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How to find an audiology/mapping center in the U.S.


Kirk S.

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Hi All,

Does anyone have any ideas about finding a good audiology department in the States to help me MAP my new CI?  I live in Japan, as many of you know. I switched to a new audiology department about six or eight weeks ago, after poor results with my first group, but I’m still having difficulty communicating; the personnel are all very nice and seem reasonably competent, but the language and cultural barriers here in Japan are pretty severe. Everything seems to get lost in translation. I know that audiologists are key to the post-op/rehab process, so I’m thinking about moving back to the States for maybe six months or a year so that I can at least communicate with my audiologist better and get a MAP that seems to work for me.

I’ve dealt with MEEI in Boston before, so I know they are good. And I know that Mary Beth likes her audiologist in New York. But I’m not sure I want to live in Boston or NYC for an extended period, especially in the COVID-19 era. I have friends in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is a great place, but I‘m not sure if the audiologists at the nearby University of New Mexico hospital system in Albuquerque are considered particularly good. 

If anyone has any thoughts, ideas or recommendations, I’d appreciate hearing from you. Thanks!

Best, Kirk

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@Kirk S.

One suggestion is to contact Med-El Global to see if they offer Med-El audiologists to support your audiologist in Japan.  In the US, Med-El US has regional audiologists who support our clinical audiologists.  They can join in appts too.

Med-El US is in Durham, NC and there are a lot of Med-El CI users in that area.  A fabulous clinical audiologist advanced to manage Chapel Hill’s CI program and now unfortunately is no longer seeing clients for MAPpings.

 

I understand your desire to avoid cities at this time.  I am beyond thankful for my team at New York Eye & Ear of Mount Sinai (NYEE).  My MAPping that was scheduled for May was cancelled.  NYEE is back open for appts now.

 

Vanderbilt in Tennessee is a well known CI center and very active in CI research.  Rene Gifford heads that team.  I do not know if she sees clients directly.

 

I am not aware of any CI audiologists in Santa Fe.  But hopefully someone here will be.

 

Another idea is to contact Med-El US in house audiology team and explain your unique situation.  They may have suggestions.

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Thanks, Mary Beth! That’s very helpful. I was already thinking about Vanderbilt and Chapel Hill, so I’ll put those high on the list. I’m still hoping to find a location where I currently have friends and where there are outdoor activities. I do a lot of skiing in the winter and hiking and outdoor sports in the summer, so Santa Fe would an ideal place for me, especially since some old friends are retired there. Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be any top-rated ENT/Otolaryngology departments or audiologists in Santa Fe or Albuquerque (which is just an hour away). Presumably, they have some native English speakers there so that’s an improvement over Japan! ...The Med-El folks in Tokyo have not been very helpful in finding an audiologist for me in Japan— but I think that’s mostly a cultural issue. They don’t want to risk offending anyone’s current physician or audiologist by recommending someone else. It seems like the Med_El folks in the U.S. are the same (they just refer me to the Med-El Japan folks!). I’ll let you know if I have any luck. Thanks again for the help. See you on the phone chat next month. Best, Kirk

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@Kirk S. my clinic is the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis.  I like it there, but it can't be said that it's not in a city.  I think we have people here who went to Mayo - Rochester's a pretty small town.

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Hi Mary. Thanks for the note. Yes, Mayo’s audiology department seems to have a really good reputation. I’m not sure I want to spend six months or a year in cold, cold, cold Minnesota, however! I’m used to mild Tokyo weather. But it’s definitely an option. Maybe we can talk about it during our group chat next month. Look forward to seeing you then! Best, Kirk

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