Professor Birman is an otolaryngologist specializing in paediatric and adult cochlear implants, otology and paediatric ENT. She is the Medical Director of NextSense Cochlear Implant Centre (formerly SCIC), Australia’s largest cochlear implant program. She has extensive experience in paediatric and adult cochlear implants having performed over 1800 cochlear implant procedures.
In 2017 Professor Birman was awarded the NSW Premier’s Woman of the Year Award for her work with cochlear implants. She received the Australian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the Art and Science of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery in 2018. In 2022 she received the Order of Australia Medal for services to Otolaryngology.
Professor Birman has published and presented extensively, nationally and internationally, on cochlear implant outcomes, innovative cochlear implant devices and bone conduction implantable hearing devices. She has participated in several clinical trials and been awarded grants related to hearing research, cochlear implants and novel devices.
Professor Birman is a Director of NextSense, Australia’s second oldest charity, established in 1860 for those with hearing or vision impairment. She is a Clinical Professor and Joint Head of Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at Sydney University, and an Honorary Clinical Professor at Macquarie University. She has been a past NSW chair of the Australian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and served on hospital and NSW Health government committees.
1985 | Gordon Smyth † | 2004 | Ulf Mercke |
1986 | Michael Paparella | 2005 | Karl-Bernd Hüttenbrink |
1987 | Michel Portmann † | 2006 | Thomas Lenarz |
1988 | Jacob Sadé | 2007 | Patrice Tran Ba Huy |
1989 | Dietrich Plester † | 2008 | John Niparko † |
1990 | Carl-Rudolf Pfaltz | 2008 | Anders Tjellström |
1991 | Adolf Mielhke † | 2009 | Gerard O’Donoghue |
1992 | Christian Deguine | 2010 | Bruce Gantz |
1993 | Ugo Fisch | 2011 | Michael Gleeson |
1994 | Malte Wigand | 2012 | Mario Sanna |
1995 | Derald Brackmann | 2013 | Richard Ramsden |
1996 | Jacques Magnan | 2014 | Thomas Linder |
1997 | George Browning | 2015 | Jef Mulder |
1998 | Mirko Tos † | 2016 | Anne Schilder |
1999 | Robert A. Jahrsdoerfer † | 2017 | Robert Vincent |
2000 | Paul van den Broek | 2018 | Antje Aschendorff |
2001 | Noel Cohen † | 2019 | Erwin Offeciers |
2002 | David A. Moffat † | 2020 | Matthew Yung |
2003 | Alan G. Kerr | 2023 | Catherine Birman |