Brian Taylor

Brian Taylor, AuD, is the Senior Director of Audiology for Signia. He is a veteran of the hearing industry with more than 25 years of experience. Brian is a prolific and respected contributor to the industry with more than 25 publications and numerous speaking engagements both domestically and internationally. He is also the editor of Audiology Practices, a quarterly journal of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology, Editor-at-Large for Hearing Health and Technology Matters and adjunct instructor at the University of Wisconsin.

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Growing Number of Hearables to Include “Hearing Aid Technology”

On the heels of the AirPods launch two weeks ago, Bragi, the manufacturer of the Dash recently announced there will be updates to their hearable device. Among the updates to the Bragi Dash are improved quality of Bluetooth connectivity and increased range, improved waterproofing, an upgraded touch lock feature, and the ability to shuffle through songs on its interface. In

Featured image for “Former Starkey Executives Charged in $20 Million Embezzlement Scheme”

Former Starkey Executives Charged in $20 Million Embezzlement Scheme

Last September, Starkey made headlines when it abruptly fired President Jerry Ruzicka and several other executives amid accusations of illegal business activities. One year later, as reported in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and numerous other Twin Cities media outlets, Ruzicka, along with former CFO, Scott Nelson and former human resources director, Larry Miller were charged with embezzling $20 million from Starkey

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A New Potential Way to Treat Otitis Media

For audiologists practicing in a medical center, evaluating the hearing of children diagnosed with otitis media is a daily task. Not surprisingly, otitis media is the most common reason U.S. children receive antibiotics — and suffer from temporary conductive hearing loss. Antibiotics, taken orally, are an essential part of the treatment plan for many of these children. The requisite 7-

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Fit To Serve Bill Moves to Senate with Revised Language

WASHINGTON, DC — Earlier this week the U.S House of Representatives passed the Veterans Mobility Safety Act of 2015 (HR 3471), a bill designed to improve access to hearing care services for veterans. The revised bill now goes to the Senate for deliberation. In the original version of the bill hearing instrument specialists would have been granted expanded scope of

Featured image for “Look, Ma, No Cords! Apple launches iPhone 7 and Wireless AirPods”

Look, Ma, No Cords! Apple launches iPhone 7 and Wireless AirPods

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA — Maybe it’s not the show stopping event it was in the ‘00’s when Steve Jobs was at the helm, but when Apple launches a new product people tend to pay attention. Apple’s latest launch of several new product upgrades, including the new iPhone 7, was announced at 10 am PDT on September 7. In addition to a

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Cochlear Implant Performance May Improve with Anti-inflammatory Drugs

MELBOURNE — Australia’s HEARing Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), a collaborative group of 21 internationally-recognized organizations, announced on August 24th promising new research suggesting slowly released drugs to the inner ear via electrodes may improve cochlear implant performance. According to HEARing CRC CEO, Professor Robert Cowan, research using an electrode array that slowly releases anti-inflammatory drugs into the cochlea following cochlear implantation

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Recent Report: Apple is Pushing Further into Healthcare

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA — The morphing of medical devices with consumer electronics continues as, according to a recent report in Med Device Online, Apple has filed a patent for a wearable device capable of collecting electrocardiographic (EKG) signals from various points on the body. This patent may lend credibility to rumors surfacing in early August that Apple was working on a

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Attention Enterprising Clinicians & Students: DOL Sponsoring Noise Abatement Contest

WASHINGTON, DC — Noise induced hearing loss continues to be a public health condition of significant magnitude. According to the National Institutes of Health, 22 million workers are exposed to potentially damaging noise at work each year. In 2015, U.S. businesses paid more than $1.5 million in penalties for not protecting workers from noise. Further, an estimated $242 million is

Featured image for “Current Tinnitus Management Patterns Represent Big Opportunities for Audiology Community”

Current Tinnitus Management Patterns Represent Big Opportunities for Audiology Community

The disability caused by tinnitus is believed to be one of the most common chronic medical conditions in adults – on par with diabetes, lower back & neck pain and knee problems. And, hearing care professionals encounter patients with tinnitus on an almost daily basis. In fact, according to South Korean researchers, tinnitus, like hearing loss, is one of

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Use of Amplification in Older Adults with Depression: Results Should be Interpreted Cautiously

A July, 2016 JAMA Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery article indicates hearing aid and cochlear implant (CI) users experienced significant improvement in their depressive symptoms 6 to 12 months after treatment with their amplification devices. Janet Choi, MPH and colleagues from Johns Hopkins University, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine and Drexel University conducted an observational study involving 113 participants.