Hear Here Podcast

This is the second part of the vestibular episode! Host Maria Khan, an audiologist and co-producer of the podcast, continues our discussion with Dr. Karen Gordon, Dr. Sharon Cushing and Melissa Hazen. Dr. Sharon Cushing is an Otolaryngologist at The Hospital for Sick Children, Director of the Cochlear Implant Program and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. Melissa Hazen is a clinical audiologist at The Hospital for Sick Children and a PhD candidate in the Archie's Cochlear Implant Lab. Part two jumps right into Melissa's research, the three parts of her PhD and how this research translates into real life.  

Transcript of S5E5 

Recorded on July 30, 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 

Finally, in the fifth episode of season 5, we get dizzy with the vestibular system. Host Maria Khan, an audiologist and co-producer of the podcast, chats with Dr. Karen Gordon, Dr. Sharon Cushing and Melissa Hazen. Dr. Sharon Cushing was featured in previous episodes; she is an Otolaryngologist at The Hospital for Sick Children, Director of the Cochlear Implant Program and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. Melissa Hazen is a clinical audiologist at The Hospital for Sick Children and a PhD candidate in the Archie's Cochlear Implant Lab, whose research is focused on children with hearing loss who also have vestibular issues and how that translates into developmental and spatial abilities. In the first part of the episode, we defined balance and reviewed the anatomy and physiology of the vestibular system. Then, we discuss what a vestibular deficit can do to someone's day-to-day function.  

Transcript of S5E5

Recorded on July 30, 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 

In the fourth episode of season 5, we peek into the world of single-sided deafness or LUHU (limited usable hearing unilaterally). Host May Wang chats with Dr. Karen Gordon, Dr. Sharon Cushing, Harrison Gao, and Hanne Bartel. May is completing a BSc in Food, Nutrition and Health at the University of British Columbia and has lived experience with single-sided deafness. 

Dr. Sharon Cushing is an Otolaryngologist at the Hospital for Sick Children, Director of the Cochlear Implant Program and Associate Professor at the University of Toronto. Hanne Bartels completed her MD at KU Leuven and is a PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto, whose research is focused on single-sided deafness. Last but not least, Harrison Gao is a medical student at the University of Toronto. This episode explores first-hand experiences of single-sided deafness, rehabilitation, and ongoing research in the field!   

Transcript of S5E4  

Previous episodes featuring Dr. Sharon Cushing:  

• S1E1: Binaural Hearing: The Where and Why with Dr. Ruth Litovsky 
• S1E2: Hearing Lessons from an Engineer with Dr. Deniz Başkent 
• S1E3: Electro-acoustic Hearing: An Odd Combination that Works with Dr. René Gifford 
• S1E4: Cochlear Implants: An Expert-insider’s View with Dr. Lina Reiss
• S1E5: Hearing in all Corners of the Globe with Dr. Viji Easwar  

Recorded on Aug 8, 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 

In the third episode of season 5, we take a detour from hearing devices to look at the relationship between hearing, learning and memory. Hosts Annika Gasee, Nimrat Chani chat with Dr. Karen Gordon and three amazing guests! Our first guest is Dr. Claire McSweeney, who is a general surgery resident in the US and previously completed a MSc with the Archie’s Cochlear Implant Lab. Our second guest is Naureen Sohail, an Auditory-Verbal Therapist with the Cochlear Implant Program at The Hospital for Sick Children. Our third guest is Anna Ishchuk, a medical student at the University of Toronto, completed a MSc with the Archie’s Cochlear Implant Lab. Her research focused on sound localization in children with cochlear implants and how audiovisual training could improve localization.   

Nimrat, a Public Health student at the University of Waterloo and bilateral cochlear implant user and Annika, a Health Science student at Wilfrid Laurier University, whose brother has cochlear implants, bring their own experiences of hearing loss to the discussion. This episode looks at the relationship between education, language development, and hearing loss as well as how children can be supported in these environments.   

Transcript of S5E3   

Recorded on Dec 7, 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 

In the second episode of season 5, we are looking at bimodal hearing, the combination of a hearing aid and a cochlear implant. Host and co-producer Maryam Othman chats with Dr. Karen Gordon, Dr. Melissa Polonenko and Dr. Robel Alemu! Our first guest is Dr. Melissa Polonenko, Principal Investigator at the PoloLab at the University of Minnesota. Her lab focuses on developing new ways to assess hearing, vestibular, and multi-sensory function and to evaluate outcomes with hearing devices. Our second guest is Dr. Robel Alemu, who recently completed his PhD at Archie's Cochlear Implant Lab. His research focused on binaural hearing in children with hearing prosthetics using behavioural and electrophysiological measures of hearing.  

Maryam brings her lived experiences into the discussion as she uses bimodal hearing and is a medical student at Western University. This episode looks at the basis of bimodal hearing, how it impacts spatial hearing, auditory development, and how parents of children with bimodal hearing can support their hearing journeys.  

Transcript of S5E2 

PoloLab Website 

Recorded on Oct 13, 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 

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 

In this final episode of season 4, members of the Hear Here Podcast take a heartfelt walk down memory lane, reflecting on early childhood experiences and the initial stages of recognizing or being diagnosed with hearing loss. As the members share their stories, they express the social and emotional impact of growing up with hearing loss and how their families best supported them. Finally, the members reflect on self-advocacy, navigating social interactions and relationships, and the broader impact of hearing loss on childhood development.  

Produced by Annika Gasee

Music composed and performed by ⁠Dr. Blake Papsin⁠

Picking up from part 1, members of the Hear Here Podcast continue the conversation about high school. The team chats about their experiences with technological support such as FM systems, both the easy and the challenging. They also look back to how virtual schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their social lives and academics. To end off the second half of episode 3, the team share pivotal experiences in high school that made an impact on their identities as people who live with hearing loss. 

Produced by Maria Khan

Music composed and performed by ⁠Dr. Blake Papsin⁠

In this episode, members of the Hear Here Podcast dive into the high school experience. The team chats about supports in the classroom and how, and why their preferences changed from their days in elementary school. The team shares their experiences of independence and how self-advocacy about their hearing loss played a role as they navigate high school. We continue this riveting conversation in part 2! 

Produced by Maria Khan

Music composed and performed by ⁠Dr. Blake Papsin⁠

In this episode, members of the Hear Here Podcast share their diverse personal experiences on the use of assistive hearing devices, such as the FM system, and other accommodations and strategies they have found effective in improving the learning experience as they navigated the classroom environment as young children. Throughout the conversation, members shed light on the benefits and limitations of various hearing technologies and recall childhood memories of their itinerant teacher as well as other forms of support that have made a lasting impact on their growth.  

Produced by May Wang & Maria Khan

Music composed and performed by ⁠Dr. Blake Papsin⁠