A Bruton Conference
Date: Friday, August 7, 2026
Time: 7:30 AM – 3:35 PM
Location: Callier Center for Communication Disorders – Glorig Auditorium
1966 Inwood Rd, Dallas, Texas 75235
Cost: Free (Registration is required)
Register ScheduleContact: Tiffani Kreybig at 972-883-3003
Course Directors:
- Walter Kutz, MD
- Kim Fiorentino, AuD
Featured Speaker:
- Piotr Skarzynski, MD, PhD
(Sponsored by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Otolaryngology)
Additional Speakers:
- Rance Fujiwara, MD
- Brandon Isaacson, MD
- Prabuddha Bhatarai, PhD student
- Kenneth Lee, MD, PhD
- Walter Kutz, MD
- Andrea Warner-Czyz, PhD
- Sarah Crow, AuD
Course Description
The North Texas Cochlear Implant (CI) Symposium provided an interprofessional program for audiologists, physicians, speech pathologists, and others involved in the care of CI recipients. Topics discussed included outcomes in CI recipients, updated CI candidacy criteria, social and emotional cognition in CI users, and surgical considerations in special populations.
Course Objectives
At the conclusion of the conference, participants should be able to:
- Describe updated cochlear implant candidacy criteria
- Describe cognitive-emotional data in cochlear implant users
- Describe surgical techniques in special populations receiving cochlear implants
Continuing Education
ASHA CE Provider approval and use of the Brand Block does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures. A self-assessment is required in order to earn ASHA CEUs.
The Callier Center is approved by the American Academy of Audiology to offer Academy CEUs for this activity. The program is worth a maximum of .6 CEUs. Academy approval of this continuing education activity is based on course content only and does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedure, or adherence of the event to the Academy’s Code of Ethics. Any views that are presented are those of the presenter/CE Provider and not necessarily of the American Academy of Audiology.
Course Directors
Walter Kutz, MD
Joe Walter Kutz Jr., M.D. is Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology and the Department of Neurological Surgery UT Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Kutz joined The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 2007. His clinical interests include diseases of the skull base, acoustic neuroma, cochlear implants, otosclerosis, auditory brainstem implants, and chronic otitis media. After his initial medical education and otolaryngology residency training at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Dr. Kutz completed a two-year fellowship in otology and neurotology at the House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles.
Dr. Kutz is an investor in Qualia Oto and does not have any relevant non-financial disclosures to report.
Kim Fiorentino, AuD, CCC-A
Kim Fiorentino, Au.D., CCC-A, is an audiologist who specializes in detecting and caring for children with hearing loss. Dr. Fiorentino earned her Bachelor of Arts in psychology at Amherst College and graduated cum laude. She received a doctorate of audiology at the University of Texas at Dallas. Dr. Fiorentino works as a pediatric cochlear implant audiologist at the UT Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders. She conducts cochlear implant candidacy assessments, hearing aid evaluations and fittings, cochlear implant initial activations, and follow-up care. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Audiology and a member of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Dr. Fiorentino does not have any relevant financial or non-financial disclosures to report.
Featured Speaker
Piotr Skarzynski, MD, PhD
Prof. Piotr H. Skarzynski, MD, PhD, MSc is a specialist in ENT, pediatric ENT, audiology and phoniatrics, and public health. Prof. Skarzynski has over 16 years of experience in the field of otorhinolaryngology, middle and external ear surgery, pediatric otorhinolaryngology, and related specialties. He participated in the 3rd Stakeholders Consultation meeting during which the World Hearing Forum of WHO was announced. A member of the Roster of Experts on Digital Health of WHO, Board Member and Institutional Representative of the International Society for Telemedicine and e-Health (ISfTeH), President of the International Advisory Board of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), Vice-President of Hearring Group, member of the Facial Nerve Stimulation Steering Committee. An Auditor and National Representative of the European Federation of Audiology Societies (EFAS), member of Congress and Meeting Department of the European Academy of Otology and Neuro-otology (EAONO). Moreover, an expert and reviewer of national and international projects, and a reviewer of national and international scientific journals, mostly with Impact Factor value.
Presentation Titles: Hearing implants – from indications to long-term results. Surgical and audiological aspects and Network of Hearing and speech centers – how to develop and maintain among other areas of medicine:
Hearing implants has become a transformative solution for individuals with severe hearing loss, offering improved communication and quality of life. This presentation explores the full journey of hearing implant care, beginning with patient selection and clinical indications, including those who no longer benefit from traditional hearing aids. It highlights the importance of thorough pre-operative evaluation, advances in surgical techniques, and the critical role of audiological management, such as device programming and long-term rehabilitation. Emphasis is placed on patient outcomes, demonstrating how implants support speech understanding and social integration over time. In addition, the discussion addresses the development of integrated networks of hearing and speech centers, underscoring the need for coordinated, multidisciplinary care across healthcare systems. Key strategies for building and sustaining these networks include collaboration among specialists, early screening programs, use of telehealth technologies, and ongoing education to ensure accessible, high-quality services for diverse populations.
Dr. Piotr Skarzynski does not have any relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.
Additional Speakers
Brandon Isaacson, MD
Presentation Title: Concurrent Intracochlear Schwannoma Removal and Cochlear Implantation
Brandon Isaacson, M.D., is a Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center and serves as Co-Director of UT Southwestern’s Comprehensive Skull Base Program. Dr. Isaacson also chairs the Otolaryngology Resident Selection Committee.
Dr. Isaacson earned his medical degree at the Medical College of Georgia, where he served as President of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed an otolaryngology residency at the University of Michigan, as well as a fellowship at Houston’s Baylor College of Medicine, where he received advanced training in otology, neurotology, and skull base surgery. He also holds a B.S. in chemistry (summa cum laude) from Georgia’s Armstrong State University.
Dr. Isaacson is board certified in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery and neurotology. He is a Fellow of the American Neurotology Society, the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery, and the American College of Surgeons. In 2018, he was also inducted as a Fellow of the Triological Society.
Dr. Isaacson’s research interests include cochlear implants, endoscopic ear surgery, acoustic neuroma, petrous apex lesions, and paraganglioma. His clinical interests include all aspects of otology and neurotology, with a special focus on skull base surgery.
He has authored over 90 scientific articles, contributed to more than 30 book chapters, and delivered numerous international, national, and regional presentations, lectures, and professional courses. He serves as a reviewer for a number of academic journals as well as on the editorial board of Otology & Neurotology.
Dr. Isaacson has been awarded the UT Southwestern Chief Resident Appreciation Award for excellence in resident education and advocacy in 2008, 2012, and 2017. From the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Foundation, he received the Honor Award in 2010, and the Distinguished Service Award in 2012 . Dr. Isaacson has also served on the task force for new materials and as a board examiner for the American Board of Otolaryngology
Dr. Brandon Isaacson, does not have any relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.
Rance Fujiwara, MD
Presentation Title: Indications and Candidacy for Cochlear Implantation
Rance Fujiwara, M.D., M.B.A., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in otology, neurotology, and skull base surgery, including cholesteatoma, endoscopic ear surgery, otosclerosis, cochlear implantation for hearing loss, and skull base pathology, such as acoustic neuromas and paraclival meningiomas.
Dr. Fujiwara completed his medical degree and a master’s degree in business administration at Yale University. He then completed his residency training in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, where he was Academic Chief Resident. He gained advanced training through an otology and neurotology fellowship at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
He joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2025
Dr. Rance Fujiwara, does not have any relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.
Prabuddha Bhatarai, PhD student
Presentation Title: Emotional Responses to Naturally Occurring Sounds in Individuals with Cochlear Implants.
Prabuddha is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences program at the University of Texas at Dallas. He completed his master’s in Audiology (M.Sc. Audiology) from the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysore, India, and his Bachelor’s in Audiology and Speech Language Pathology (BASLP) from the Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal. He is currently working on a project exploring behavioral and autonomic responses to naturally occurring sounds in individuals with cochlear implants.
Prabuddha Bhatarai, does not have any relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.
Sarah Crow, AuD
Presentation Title: Using fNIRS to Examine Frontal Lobe Activation in Cochlear Implant Users
Sarah Crow is a graduate student at The University of Texas at Dallas in the Doctorate of Audiology Program and the Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences Doctor of Philosophy Program. She received her Bachelor of Science in Speech-Language Pathology at Texas Christian University. Sarah works in Dr. Warner-Czyz’s Children and Infant Listening Laboratory in partnership with the Callier Center for Communication Disorders. Research in the Children and Infant Listening Laboratory explores how infants, children, and adolescents with hearing loss wearing cochlear implants learn to communicate with others and how communication affects how they feel about themselves. Sarah’s research focuses on how auditory status affects auditory emotion recognition in adolescents with and without hearing loss. She is also interested in exploring the intersectionality of hearing loss and comorbid conditions and how it affects their quality of life and auditory and communication progress.
Dr. Crow received the Callier Center for Communication Disorders Jerger grant and serves on the Student Academy of Audiology chapter relations committee.
Sarah Crow, does not have any relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.
Kenneth Lee, MD
Presentation Title: Shape Memory Polymer Electrode Array is Lateral Wall and Perimodiolar
Kenneth H. Lee, M.D., Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery at Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in pediatric otolaryngology and serves as Director of the Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at UT Southwestern and Children’s Health in Dallas and Plano. Dr. Lee earned his medical degree and a doctorate in anatomy and neurobiology at Boston University. He completed a residency in head and neck surgery at Washington University in St. Louis and received advanced training in otolaryngology and pediatric otolaryngology through separate fellowships at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, respectively. Dr. Lee’s research interests include cochlear implantation, sensorineural hearing loss, and spiral ganglion cells. Dr. Lee has an ownership interest in Qualia Oto and has received a consulting fee from Advanced Bionics. He does not have any relevant non-financial disclosures to report.
Dr. Kenneth Lee, does not have any relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.
Andrea Warner-Czyz, PhD
Presentation Title: CI 3-60 referral guideline for pediatric implant evaluation.
Dr. Andrea Warner-Czyz, Ph.D., CCC-A, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing in the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at The University of Texas at Dallas. Her research investigates communication and quality of life in children and adolescents who are deaf/hard of hearing and use cochlear implants. Her primary professional goal centers on a whole-person approach, drawing on speech-language pathology, psychology, and audiology, to develop data-driven recommendations to improve social well-being in patients who are deaf/hard of hearing. Dr. Warner-Czyz does not have any relevant financial disclosures to report. She is the Chair of the Board of Directors for the American Cochlear Implant Alliance and a member of the Pathways Selection Committee for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
Dr. Andrea Warner- Czyz, does not have any relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.
Rachel St. John, MD
Presentation Title: Outside the Device: Considerations for Working with Pediatric Candidates for Cochlear Implant
Rachel St. John, M.D., is a professor in the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She serves as Director of the Family-Focused Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children at Children’s Medical Center. She specializes in care coordination for deaf and hard of hearing patients.
Dr. St. John earned her medical degree at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and completed her residency in pediatrics at Georgetown University. She also holds a master’s degree in counseling from Gallaudet University and certification as an NIC Advanced sign language interpreter from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. In addition, she completed the Mental Health Interpreter Training Program at Troy State University.
Certified by the American Board of Pediatrics, she joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2012.
Dr. Rachel St. John, does not have any relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.
