Thomas Balkany

Institute for Cochlear Implant Training

ICIT

Advanced Training & Resources for Cochlear Implant Professionals & Students

Introducing MSTB-3

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Minimum Speech Test Battery, Third Edition

Minimum Speech Test Battery

Third Edition
Released January 2024

Updated and streamlined test battery for pre-operative determination of candidacy and post-operative assessment of cochlear implant performance in adults.

Important practice guidance for clinicians working with cochlear implant (CI) candidates and recipients.

The MSTB-3 manuscript was published in American Journal of Audiology on July 9, 2024. Open Access available on ASHAWIRE.

Testing Protocols

Flow charts illustrate standardized test procedures.

Downloadable Test Materials

15 new AzBio lists in quiet & noise + the original AzBio lists & CNC lists.

Report Templates

Score sheets for every AzBio list and every CNC list-pair.

Manual

Instructions for calibration and testing of categories of adult patients.

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Sponsors

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Testimonials

Course Reviews

From Past Participants

Designed well and covered a variety of topics. There were always opportunities for group discussions and Q/A time with the experts.

Tiara Booth, MA, CCC-SLP
Children's National Hospital
Auditory-Verbal Practice Course

The faculty were actively involved and seem genuinely interested in our professional development; tremendous value...

Mark J. Van Ess, DO, FAOCO
Section Chair Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Mercy Clinic Springfield, MO
Advanced Surgeons Course

Excellent course. You have clarified all my queries, especially the inferior vector and hook portion of the cochlea.

Sudhir Kadam, MBBS & MS(ENT)
Sr. Consultant, ENT Surgeon Yashashri ENT Hospital Miraj, India
International Surgeons Course

I do feel much more confident about CIs and am very satisfied with the knowledge I acquired.

Henri Traboulsi, MD
Past: Otology Fellow Christiana Care Medical Center Present: Assistant Professor Baylor University
Advanced Surgeons Course

A meticulous, well designed course by leaders. The range and depth of topics by experts are invaluable to any budding Implant otologist.

Shankar Shah, MS
Otology Fellow, Westmead Hospital, Sydney LUKS, Switzerland Dept. Of Otolaryngology Koirala Institute of Health Sciences Dharan, Nepal
International Surgeons Course

Valuable because candidacy, mapping, connectivity, and troubleshooting are ever-evolving, staying up-to-date with these skills is crucial.

C. Maria Jaunakais, AuD
Albuquerque Hearing and Balance
Advanced Audiology Course

...depth and breadth of the topics covered during the course really expanded my knowledge base. I feel more complete as a physician...

Hernan Goldsztein, MD
Past: Fellow, Mass Eye & Ear, Harvard Medical School Current: Pacific ENT Medical Group, Scripps Foundation Hospital
Advanced Surgeons Course

I already had surgical experience with a number of CIs, but this course was invaluable to take my understanding and skills to the next level

Nicholas Jufas, MBBS (Hons), MS, FRACS
Past: Neurotology Fellow Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia Current: Senior Clinical Lecturer University of Sydney and Macquarie University Australia
Advanced Surgeons Course

A wonderful opportunity for our CI core team to learn ways to improve our CI processes.

Tina Huang, MD
University of Minnesota
CI Team Efficiency Course

I gained insights that others appreciated over hundreds or thousands of cases that I will apply starting day 1 for my patients.

Michael D. Puricelli, MD
Past: Otology and Neurotology Fellow Paparella Ear Head and Neck, MN Current: Assistant Professor University of Wisconson
Advanced Surgeons Course

...live web classes let us see how different people were doing things around the country and really discuss those.

J. Drew Prosser, MD
Past: Fellow Cincinnati Children's Hospital Current: Associate Professor Augusta University
Advanced Surgeons Course

The ISC provides excellent evidence-based teaching of the concepts and skills of CI surgery in a systematic and comprehensive manner.

Asmeeta I Patel, MBBS, MS
ENT, Head & Neck Surgeon,Aga Khan University Hospital,Cochlear Implant Group of KenyaNairobi, Kenya
International Surgeons Course

My knowledge and my skills have been upgraded so much with new theory and techniques.

Lam Huyen Tran, MD
University of Medicine and Pharmacy HCM City, Vietnam
International Surgeons Course

They expand on many challenging topics which were not encountered frequently during training. [It] improved my clinical and surgical skills.

Terence Imbery, MD
Past: Neurotology Fellow, University of Virginia Current: Assistant Professor, University of Chicago Medicine
Advanced Surgeons Course

Comprehensive, well-organized, and provided helpful resources that I was able to immediately implement into my daily practice.

Olivia Murphy
Texas Children's Hospital
Auditory-Verbal Practice Course

The hands-on unique learning environment . . . fosters respect for ci development and motivation to further advance the field.

Cameron C. Wick, MD
Past: Neurotology Fellow University of Texas Southwestern Current: Associate Professor Washington University
Advanced Surgeons Course

Best Cochlear Implant course I have ever taken! So much useful clinical information packed into a short 10 week period.

Leslie Rosenthal, AuD
Hofstra Univ. Long Island AuD Consortium
International Audiology Course

...individual lessons combined with live on-line teaching with world experts provide a level of comprehension that is unobtainable elsewhere

Theodore Richardson McRackan, MD
Past: Neurotology Fellow House Clinic Current: Associate Professor Medical University of South Carolina
Advanced Surgeons Course

Thank you Prof. Balkany for this very unique and special course. I think a course like this should be required of any implant surgeon.

Patrick John Labra
Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital, Philippines
International Surgeons Course

I was privileged to be a part of this course and recommend it to any ENT surgeon wanting to pursue a career in otology.

Ajay Philip
Assistant Professor Department of ENT Unit-4 Christian Medical College Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
International Surgeons Course

...an excellent hands-on course in a great facility have made this course exceptionally unique, helpful and practical for surgeons.

Mohammad Seyyedi, MD
Past: Neurotology Fellow Mass Eye & Ear, Harvard Medical Current: Piedmont ENT, Atlanta, GA
Advanced Surgeons Course

Even though I have had a few years of CI surgery practice and I am ending a Neurotology fellowship, I’ve learned many new things.

Peter Santa Maria, MBBS, PhD
Past: Neurotology Fellow Stanford University Current: Associate Professor Stanford University
Advanced Surgeons Course

I really enjoyed collaborating with other audiologists, manufacturer reps, and physicians. The culminating in-person meeting was invaluable.

Stacy L. Douberly, AuD
Penn Medicine/Salus
Advanced Audiology Course

ISC gave me a good path to develop myself as a CI surgeon & make a successful, well-informed program in Nigeria.

Olayinka Suleiman
Federal Medical Centre Katsina, Nigeria
International Surgeons Course

Incredibly beneficial to connect with other programs and learn from each other. We now have a long list of tips, tricks, and future goals.

Keri Colio, AuD CCC-A
Cochlear Implant Clinical Coordinator Rady Children's Hospital San Diego
CI Team Efficiency Course

I loved the organization and the collaboration of all the professionals who presented. This is truly a very well done course.

Lori V. Wagner, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech Language Pathologist USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Caruso Family Center for Childhood Communication
Auditory-Verbal Practice Course

This course is unique and extremely worthwhile; It was invaluable to take my understanding and skills to the next level.

Nicholas Jufas, MBBS (Hons), MS, FRACS
Past: Neurotology Fellow Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia Current: Senior Clinical Lecturer University of Sidney & Macquarie University, Australia
International Surgeons Course

This course was extremely comprehensive and provided resources that I can implement in my daily practice.

Jenna Hoffman, AuD
St. Luke’s Idaho Elks Rehabilitation Hospital
Advanced Audiology Course

For every CI candidate and in every CI implantation now I recall your advice. ISC was a wonderful journey in Cochlear Implants from A to Z.

Andreas Anagiotos, MD, PhD
Nicosia General Hospital Cyprus
International Surgeons Course

...course was comprehensive in covering all aspects of cochlear implantation, filling in knowledge gaps that I didn’t even realize I had.

Yuan Liu, MD
Neurotology Fellow MUSC
Advanced Surgeons Course

The weekly lectures were diverse and comprehensive and really enriched my understanding of cochlear implant surgery. I strongly recommend it

Sagit Stern Shavit, MD
Past: Neurotology Fellow New York Presbyterian Hospital Columbia & Cornell Current: Professor, Rabin Medical Center, Israel
Advanced Surgeons Course

Thank you again from my heart. ISC added a lot of information to my knowledge about the CI fields, very smooth course& easy to access by all

M-Basel Alassi, MD, MS (ENT)
Emirates Hospital Motor City, Dubai, UAE
International Surgeons Course

Best CI training course I ever attended. Covers the vast subject of cochlear implantation, interesting, well-taught, excellent web support.

Dr. Nhan Le
Tu Thanh, City International Hospital Hochiminh City, Vietnam
International Surgeons Course

The instructors are experts in their subject matter and skilled educators who effectively communicate complex concepts.

Spoorthy Manoj
Pratidhwani Clinic India
International Auditory-Verbal Practice Course

It helped me stay on top of current research and trends in the field in order to best serve our patients and aim for optimal outcomes.

Jillian Levine-Madoff, AuD
New York Eye and Ear Infirmary
Advanced Audiology Course

I have learned a lot from all the knowledge and experience you and the entire team have shared with us.

Mounika Reddy, MBBS, DNB ENT, DLO ENT
Christian Medical College , Vellore, India
International Surgeons Course

Update knowledge with a great faculty, share experiences with colleagues and learn pearls of wisdom that will impact daily practice.

Sandro Coelho, MD, MsC
Otolaryngologist & Preceptor (Otological surgery) Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC-Brazil) Master Degree in Surgery (UFPE - Brazil) Specialist in Pediatric Deafness Rehabilitation (USP - Brazil)
International Surgeons Course

There are so many children and adults who need the expertise that this training provides.

Melissa J. W. Hall, AuD, CCC-A/SLP
Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathologist University of Florida Health
Auditory-Verbal Practice Course

Wonderful opportunity for ci surgeons to start their carrier & surgeons who have been doing implants for some time to improve their skills.

Muhammad Sohail Awan
Associate Professor Department of ENT Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi, Pakistan
International Surgeons Course

The course really did a good job of informing audiologists of current practices. Each module brought us to a deeper knowledge of that topic.

Natalie Bickley, AuD
Greenville Hospital System
Advanced Audiology Course

Covered the majority of topics of interest related to cochlear implants and was highly organized, facilitating the learning process.

Mariana Kitsona, MSc, MA, CCC-SLP
PgCert. Audiology-Neurotology Attikon University Hospital Athens, Greece
International Auditory-Verbal Practice Course

I truly believe that my time in this course has made me a better advocate for my patients and a more skilled surgeon.

Seth E. Pross, MD
Past: Neurotology Fellow, Johns Hopkins Current: Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara, CA
Advanced Surgeons Course

Best Cochlear Implant course I have ever taken! So much useful clinical information packed into a short 10 week period

Leslie Rosenthal, AuD
Hofstra Univ. Long Island AuD Consortium
Advanced Audiology Course

This is what I needed to serve our clientele with hearing loss and for me to teach the next generation of speech pathologists.

Susan Dillmuth-Miller, AuD, CCC-A, FAAA
Associate Professor Communication Sciences & Disorders Clinical Audiologist
Auditory-Verbal Practice Course

I was able to take what I learned each week and immediately apply and integrate new techniques into my practice.

Amanda Wildman, MS, CCC-SLP
NYU Langone Health
Auditory-Verbal Practice Course

...reinforces the basics of cochlear implantation in addition to teaching advanced techniques for the more experienced otologic surgeon

Kevin Peng, MD
Past: Neurotology Fellow House Clinic Current: Associate House Clinic
Advanced Surgeons Course

Thank you for sharing your personal experience along with detailed literature. I definitely appreciated all the classes & topics brought.

Nicolas-Xavier Bonne, MD, PhD
Hôpital Privé le Bois Pôle Lille Métropole Ramsay Health Lille, France
International Surgeons Course

The ICIT course was a great experience for me. I was indeed very fortunate to be a part of the course.

Dr. Manusrut
Fellow in Implant Otology Christian Medical College Vellore, India
International Surgeons Course

[CITEC] far surpassed my expectations. Every module was extremely beneficial and advantageous for our clinic.

Lisa G. Potts, PhD, CCC-A
Assistant Professor Washington University School of Medicine
CI Team Efficiency Course

. ..helped me think about the finer details of cochlear implantation, many of which are difficult to obtain despite being in fellowship.

Jameson K. Mattingly, MD
Neurotology Fellow OSU Wexner Medical Center
Advanced Surgeons Course

Having a weekly opportunity to pick the brain of leading experts in the field has been priceless!

Candice Colby, MD
Past: Neurotology Fellow University of Minnesota Current: Michigan Ear Institute
Advanced Surgeons Course

The inclusion of case studies and real-life scenarios further enhances the applicability of the learning.

Spoorthy Shivaprakash, AuD
Pratidhwani Clinic Guwahati, Assam India
International Audiology Course

I will most definitely use the knowledge I have gained from this course to improve my clinical skills and decision making for patients.

Lavin Entwisle, AuD
NYU Langone Health
Advanced Audiology Course

I cannot stress enough how practical this course was or the positive ways it has changed the way I provide cochlear implant services.

Jordan Coffelt, AuD, CCC-A, F-AAA
Clinical Assistant Professor, Audiology Memphis Speech and Hearing Center
Advanced Audiology Course

I AM GRATEFUL for those small and very important tips that clarified issues that seemed difficult to understand in a few moments.

Maria Lidia Sanchez
National Institute of Respiratory Diseases Mexico City, Mexico
International Surgeons Course

This course has been extremely beneficial to me and my workplace. CI recipients will benefit immensely from the knowledge I obtained.

Keri Colio, AuD
Rady Children’s Hospital
Advanced Audiology Course

I have and continue to enthusiastically recommended this course to colleagues who have an interest in cochlear implantation.

Nicholas Dewyer, MD
Past: Neurotology Fellow Mass Eye and Ear Harvard Medical School Current: Assistant Professor University of Arizona
Advanced Surgeons Course

All lectures were interesting & enjoyable. Also, course participants ask excellent questions, which complements the discussions brilliantly.

Henrique Furlan Pauna, MD
Otolaryngologist, Univ. of Campinas, Brazil
International Surgeons Course

I feel every potential CI surgeon should undergo this training. I hope to use this training to build my CI practice and benefit Society.

Basharat Nadeem, MS, DNB, MNAMS
Dept. of ENT Bangalore ENT Care Centre India
International Surgeons Course

With all their experience, [the instructors] give the participant all the pearls that one needs to succeed in the field.

Dr. Eleazar Eduardo Graterón Cedeño
Otology Fellow Venezuela
International Surgeons Course

I gained confidence, knowledge, and practical skills that I have been able to immediately apply to my practice and share with my students.

Shannon Van Hyfte, AuD
Purdue University
Advanced Audiology Course

Thank you so much for enhancing our knowledge. Great course.

Yamini Gupta, MS ENT, MBBS
MGM Medical College, Indore, India
International Surgeons Course

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