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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Dec. 04, 2018

HHTM Hearing News Round-up: Notable Stories This Week

Brian Taylor
Before you start your Christmas shopping or light those Hanukah candles, grab your favorite festive beverage, perhaps eggnog, and catch up on some assorted industry news.   Starkey Campaign and Lobbying Contributions Exceed Medical Device Giants   In what is described as a political battle against Bose, Medtech Dive reports on a $687,000 lobbying campaign by Starkey during the recently
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Nov. 14, 2018

HHTM Hearing News Round-up: Notable Stories This Week

Brian Taylor
Before you deep fry that turkey or candy those yams, take a few minutes to catch up on some noteworthy news items of professional interest.   New Study Suggests Sparse Real-World Differences Between Basic and Premium Technology   A new peer reviewed study, published-ahead-of-print at Ear and Hearing suggests older adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss are unlikely to experience real-world
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Nov. 12, 2018

Chronic Noise Exposure May Increase Risk of Cardiovascular Conditions

Brian Taylor
Exposure to loud environmental noise might increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes by fueling the activity of a brain region involved in stress response. This response in turn promotes blood vessel inflammation, according to preliminary research to be presented this week in Chicago at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2018. The findings reveal that people with the
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Nov. 09, 2018

New Gene Discovery Could Lead to Hearing Loss Prevention Drug

Brian Taylor
According to a recent report in an October issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, a team of UC San Francisco researchers have discovered a gene that plays an essential role in noise-induced deafness. By administering an experimental chemical — identified in a separate UCSF lab in 2013 — that acts on the pathway linking this gene to hearing loss,
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Oct. 24, 2018

News Roundup for October 25: Trends in Consumer-driven Healthcare that Could Change Audiology

Brian Taylor
Even though the FDA’s OTC legislation seems to generate many of the industry headlines these days, there are still a lot of notable news items that could have a direct impact on how audiology is practiced over the next generation, so before you settle on your Halloween costume for this year’s big bash, spend a few minutes catching up on
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Oct. 21, 2018

Longitudinal Study Shows Relationship Between Cognition, Untreated Hearing Loss and Social Isolation

Brian Taylor
Readers may recall a July 2017 Lancet study which estimated 35% of the risk factors associated with dementia was modifiable, and that the most prominent modifiable risk factor was hearing loss, which contributed 9% toward the acceleration or possible onset of dementia. A study, published in JAMA Otolaryngology last week, builds on this eye-opening data. Figure 1 shows the modifiable
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Oct. 10, 2018

New Computer-based Screening Tool Helps Individuals Make Informed Decisions on Hearing Care

Brian Taylor
One formidable challenge associated with the rapidly aging baby-boomer population is accurately screening for (and referring to physicians) infrequent, but potentially catastrophic cases of ear disease from the highly prevalent condition of benign hearing loss. The challenge is particularly vexing because of the bottleneck that exists for older adults to undergo a hearing test or medical evaluation prior to the
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Oct. 08, 2018

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Tinnitus Relief: New Findings from Research Hold Promise for Patients and Providers

Brian Taylor
Although considered a prevalent condition, tinnitus remains a challenging condition for hearing care professionals to treat and manage. More than 50 million people in the United States have reported experiencing tinnitus, resulting in an estimated prevalence of 10% to 15% in adults. Experts believe that about one in five individuals who experience tinnitus are bothered enough by the condition to
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Oct. 01, 2018

CBS Sunday Morning Turns Up the Volume on Hearing Aids

Brian Taylor
The evolving hearing aid industry was the subject of a nearly 10-minute in-depth feature on CBS Sunday Morning.  David Pogue, tech critic for Yahoo Finance, talked to several respected industry figures, including Starkey executives Bill Austin and Achin Bhowmik, about recent technological breakthroughs in hearing aids. A substantial portion of the television news magazine piece was devoted to the affordability
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Sep. 25, 2018

Two New Studies Show the Value of Both Audiologist-driven and Patient-driven Fitting Approaches

Brian Taylor
Famed Nobel Laureate, physicist, Richard Feynman, once said, “The statements of science are not what is true or not true, but statements of what is known with different degrees of certainty.” Two recently published papers, each examining a different angle of the hearing aid fitting process, demonstrate how Feynman’s aphorism accurately describes some of the issues facing hearing aid dispensing