Spring Seminar: Jack Noble, PhD
Jack Noble, PhD
Research Assistant Professor,
Vanderbilt University
Date: Thursday, March 30, 2017
Time: 12:15pm lunch, 12:20pm start
Place: Stevenson Center 5326
Title: Computer-Assistance Techniques for Cochlear Implant Interventions
Abstract: Cochlear implants (CIs) are neural prosthetics that induce the sensation of hearing by stimulating the auditory nerve using an array of electrodes implanted in the cochlea. While the traditional intervention has been remarkably successful, it leads to widely varying hearing outcomes. It has been suspected that outcomes are highly sensitive to the positioning of the CI electrodes in the cochlea. Professor Noble has investigated this relationship using novel image analysis techniques he developed that permit measurement of the position of CI electrodes in patient CT images. Leveraging discoveries from these investigations, his current research aims to improve outcomes with CIs through the development of novel computer assistance systems for (1) comprehensive pre-operative surgery planning and intraoperative guidance to improve electrode positioning and (2) patient-customized selection of settings on the CI processor, which, as shown in ongoing clinical studies, can mitigate the negative effects of sub-optimal electrode positioning and significantly improve hearing outcomes. In this seminar, Noble will present many challenges that had to be overcome, solutions that have been developed, and directions for future research.
Speaker Bio: Jack Noble received his Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2011 and is currently a research assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Vanderbilt University. He has been awarded multiple patents for medical image analysis algorithms and systems, and he is the recipient of a NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award, an NIH R21 exploratory research grant award, and an NIH R01 research project grant.