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.

Time to nominate heroes in hearing

SOMERSET, NJ–Do you know a student or adult who has overcome hearing loss to make remarkable accomplishments. Is there a volunteer in your community who has made an extraordinary effort to serve the needs of those with hearing loss? Do you know of a hearing healthcare professional whose excellence deserves national recognition? If you answered yes to any of these

AAA president to be keynoter

ANAHEIM, CA–Therese Walden, PhD, who will become president of the American Academy of Audiology on July 1, will be the keynote speaker at the California Academy of Audiology’s 12th Annual Conference September 22-24. Other highlighted speakers will include Kathleen Campbell, PhD, who will update audiologists on the latest findings in ototoxicity, and Laura Dreisbach Hawe, PhD, who will speak on

Hearing aid tax credit bill introduced

WASHINGTON, DC—In what has become a biennial tradition, legislation was introduced April 12 in the U.S. House of Representatives that would provide a $500 tax credit per hearing aid purchased for children and for adults age 55 and older. Tom Latham (R-IA) and Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) introduced H.R. 1479 with 36 original co-sponsors. The bill is unchanged from the bill

New from the Netherlands: the MaRiC

AMSTERDAM—In case there weren’t enough acronyms in the hearing aid industry, ExSilent , a Dutch company, has introduced a new style of BTE it calls the MaRiC™. The Ytango, which made its U.S. debut last week at the American Academy of Audiology Convention in Chicago, is described as the world’s first BTE that has both the microphone and receiver in

Professionals in the news

AUDIOLOGISTS WIN MAULDIN AWARDS CHICAGO-Beltone Electronics awarded the Larry Mauldin Award for Excellence in Education to Dr. Joseph Smaldino and Dr. Juliëtte Sterkens at AudiologyNOW! 2111, held here April 6-9. Mauldin Award honorees are nominated and selected by their industry peers. “Beltone is proud to present this award to Dr. Sterkens and Dr. Smaldino,” said Todd Murray, president of Beltone North

Hearing News for Consumers

Hearing News for Consumers TENNESSEE MOVES TO COVER HEARING AIDS FOR KIDS NASHVILLE—The Tennessee House of Representatives has approved legislation that would require insurance companies to cover hearing aids in their policies for individuals up to 18 years of age. The measure passed 82-12. The State Senate is considering a similar law. Under the proposal, insurance companies would be required

Advances in Hearing Science

NEW TEST SEEKS OUT COCHLEAR DEAD ZONES LONDON–A new project funded by Deafness Research UK <www.deafnessresearch.org.uk> is seeking to improve understanding of why hearing aids don’t work for everyone as well as they should. The project is seeks ways to identify dead regions of the cochlea where amplification does not improve hearing and can even make it worse. Current hearing

Gus Mueller moves to Audiology Online

SAN ANTONIO, TX—H. Gustav “Gus” Mueller, PhD, has joined AudiologyOnline as contributing editor. In this role, Dr. Mueller will manage a new monthly feature entitled “20Q with Gus Mueller” that will examine the latest topics in audiology and hearing science with other leading experts in the field. Before joining AudiologyOnline, Mueller served as contributing editor of The Hearing Journal

Kidney disease often accompanies hearing loss

WASHINGTON, DC–People with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are urged to take the Across America Hearing Check Challenge, a free, quick, and confidential online hearing test, at www.hearingcheck.org. The non-profit Better Hearing Institute (BHI) is offering the test to raise awareness of the link between chronic kidney disease and hearing loss. The online test will help people determine if they need

Top Sonova execs resign after investigation

STAFA, SWITZERLAND—The hearing aid industry was rocked by the unexpected resignations of the three top executives of the Sonova Group, the world’s largest manufacturer of hearing aids. Sonova, parent company of Phonak, Unitron, and Lyric, announced on March 30 that Valentin Chapero, the CEO, and Oliver Walker, the CEO, had tendered their resignations, and that Andy Rihs would step down