Society, North American Skull Base Society, American College of Surgeons, Association for Research in Otolaryngology. He has served as president and secretary-treasurer of the Florida Society of Otolaryngology. Telischi sits on the editorial board or is manuscript reviewer for most of the major peer-review journals in the specialty.

Telischi received the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery’s Honor Award for contributions in teaching instructional courses. He has written Board Examination questions and prepared educational materials for the Academy. He holds a patent for a novel ear probe for measuring the function of and treating the cochlea.

Telischi’s research (as principle or co-investigator) has been funded by the National Institutes of Health Deafness and Communications Disorders section, Deafness Research Foundation, University of Miami, and medical device (including cochlear implant) companies. His research interests are in Otology and Neurotology, sensorineural hearing losses, cochlear function, pre-cochlear implant electrically-evoked auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing, skull base tumors, imlantable hearing devices (implantable middle ear hearing device and Bone Anchored Hearing Aid), otoacoustic emissions, hearing testing interoperatively, facial nerve disorders and endoscopic techniques in otologic surgery.

Simon I. Angeli, M.D. is Associate Professor of Otolaryngology. He is a graduate of the Universidad Central De Venezuela, residency training at the University of Iowa, and Neurotological Skull Base fellowship at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles. His clinical interests are in otology, neurotology, dizziness and balance disorders, facial nerve disorders and cochlear implants.

Angeli directs the Cochlear Implant Surgery Workshop for Latin-American surgeons which is held annually at The Ear Institute’s Microsurgery Training Center. He has been guest of honor at several International meetings in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil and Uruguay. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, American Board of Otolaryngology, and the Collegium Oto-Rhino-Laryngologicum A.S. His research interests are in genetic hearing loss, effect of gene mutations on cochlear implant performance, and dizziness.

Adrien A. Eshraghi, M.D. is Associate Professor of Otolaryngology. He is a graduate of the University of Paris with a Master’s Degree in Computer Science-Modelization, and a Doctoral Study (DEA) in Surgical Science. He graduated from University of Paris-Pitie Salpetriere School of Medicine and Internat des Hopitaux de Paris. He did his Neurotology Fellowship at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Eshraghi is a member of the American Neurotology Society, the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck surgery, the Florida Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck surgery, Societe Francaise d’Otorhinolaryngology and the Association for Research in Otolaryngology.
Eshraghi’s current clinical cochlear implant research is focused on improving surgical techniques of implantation and analyzing patient implant outcomes. His basic science cochlear implant research is focused on neural preservation after cochlear implant electrode insertion and decreasing the inner ear trauma caused by the electrode array. Eshraghi has presented at numerous international, American and European scientific cochlear implant meetings. He is author/co-author of numerous peer review articles, book chapters, and surgical videos related to cochlear implant surgery.

He is also one of the cochlear implant surgeons and the Medical Director of Miami Veteran Administration Cochlear Implant program. This program is the main Veterans Administration Cochlear Implant program of the VISEN 8 with patients referred for cochlear implant evaluation and surgical implantation from all Sunshine Health Network including Florida, Keys and Puerto Rico. Currently more than 25 patients are enrolled in audiologic follow up after surgery by the Audiology Service at Miami VAMC under supervision of Saralyn Glod (Ph.D. in Audiology), the Audiological Director of the Miami VA Administration Cochlear Implant programs.

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