Dr. Hosford-Dunn began blogging in her audiology private practice in Tucson, AZ. Back in 2009, blogging was a new and interesting way to quickly share and improve information with colleagues, consumers, and patients. As blogging gained attention, she had the opportunity to serve as chief editor of a multi-author blog for an hearing industry publication. The format was fun and successful. It rapidly evolved into Hearing Health & Technology Matters! (HHTM), an independent blogsite that she founded in partnership with other colleagues in 2011. Since its inception, Dr. Hosford-Dunn has served as HHTM’s first Editor-in-Chief, then Managing Editor, and now is CFO of the organization. After graduating with a BA and MA in Communication Disorders from New Mexico State, she completed a PhD in Hearing Sciences at Stanford and did post-docs at Max Planck Institute (Germany) and Eaton-Peabody Auditory Physiology Lab (Boston). Post-education, she directed the Stanford University Audiology Clinic; developed multi-office private practices in Arizona; authored/edited numerous text books, chapters, journals, and articles; and taught Marketing, Practice Management, Hearing Science, Auditory Electrophysiology, and Amplification in a variety of academic settings. Dr. Hosford-Dunn participates in life long learning by writing weekly posts and by embracing sequential learning endeavors. She spent a year training with the Gemological Institute of America, gaining certification as a Graduate Gemologist (GIA). She graduated with a B.A. in Economics and Psychology from the University of Arizona in 2013. Currently — and probably forever — she studies the Spanish language.
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Mar. 08, 2023

Ear device patents for January 2023

Holly Hosford-Dunn
A bunch of fun and useful patents jump-started 2023 in January. Here’s a sampling. Breath in, Breath out, Watch Your Heart Rate Starkey patent #11540743, Ear-worn devices with deep breathing assistance, describes a method for guiding deep breathing. Starkey patent #11570562, Hearing assistance device fitting based on heart rate sensor, uses heart rate to guide you to “reseat or adjust
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Feb. 02, 2023

Ear device patents for December 2022

Holly Hosford-Dunn
No need to pay attention, just check in with your ear once in awhile Eolas envisions a device system that goes the extra mile and will probably control your every moment once it gets to know you. Patent #11540093 notes that it’s hard for parties to keep track of all that’s said in a conversation so critical information may be
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Jan. 09, 2023

Ear device patents for November 2022

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Another Pandemic-Inspired Innovation Zoom fatigue was with all of us during the pandemic and may become endemic as we prefer to individualize our workplaces. T-Mobile is here to help with patent #11502861 Simulated auditory space for online meetings. The title sounds a little Zoomy, but T-Mobile gets the problem and sees a better path ahead to enable our preferences. Here’s
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Aug. 14, 2022

Ear Device Patents for June 2022

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Minding Our Auditory Manners OtoUSA’s patent #1367348 aims to outfit traffic signals to automate and improve IDing and chastising those who scorn noise ordinances on the road: “for a mobile audio signal source which makes loud noise at arbitrary places and time, for example illegally modified car, old vehicle or speeding motorcycle, it is hard to give evidence, or a
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Jul. 09, 2022

Ear Device Patents for May 2022

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Just doin’ their thangs Amazon and Apple came up with earbud designs this month (respectively, D951236 & D950526). It took two inventors to create Amazon’s bud while Apple’s took a whopping 20. Will Apple’s design be 10 times better, does Amazon make their inventors work 10 times as hard, or probably none of the above? Bragi continues to do interesting things
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Jun. 08, 2022

Ear Device Patents for April 2022

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Among the many interesting patents in this month’s list, Oticon’s #11297444 for a Hearing Aid System is a standout for all its sensor-laden activity, as described here. Reading the description, it’s hard to envision how to know that the device is properly inserted in the ear, but the sensors probably tell you.  … at least one surface electrode located at
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May. 12, 2022

Ear Device Patents for March 2022

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Avocado oil is advocated for heart health; also for treating osteoarthritis. Now, add hearing health to the list of things for which avocado oil is a Good Thing.  Dong Kook Phar Co Ltd’s patent #11273194 claims a Pharmaceutical composition containing avocado oil fraction as active ingredient for prevention or treatment of hearing loss. The March 2022 Patent List Description Patent
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Apr. 16, 2022

Ear device patents for February 2022

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Ear Device Variety The January 2022 patent post highlighted sensors loaded onto ear devices. For those interested in more on sensors, see Sonova’s patent #11240611 in this month’s list, which provides a good summary of sensor types and applications under development. Nocira’s patent #11246793, entitled Ear Pumps, describes a treatment device [that] can utilize specific patterns of pressure applied to
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Apr. 04, 2022

Ear device patents for January 2022

Holly Hosford-Dunn
More to Them Than Meets the Eardrum Hearing aids are fast developing into all-round sensing devices, multitasking on top of sound amplification by tracking eye movement and measuring body temperature (Starkey’s patents 11223915 & 11213252); using EEG and cardiovascular signals for biofeedback (GN Hearing’s 11228849 & MindMics’ 11234069 online pharmacy buy clomid online with best prices today in the USA
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Dec. 26, 2017

All-time Most Popular Posts: Ethics of Stealing and Deception

Holly Hosford-Dunn
Originally published on 8/14/2012,  Ethics of Stealing and Deception, is a post in Hearing Economic’s “But That Would be Wrong” series. It has garnered the most readership of any post at Hearing Economics over the years.   Last time Hearing Economics described thefts and deceptions in professional settings. Transgressions were bizarre, some absurd, but all actually happened. Most were illegal; all