News Briefing: Cochlear implant test for Iraqi boy who underwent surgery to restore his hearing

By Kirsten Michener

What A 3-year-old Iraqi boy who underwent surgery at UCSF Medical Center last month to restore his hearing will have his hearing tested on February 17.
Mustafa Ghazwan’s hearing was destroyed in June 2007 when a U.S. explosive device hit his neighbor’s house. He was implanted with an electronic device known as a cochlear implant during the outpatient surgical procedure on January 16. Components of the device are implanted in the inner ear and behind the ear.
Mustafa’s surgical wounds are now healed, and a UCSF audiologist will turn on and test the device, allowing him to hear a significant range of sound for the first time since the 2007 explosion.
A news briefing will follow the audiology appointment. Attending will be the UCSF audiologist, Mustafa’s father, a member of the surgery team, and a representative of No More Victims, which sponsored the trip to UCSF.
Members of the UCSF patient care team are donating their professional services. When TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2009 AUDIOLOGY APPOINTMENT: 8:30 a.m. -– There will be pool coverage for this session, and all media who want pool content must be on site. NEWS BRIEFING: 10:30 a.m. -– Open to all media. Pool coverage and policy Pool media will be used for print, video, and photographs of the audiology appointment.
Standard pool coverage rules apply: Media requesting pool content from the appointment should be on site by 8:30 a.m. There will be a waiting area for media in the Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery near the location of the medical appointment. The waiting area is next to office A748. TV: Television pool will be provided by KGO-TV. Contact Geoff Glaub, Planning Editor, at (415) 954-8155 for arrangements.
Photography: Photography pool will be provided by the San Francisco Chronicle. Contact Scott Tucker, Photo Editor, at (415) 777-7099 or (415) 777-6415 for arrangements.
Print: Print pool will be provided by Associated Press. Contact Brooke Donald, Day Supervisor, at (415) 495-1708 for arrangements. Where UCSF Medical Center Ambulatory Care Center Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. 400 Parnassus Avenue, 7th Floor – waiting area near Room A748 San Francisco Who
  • Ghazwan Al-Nadawi, father of the patient (with interpreter)
  • Colleen K. Polite, Doctor of Audiology (AuD), senior audiologist with the UCSF Douglas Grant Cochlear Implant Center, and Mustafa’s audiologist
  • Theresa Kim, MD, chief resident in otolaryngology, who assisted in the surgery
  • Cole Miller, founder of No More Victims
(UCSF surgeon Lawrence Lustig, MD, director of the UCSF Douglas Grant Cochlear Implant Center, headed the surgical team.) Parking Public garage -- Media in standard vehicles should park in the public garage whose entry is between 400 and 500 Parnassus Ave., on the north side of the street. Keep in mind that navigating within the garage can take time. News Staff will reimburse with parking stickers at the event.
On-street parking -– There will be limited reserved parking for large media van/trucks on the north side of the street in front of 500 Parnassus Ave.