As one of the nation’s first cochlear implant centers, we maintain robust pediatric and adult cochlear implant programs, with exemplary patient support throughout the entire hearing restoration journey.
We are now one of the country’s leaders in skull base surgery, and the Duke Skull Base Center represents one of the country’s leading centers for acoustic neuromas and other tumors of the base of skull. Our providers provide cutting-edge, multidisciplinary management for patients with these complex lesions. The Skull Base Center has one of the country’s first skull base nurse navigators who helps coordinate the complex care of patients.
The Duke Hearing Center provides comprehensive state-of-the-art hearing care in collaboration with Audiology and Speech and Language Pathology. Interventions include hearing aid technology and follow-up and implantable devices in combination with auditory therapy and language intervention in young children. The Duke Hearing Center for Family and Children serves the unique needs of each hearing-impaired child by coordinating access to Child Life, Social Work, and other resources of the Duke Children’s Health Center.
The Duke Vestibular Disorders Lab provides state-of-the-art diagnosis and management of complex vertigo and balance disorders, such as superior canal dehiscence syndrome, Meniere’s disease, and migraine-associated vertigo.
Meet the Faculty
Dr. Cal Cunningham is an Associate Professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communications Sciences. He is the Medical Director of the Duke Cochlear Implant Program and serves as the Co-Director of the Duke Raleigh Skull Base and Cerebrovascular Center. He frequently lectures nationally and internationally and directs the annual resident temporal bone dissection course. His primary surgical interests are acoustic neuroma surgery, cochlear implantation, stapes surgery, and chronic ear disease.
Dr. Steven J. Eliades is an Associate Professor of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences. Dr. Eliades's research focuses on the neural basis of vocal communication. In addition to his research lab, Dr. Eliades is a clinician-scientist and Otolaryngologists, with a focus in diseases of the ear, hearing, and balance (Otology). As part of this role, he has research interests in cochlear implants, in particular the learning and plasticity that affects implant outcome.
Dr. Howard W. Francis is the Richard Hall Chaney, Sr Professor of Otolaryngology and Chair of the Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences. As a neurotologist and skull base surgeon, Dr. Francis’ clinical interests span the full scope of this subspecialty. His research interests include the study of delivery models of hearing health care, with a special interest in cochlear implantation in young children and older adults. He is a Director on the American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, a member of the Otolaryngology Residency Review Committee of the ACGME, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Dr. David Kaylie is the Vice-Chairman for Clinical Operations in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences. He currently serves on several committees for the American Academy of Otolaryngology and has lectured and taught nationally and internationally on ear and skull base surgery. His main surgical interests are in surgery for skull base tumors, cochlear implantation, and vertigo.