Anne Marie Tharpe is Professor and Chair, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville Tennessee. Her primary research emphasis has been in furthering our understanding of the developmental impact of hearing loss on young children. This work has examined questions of behavioral indices of attention, environmental exploration, and academic outcomes. More recently, work has focused on the impact of hearing technology use during sleep in those with hearing loss. Dr. Tharpe has published extensively in national and international professional journals, books, and book chapters, and has presented to over 300 audiences around the world.