René Gifford, PhD, is Chief of Audiology and Research at Hearts for Hearing in Oklahoma City as well as co-CEO of the clinical board of directors for the Institute for Cochlear Implant Training (ICIT), and Director of the ICIT Advanced Audiology Course (AAC). Her research has been NIH funded for over 20 years and focuses on combined electric and acoustic stimulation (EAS) with particular emphasis on speech & music perception, spatial hearing, and development of speech, language, and literacy for children with hearing loss. She has authored over 180 peer-reviewed publications, two books, and multiple book chapters in the field of cochlear implants and auditory (re)habilitation. Dr. Gifford has been recognized with various awards including the 2015 Louis M. DiCarlo Award for Recent Clinical Achievement from ASHA, the 2021 Jerger Career Award for Research in Audiology from the American Academy of Audiology, and she was featured on NPR Science Friday: Breakthrough: Portraits of Women in Science.