David Kirkwood

A longtime observer of the hearing healthcare scene, David Kirkwood was editor-in-chief of The Hearing Journal from 1990 through 2010. Among the honors he received was a 2006 President’s Award from the American Academy of Audiology. Previously, he spent 15 years as editor and publisher of a weekly community newspaper in Scarsdale, NY. Before finding his way into journalism, he earned degrees in history from Cornell University (where he was an outstanding pinball player) and the University of California at Berkeley. When he isn’t blogging at Hearing Health & Technology Matters, David enjoys spending time with his wife, Annie, going to plays and movies in New York, traveling, and relaxing in their vacation place in Mid-Coast Maine. His other avocations include rooting for the Yankees and throwing tennis balls for his puli, Isaac.
Nov. 22, 2013

ADA honors Northern Illinois students for writing the best audiology practice plan

David Kirkwood
Pictured from left are Brian Urban, president of ADA; competition winners Rachel Magann Faivre and Liz Tusler; and Ed Keller, president of EarQ.   BONITA SPRINGS, FL–It’s not just its undefeated and top 20 ranked football team that is bringing glory to Northern Illinois University these days. A team of two AuD candidates at the Dekalb, IL, university, took home
Nov. 20, 2013

IHS unveils bill to enable hearing aid specialists to provide care to VA patients

David Kirkwood
     By David H. Kirkwood WASHINGTON, DC—The International Hearing Society (IHS) turned its Fit to Serve campaign up a notch last week with the introduction of federal legislation that would authorize the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to hire hearing aid specialists to provide care for veterans with hearing loss, tinnitus, and related conditions. IHS launched Fit to Serve
Nov. 18, 2013

Hearing health advocates keep on battling to pass hearing aid tax credit law

David Kirkwood
By David H. Kirkwood WASHINGTON, DC—In what has become a biennial ritual, the Hearing Aid Assistance Tax Credit Act was once again introduced in the U.S. Senate last week. The measure, S. 1694, introduced on November 13 by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), calls for a non-refundable $500 tax credit for the purchase of a hearing
Nov. 13, 2013

FDA proposes guidance to clarify differences between hearing aids and PSAPs

David Kirkwood
By David H. Kirkwood ROCKVILLE, MD–The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a draft guidance document on November 7 designed to clarify “the distinction between hearing aids and personal sound amplification products (PSAPs), as well as the regulatory controls that apply to each.” It invited public response to the draft by February 5, 2014. Entitled “Regulatory Requirements for Hearing
Nov. 12, 2013

Hybrid acoustic and electrical implant system takes a step toward FDA approval

David Kirkwood
The following post was revised on November 15 to include portions of the FDA Medical Devices Advisory Committee’s position regarding the Nucleus® Hybrid™ L24 Implant System.   SILVER SPRING, MD—A public advisory panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Medical Devices Advisory Committee has given a favorable vote to a new implant system from Cochlear Americas. At a public meeting
Nov. 10, 2013

Wanted: Educational audiologists for a mission to Vietnam

David Kirkwood
SEATTLE–Experienced educational audiologists who would like to help children in great need and to have an unforgettable experience in the process may wish to answer a call from the Global Foundation for Children With Hearing Loss. The mission of the Seattle-based foundation is to make a direct and lasting impact on deaf and hard-of-hearing children around the world by providing
Nov. 06, 2013

Audiologists wage grassroots campaign against direct-to-consumer hearing aid sales

David Kirkwood
  By David H. Kirkwood When hi HealthInnovations announced two years ago that it would start selling “high-tech, lower cost hearing devices” directly to consumers, hearing healthcare organizations immediately denounced the plan. They contended that in bypassing the hearing professional, hi’s distribution model would provide inferior hearing solutions and would also endanger patients whose hearing loss was a symptom of
Nov. 05, 2013

Scientists report that damage from noise exposure extends far beyond the ears

David Kirkwood
LONDON—Hearing scientists and hearing healthcare providers have known for decades that exposure to loud noise, especially over an extended period, often causes severe and irreversible hearing loss. However, a report by an international team of researchers reveals that the damage done by excessive noise extends far beyond hearing loss and related auditory problems, such as tinnitus. In an article, “Auditory
Nov. 04, 2013

Airline fined for not making safety video accessible to patients with hearing loss

David Kirkwood
WASHINGTON, DC—Few seasoned flyers pay much attention to the in-flight safety video or demonstration that is presented at the start of every commercial flight. However, that doesn’t excuse airlines from presenting them—and in a way that is accessible to passengers who can’t hear. That’s why in September the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) fined Virgin America $150,000 for failing to
Oct. 30, 2013

New type of otoscope may enable parents to diagnose kids’ ear infections at home

David Kirkwood
ORLANDO, FL—A new smart phone-enabled otoscope may give parents a DIY way to diagnose ear infections in their child at home rather than having to take the youngster to the pediatrician’s office. That is the potential of the CellScope Oto, developed by CellScope, Inc., a San Francisco-based start-up. On Monday (October 28), an abstract was presented at the American Academy