MED-EL's medical breakthroughs redefine the future of hearing

Innsbruck (Austria), November 16, 2023 – For people without hearing, being able to hear again with a hearing implant is often described as a lifechanging miracle. For almost 1 million people worldwide, the moment when their cochlear implants are ‘switched on’ is the day that they begin to hear the world around them.

In a new global health series, Dr Ingeborg Hochmair, the pioneer of modern cochlear implants and co-founder and CEO of hearing implant company MED-EL, explains that this one moment is a result of decades of research and development, with each breakthrough and innovation helping to change the future of hearing care and bring the gift of hearing to people globally.

Pushing the boundaries of medical innovation is the focus of the new health campaign by TBD Media Group to showcase groundbreaking advancements in healthcare. MED-EL’s focus on hearing implants, robotics, AI, telemedicine, and international development programs for hospitals in low-income countries are some of the reasons why the company features in the video series.

“Today, 1 in 5 people around the world live with hearing loss. Yet despite all the technological advancements many people still live in silence due to stigma, accepting hearing loss as part of ageing, or unequal access to funded ear and hearing care. We wanted to join this global campaign to help raise awareness of the impact that hearing loss has on individuals and society, and emphasize how important it is to continually drive innovation in hearing healthcare.” explains Dr Patrick D’Haese, Director Public Affairs & Awareness at MED-EL. 

Dr D’Haese also features in the film alongside Dr Ingeborg Hochmair, Max who is an engineer at the company and the first child in Germany to have two cochlear implants, as well as Hearpeers mentor Chetna, whose son also uses cochlear implants.

With a strong commitment to innovation, accessibility, and the well-being of individuals, MED-EL continues to lead the way in transforming the lives of those with hearing loss. You can watch the film on MED-EL here.

About MED-EL

MED-EL Medical Electronics, a leader in implantable hearing solutions, is driven by a mission to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication and quality of life. The Austrian-based, privately owned business was co-founded by industry pioneers Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair, whose ground-breaking research led to the development of the world’s first micro-electronic multi-channel cochlear implant (CI), which was successfully implanted in 1977 and was the basis for what is known as the modern CI today. This laid the foundation for the successful growth of the company in 1990, when they hired their first employees. To date, MED-EL has more than 2,600 employees from around 80 nations and 30 locations worldwide. The company offers the widest range of implantable and non-implantable solutions to treat all types of hearing loss, enabling people in over 140 countries enjoy the gift of hearing with the help of a MED-EL device. MED-EL’s hearing solutions include cochlear and middle ear implant systems, a combined electric acoustic stimulation hearing implant system, auditory brainstem implants as well as surgical and non-surgical bone conduction devices. www.medel.com

CEO

Doz. DI Dr DDr med. h.c. Ingeborg Hochmair

Press contact

PR & Corporate Communications
MED-EL Medical Electronics
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6020 Innsbruck
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T: +43 5 7788
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