Clark, Graeme Milbourne (1935-…), an Australian doctor and inventor , is known for inventing a device to help people with hearing loss . This electronic device, called the multi-channel cochlear implant, is surgically implanted behind the ear of a person with hearing loss. The device converts sound into electrical signals on several different channels. In a person without hearing loss, a part of the ear called the cochlea converts sounds into nerve impulses that are transmitted to the brain. In a person with the implant, each channel stimulates a portion of the cochlea, generating nerve impulses. The implant enables people with serious hearing loss to hear and understand spoken language. Clark conducted the first implant operation in 1978.
Clark was born on Aug. 16, 1935, in Camden, near Sydney. He studied medicine and surgery at the University of Sydney , where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1958. His interest in hearing loss was inspired by his father, who was hearing impaired. Clark worked in several hospitals in the United Kingdom before returning to the University of Sydney in 1967. He completed a Master of Surgery degree in 1969 and a Ph.D. degree in 1970. In 1970, Clark became professor of otolaryngology (treatment of the ear, nose, and throat) at the University of Melbourne.
In 1984, Clark founded the Bionic Ear Institute to further develop cochlear implant technology. He received many honors and awards for his work. In 1983, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia. The Order of Australia is Australia’s highest award for service to the country or to humanity. Clark was made a Companion of the Order, a higher level in the Order, in 2004. He retired as director of the Bionic Ear Institute in 2005. In 2011, it was renamed the Bionics Institute.
