Cochlear Implant Program

P. Ashley Wackym, MD, FACS
John C. Koss Professor and Chairman
Medical Director, Otologist and Neuro-otologic Skull Base Surgeon
Koss Cochlear Implant Program
Department of Otolaryngology & Communication Sciences 

Dr. Wackym is a board-certified otolaryngologist head and neck surgeon with fellowship training in adult and pediatric otology, neurotology, and cranial base surgery.

Together with internationally recognized leaders in neurology, neurosurgery, rehabilitation medicine, and cranial base surgery, Dr. Wackym's specific clinical interests have led to the establishment of multidisciplinary programs for cochlear implantation, hearing preservation in acoustic neuroma surgery, neurofibromatosis type 2, and vestibular disorders. Also included are new clinical trials in cochlear and auditory brainstem implantation prostheses at the Medical College of Wisconsin (Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital and the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin).

Although Dr. Wackym's practice includes the entire scope of adult and pediatric hearing, facial nerve and balance disorders, his clinical emphasis at the Medical College of Wisconsin is on the surgical rehabilitation of congenital hearing losses including aural atresia and microtia repair; cochlear implantation; vestibular disorders; in hearing preservation in acoustic neuroma surgery; and removal of complex tumors of the skull base.

He also directs a basic science research program in the molecular biology of hearing and balance disorders and in gene discovery in acoustic neuromas. 

Education/Training  

• Bachelor of Arts (BA) - California State University, Fullerton, CA, 1980
• Doctor of Medicine (MD) - Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, 1985
• Residency - Head & Neck Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 1985-1991
• Fellowship - Otology, Neurotology & Cranial Base Surgery, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, 1991-1992

Board Certification

• American Board of Otolaryngology
• Neurotology, American Board of Otolaryngology (4-25-04)

Society Memberships

• American Otological Society, Member (Elected 1997, 129 Active Fellows in the USA)
• American Neurotology Society, Member
• Fellow, The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society
• Fellow, American College of Surgeons
• Fellow, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
• Member, Wisconsin Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
• Sir Charles Bell Society
• Paul H. Ward Society
• Politzer Society (International Otology Society)
• Association for Research in Otolaryngology
• Bárány Society (International Basic Science and Clinical Vestibular)
• New York Academy of Medicine
• American Medical Association

Clinical Interests

• Cochlear Implants
• Acoustic Neuroma
• Auditory Brainstem Implants
• Cancer of the Ear
• Cholesteatoma
• Complex Tumors of the Skull Base
• Computer Guided Surgical Navigation Systems
• Ear Malformations
• Endoscopic Skull Base Surgery
• Gamma Knife Radiosurgery
• Implantable Hearing Aids
• Laser Ear Surgery
• Neuro-otology
• Otology
• Pediatric Cholesteatoma
• Pediatric Cochlear Implants
• Pediatric Otology
• Stereotactic Surgery
• Surgical Neuro-otology

Clinical Practice

• Patient Age: All
• Joined MCW Faculty in 1998

Research Interests

• Molecular Biology of Vestibular Efferent/Afferent Interactions
• Molecular Biology of Acoustic Neuromas
• Cochlear and Brainstem Implant Clinical Trials

Honors/Awards

• Honor Award, The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
• Edmund Prince Fowler Award, The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society
• Shirley Baron Research Award, The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Western Section
• Nicholas Torok Vestibular Award of the American Neurotology Society
• Clinical Investigator Development Award
• UCLA Head and Neck Surgery Teaching Award
• First Place Award, Basic Science Category, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery / Association for Research in Otolaryngology
• Shirley Baron Research Award, The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Western Section
• Second Place Award, Basic Science Category, American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery / Association for Research in Otolaryngology
• Vice President's Research Award, The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Western Section
• William H. Call Research Award, Pacific Coast Oto-Ophthalmological Society
• William H. Call Research Award, Pacific Coast Oto-Ophthalmological Society

Administrative Duties

• Professor and Chairman, Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Sciences
• Chief, Division of Otology and Neuro-Otologic Skull Base Surgery
• Medical Director, Koss Cochlear Implant Program
• Medical Director, Koss Hearing and Balance Center
• Residency Program Director

Appointment Telephone Number 

• Adult Established Patient Appointments - 414.805.5582
• Adult New Patient Appointments - 414.805.3666 (or) 800.272.3666
• Pediatric Established Patient Appointments - 414.805.5582
• Pediatric New Patient Appointments - 414.607.5280 (or) toll free: 1.877.607.5280