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 † | 2003 | Alan G. Kerr |
1986 | Michael Paparella | 2004 | Ulf Mercke |
1987 | Michel Portmann † | 2005 | Karl-Bernd Hüttenbrink |
1988 | Jacob Sadé | 2006 | Thomas Lenarz |
1989 | Dietrich Plester † | 2007 | Patrice Tran Ba Huy |
1990 | Carl-Rudolf Pfaltz | 2008 | John Niparko † |
1991 | Adolf Mielhke † | 2008 | Anders Tjellström |
1992 | Christian Deguine | 2009 | Gerard O’Donoghue |
1993 | Ugo Fisch | 2010 | Bruce Gantz |
1994 | Malte Wigand | 2011 | Michael Gleeson |
1995 | Derald Brackmann | 2012 | Mario Sanna |
1996 | Jacques Magnan | 2013 | Richard Ramsden |
1997 | George Browning | 2014 | Thomas Linder |
1998 | Mirko Tos † | 2015 | Jef Mulder |
1999 | Robert A. Jahrsdoerfer † | 2016 | Anne Schilder |
2000 | Paul van den Broek | 2017 | Robert Vincent |
2001 | Noel Cohen † | 2018 | Antje Aschendorff |
2002 | David A. Moffat † | 2019 | Erwin Offeciers |
2020 | Matthew Yung |