René Gifford, Ph.D., CCC-A holds the Fred H. Bess Chair in Audiology, is a tenured Professor of Hearing and Speech Sciences, and is Director of the Implantables, Hearing Enhancement, and Amplification Research (I HEAR) Laboratory at Vanderbilt University in the School of Medicine. Her research has been funded by the NIH for over 20 years and focuses on auditory perception for individuals with cochlear implants and hearing aids including basic auditory function, audiovisual processing, spatial hearing, as well as speech, language, and literacy. She has over 150 peer-reviewed publications and is the author of a book entitled “Cochlear Implant Patient Assessment: Evaluation of Candidacy, Performance, and Outcomes." Dr. Gifford was awarded the 2015 Louis M. DiCarlo Award for Recent Clinical Achievement from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the 2017 Vanderbilt University Chancellor’s Award for Research, as well as the 2021 Jerger Career Award for Research in Audiology from the American Academy of Audiology. She has also served in various leadership roles for professional organizations and societies including founding member of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACIA), Co-Chair for the 2014 ACIA conference, Chair of the 2022 American Auditory Society (AAS) annual conference, Chair of the Research and Scientific Affairs Committee (RSAC) for the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (2020-2023) as well as AAS President (2022-2023).

‍