Blake Shaw Wilson

Adjunct Professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences

Prof. Wilson is the Director of the Duke Hearing Center and is an Adjunct or Consulting Professor in each of three departments at Duke: Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences, Biomedical Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering. He has been involved in the development of the cochlear implant (CI) for four decades and is the inventor of many of the signal processing strategies used with the present-day CIs. One of his papers, in the journal Nature, is the most highly cited publication in the principal field of CIs. He also has become keenly interested in global hearing healthcare and presently is the Chair of the Lancet Commission on Hearing Loss. He or he and his teams or colleagues have been recognized with a high number of awards and honors, including the 2015 Russ Prize, “for engineering cochlear implants that allow the deaf to hear,” and the 2013 Lasker~DeBakey Award, “for the development of the modern cochlear implant – a device that bestows hearing to individuals with profound deafness.” The Russ Prize is the world’s top honor for bioengineering and the Lasker Awards are second only to the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for recognizing advances in medicine and medical science. Prof. Wilson is a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke (in 2007) and from the University as a whole (in 2019; the 42nd recipient of that Award). Additionally, he is a member of the USA’s National Academy of Engineering and is a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Acoustical Society of America, and the National Academy of Inventors.

Appointments and Affiliations

  • Adjunct Professor in the Department of Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences
  • Consulting Professor of Biomedical Engineering
  • Adjunct Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
  • Scholar in Residence in the Pratt School of Engineering
  • Affiliate, Duke Global Health Institute

Contact Information

  • Office Location: 2410 Wrightwood Ave., Durham, NC 27710
  • Office Phone: +1 919 475 6135
  • Email Address: blake.wilson@duke.edu

Education

  • B.S.E.E. Duke University, 1974
  • D.Sc. University of Warwick (United Kingdom), 2013
  • D.Eng. University of Technology Sydney (Australia), 2014
  • Ph.D. Duke University, 2015

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions

  • Honorary Alumni Award. Duke University School of Medicine. 2022
  • North Carolina Award for Science. North Carolina General Assembly. 2021
  • Fellow (NAI). National Academy of Inventors. 2019
  • Distinguished Alumni Award. Duke University. 2019
  • Election to the National Academy of Engineering. National Academy of Engineering. 2017
  • Helmholtz-Rayleigh Interdisciplinary Silver Medal in Psychological & Physiological Acoustics, Speech Communication, and Signal Processing in Acoustics. Acoustical Society of America. 2017
  • Lifetime Achievement Award. 15th Annual International Conference on Cochlear Implants and Other Implantable Auditory Technologies. 2017
  • C. Paul and Beth K. Stocker Lecture. Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology and the Robe Leadership Institute at Ohio University, Athens, OH, USA. 2016
  • Distinguished BME Lecture. The Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA. 2016
  • Guest of Honor, 149th Annual Meeting of the American Otological Society, Chicago, IL, USA. American Otological Society. 2016
  • Eduard Rhein Technology Award. Eduard Rhein Foundation. 2016
  • Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America. Acoustical Society of America. 2016
  • Distinguished Research in the Field. Duke Graduate Program in Electrical and Computer Engineering. 2016
  • Guest of Honor, 4th Munich LMU Hearing Implant Symposium 2015: Hearing Implants Around the World, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany. The conference organizers. 2015
  • Honorary Doctorate in Medicine. Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden. 2015
  • Honorary Doctorate in Medicine. University of Salamanca in Salamanca, Spain. 2015
  • The Gold Medal of the Paul Sabatier University. The Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France. 2015
  • RTI Fellows Distinguished Lecture. RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA. 2015
  • Graham Fraser Memorial Lecture. Graham Fraser Foundation, London, UK. 2015
  • Duke Engineering 75th Anniversary Lecture. Duke University Office of Provost; Duke University Pratt School of Engineering; and Duke University School of Medcine. 2015
  • The Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize. National Academy of Engineering. 2015
  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center Flexner Discovery Lecture. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA. 2014
  • Life Fellow of the IEEE. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. 2014
  • Bull City Hall of Fame. Chamber of Commerce, Durham, NC, USA. 2014
  • Göttingen Sensory Lecture. Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany. 2014
  • Hopkins Medicine Distinguished Speaker Lecture. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. 2014
  • 2014 Lasker Lecture, presented at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. The Lasker Foundation. 2014
  • Chandra Sekhar Lecture. The Chandra Sekhar Fund and the New York University School of Medicine, NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. 2013
  • Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award. Lasker Foundation. 2013
  • Commendation of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance. American Cochlear Implant Alliance. 2013
  • Scholar in Residence, Pratt School of Engineering. Duke University. 2013
  • Co-Chair, with Co-Chair Christoph von Ilberg, M.D., of the Presbycusis Research Meeting, Munich, Germany. The conference sponsors. 2012
  • Dean’s Leadership in Innovation Seminar. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology, Sydney, Sydney, Australia. 2011
  • Guest of Honor, Munich Hearing Implant Symposium: Reaching New Heights, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany. The conference organizers. 2011
  • Guest of Honor, Ninth European Symposium on Paediatric Cochlear Implantation, Warsaw, Poland. The conference organizers. 2009
  • One of Wilson's inventions was named as one of the four greatest inventions or discoveries in the 50-year history of the Research Triangle Park. Triangle Business Journal. 2009
  • Neel Distinguished Research Lectureship. American Academy of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery. 2008
  • Invitation to write the lead article for the special issue of the journal Hearing Research on Frontiers of Auditory Prosthesis Research: Implications for Clinical Practice. The editors for the special issue. 2008
  • Distinguished Alumnus Award. Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University. 2007
  • Chair, with Co-Chair Michael F. Dorman, Ph.D., of the Hearing Preservation Workshop V, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA. The conference organizers. 2006
  • Guest of Honor, Sixth Wullstein Symposium 2006: New Developments in Hearing Technology, Würzburg, Germany. The conference organizers. 2006
  • Special Guest of Honor, Ninth International Conference on Cochlear Implants and Related Sciences, Vienna, Austria. The conference organizers. 2006
  • Guest of Honor, Naval Science & Technological Laboratory, Visakhapatnam, India. Indian Naval Science & Technological Laboratory, Visakhapatnam, India. 2006
  • Guest of Honor, Workshop on the Present Status and Future Directions of Cochlear Implants, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. Nano Bioelectronics & Systems Research Center, Seoul National University. 2006
  • Guest of Honor, Meeting of the Clinical Otologic Research Team (CORT), Cal-Creek Ranch, near Santa Fe, NM, USA. The CORT. 2006
  • Honorary member. Clinical Otologic Research Team (the CORT), USA. 2006
  • Guest of Honor, Hearing Preservation Workshop IV, Warsaw-Kajetany, Poland. The conference organizers. 2005
  • Nalli Family Distinguished Lecture. The Nalli Family Fund and the Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. 2005
  • Guest of Honor, Annual Nalli Family Day, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. Nalli Family Fund. 2005
  • Guest of Honor, Annual Meeting of the British Cochlear Implant Group: Pushing the Boundaries of Cochlear Implantation, Birmingham, UK. British Cochlear Implant Group. 2005
  • Co-Chair, with Chair Peter S. Roland, M.D., of the Third Hearing Preservation Workshop, Dallas, TX, USA. The conference sponsors. 2004
  • Special Guest, Eighth International Cochlear Implant Conference, Indianapolis, IN, USA. The conference organizers. 2004
  • Guest of Honor, Fifth Wullstein Symposium on Bilateral Cochlear Implants and Binaural Signal Processing, Würzburg, Germany. The conference organizers. 2004
  • Designation as a "Friend Forever" to the International Center of Hearing and Speech in Kajetany (near Warsaw), Poland. The International Center of Hearing and Speech, Kajetany, Poland. 2004
  • Guest of Honor, Hearing Preservation Workshop II, Frankfurt, Germany. The conference organizers. 2003
  • Honorary Member of the British Cochlear Implant Group. British Cochlear Implant Group. 2002
  • Guest of Honor, Wullstein Symposium 2002 (3rd Conference on Bilateral Cochlear Implantation and Bilateral Signal Processing, 7th International Cochlear Implant Workshop, and 1st Workshop on Binaural Rehabilitation), Würzburg, Germany. The conference organizers. 2002
  • Co-Chair, with Chair Richard T. Miyamoto, M.D., of the Hearing Preservation Workshop, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA. The conference sponsors. 2002
  • Appointment as one of the first four Senior Fellows for RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA. RTI International. 2002
  • Guest of Honor, Wullstein Symposium (2nd Conference on Bilateral Cochlear Implantation and Bilateral Signal Processing, 6th International Cochlear Implant Workshop and 2nd Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI) Workshop), Würzburg, Germany. The conference organizers. 2001
  • Guest of Honor, 5th International Cochlear Implant Workshop and 1st Auditory Brainstem Implant (ABI) Workshop, Würzburg, Germany. The conference organizers. 1999
  • Presidential Citation for “Major contributions to the restoration of hearing in profoundly deaf persons,” on the occasion of the 130th Annual Meeting of the American Otological Society, Scottsdale, AZ, USA. American Otological Society. 1997
  • Invitation to write a Guest Editorial in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the British Journal of Audiology. British Journal of Audiology. 1997
  • Discover Award for Technological Innovation . Discovery magazine. 1996
  • Guest of Honor, International Workshop on Cochlear Implants, Vienna, Austria. The conference organizers. 1996
  • Chair of the 1991 Conference on Implantable Auditory Prostheses, Pacific Grove, CA, USA. Election by peers. 1991

In the News

Representative Publications

  • Wilson, Blake S. “Getting a decent (but sparse) signal to the brain for users of cochlear implants.” Hear Res 322 (April 2015): 24–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2014.11.009.
  • Wilson, Blake S. “Toward better representations of sound with cochlear implants.” Nat Med 19, no. 10 (October 2013): 1245–48. https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3343.
  • Tucci, Debara, Michael H. Merson, and Blake S. Wilson. “A summary of the literature on global hearing impairment: current status and priorities for action.” Otol Neurotol 31, no. 1 (January 2010): 31–41. https://doi.org/10.1097/mao.0b013e3181c0eaec.
  • Wilson, Blake S., and Michael F. Dorman. “Cochlear implants: a remarkable past and a brilliant future.” Hear Res 242, no. 1–2 (August 2008): 3–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heares.2008.06.005.
  • Wilson, Blake S., and Michael F. Dorman. “Cochlear implants: current designs and future possibilities.” J Rehabil Res Dev 45, no. 5 (2008): 695–730. https://doi.org/10.1682/jrrd.2007.10.0173.
  • Wilson, Blake S., and Michael F. Dorman. “The surprising performance of present-day cochlear implants.” IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 54, no. 6 Pt 1 (June 2007): 969–72. https://doi.org/10.1109/TBME.2007.893505.
  • An, Soon Kwan, Se-Ik Park, Sang Beom Jun, Choong Jae Lee, Kyung Min Byun, Jung Hyun Sung, Blake S. Wilson, Stephen J. Rebscher, Seung Ha Oh, and Sung June Kim. “Design for a simplified cochlear implant system.” IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 54, no. 6 Pt 1 (June 2007): 973–82. https://doi.org/10.1109/TBME.2007.895372.
  • Wilson, Blake S., Reinhold Schatzer, Enrique A. Lopez-Poveda, Xiaoan Sun, Dewey T. Lawson, and Robert D. Wolford. “Two new directions in speech processor design for cochlear implants.” Ear Hear 26, no. 4 Suppl (August 2005): 73S-81S. https://doi.org/10.1097/00003446-200508001-00009.
  • Wilson, Blake S., Dewey T. Lawson, Joachim M. Muller, Richard S. Tyler, and Jan Kiefer. “Cochlear implants: some likely next steps.” Annu Rev Biomed Eng 5 (2003): 207–49. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.bioeng.5.040202.121645.
  • Rubinstein, J. T., B. S. Wilson, C. C. Finley, and P. J. Abbas. “Pseudospontaneous activity: stochastic independence of auditory nerve fibers with electrical stimulation.” Hear Res 127, no. 1–2 (January 1999): 108–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0378-5955(98)00185-3.
  • Wilson, B. S., S. Rebscher, F. G. Zeng, R. V. Shannon, G. E. Loeb, D. T. Lawson, and M. Zerbi. “Design for an inexpensive but effective cochlear implant.” Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 118, no. 2 (February 1998): 235–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0194-5998(98)80022-3.
  • Wilson, B. S., C. C. Finley, D. T. Lawson, and M. Zerbi. “Temporal representations with cochlear implants.” Am J Otol 18, no. 6 Suppl (November 1997): S30–34.
  • Wilson, B. S. “The future of cochlear implants.” Br J Audiol 31, no. 4 (August 1997): 205–25. https://doi.org/10.3109/03005369709076795.
  • Wilson, B. S., D. T. Lawson, M. Zerbi, C. C. Finley, and R. D. Wolford. “New processing strategies in cochlear implantation.” Am J Otol 16, no. 5 (September 1995): 669–75.
  • Wilson, B. S., D. T. Lawson, C. C. Finley, and R. D. Wolford. “Importance of patient and processor variables in determining outcomes with cochlear implants.” J Speech Hear Res 36, no. 2 (April 1993): 373–79. https://doi.org/10.1044/jshr.3602.373.
  • Wilson, B. S., C. C. Finley, D. T. Lawson, R. D. Wolford, D. K. Eddington, and W. M. Rabinowitz. “Better speech recognition with cochlear implants.” Nature 352, no. 6332 (July 18, 1991): 236–38. https://doi.org/10.1038/352236a0.
  • Wilson, B. S., C. C. Finley, J. C. Farmer, D. T. Lawson, B. A. Weber, R. D. Wolford, P. D. Kenan, M. W. White, M. M. Merzenich, and R. A. Schindler. “Comparative studies of speech processing strategies for cochlear implants.” Laryngoscope 98, no. 10 (October 1988): 1069–77. https://doi.org/10.1288/00005537-198810000-00009.