Kara Leyzac, AuD, Ph.D. CCC-A is the director of the Cochlear Implant Program within the Department of Otolaryngology at MUSC. She received her undergraduate degree in Hearing, Speech and Language Sciences from Ohio University, and then went on to complete both her Doctorate of Audiology and Doctorate of Philosophy in Audiology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her dissertation focused on interactions between aging and cochlear implants in adults. She completed her externship at the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research in Portland, Oregon. Prior to MUSC, she was a faculty member at the University of Michigan and the Kresge Hearing Research Institute, and was a member of the University of Michigan Cochlear Implant Team. She continues to participate in the clinical care of cochlear implant patients, and is also involved in several extramurally funded cochlear implant research projects with both internal and external collaborators. Dr. Leyzac has participated as an invited speaker at several national and international cochlear implant conferences, and most of her recent research efforts have focused on better understanding the relationship between auditory nerve health and cochlear implant outcomes.