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.

Starkey owner Bill Austin is a billionaire, says Bloomberg News

EDEN PRAIRIE, MN–It’s official, says Bloomberg News: William F. “Bill” Austin, founder, CEO, and sole owner of Starkey Hearing Technologies, is a billionaire. That statement didn’t surprise people in the hearing industry, who are well aware that Austin’s company has long been by far the largest American hearing aid manufacturer, and ranks among the world’s “Big Six” hearing aid

Brent Edwards, a leading researcher in hearing care, joins EarLens as CTO

MENLO PARK, CA—Brent Edwards, PhD, who during a decade as vice-president for research at Starkey Hearing Technologies and as founder and director of the Starkey Hearing Research Center in Berkeley helped transform the company into an industry technology leader, has joined EarLens Corporation as chief technology officer (CTO). EarLens, a privately held medical device company incorporated in 2005, makes the

With grant from Google, agency will study how Glass can benefit people with hearing loss

BALTIMORE—When Google Glass came onto the market this spring, many technophiles celebrated the arrival of this tiny, head-mounted computer that would allow them to make phone calls, view maps, send texts, and take videos while out jogging or riding a bike. Others, though, viewed this latest futuristic product from Google with alarm, fearing for their privacy if Glass wearers started

The hearing aid market is growing slowly. So, what else is new?

By David H. Kirkwood WASHINGTON, DC–Consider all the reasons why hearing aid sales should have risen through the roof over the past decade or two. For one thing, there have been dramatic improvements in technology, fueled largely by the introduction of digital signal processing in the 1990s. Powerful 21st century hearing aid hardware and software provide consumers with far more

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Robert Panara dies; was a founder of National Technical Institute for the Deaf

ROCHESTER, NY–Robert F. Panara, a pioneer in deaf education who was a founder of both the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and the National Theater of the Deaf in Connecticut, died here on July 20 at age 94. Despite losing his hearing when he was only 10 as a result of spinal meningitis, the Bronx, NY, native’s strong

CMS plans to end Medicare coverage of bone-anchored hearing systems

By David H. Kirkwood This post was updated on July 31. CENTENNIAL, CO—People with hearing loss have long complained that Medicare doesn’t cover the cost of hearing aids. Now, older Americans who need help with their hearing face the loss of coverage for another type of treatment, osseo-integrated (or bone-anchored) devices, such as the Cochlear™ Baha Implant System, which have been

Featured image for “Deaf boy escapes fire, thanks to his Ace in the hole—a hero pit bull”

Deaf boy escapes fire, thanks to his Ace in the hole—a hero pit bull

INDIANAPOLIS—Pit bulls get a lot of bad press, much of it undeserved. However, Ace, a pet owned by 13-year-old Nick Lamb of Indianapolis, did a lot to improve his breed’s image recently when he saved his master’s life. According to an AP report, Nick, who was born with a severe hearing impairment, was sound asleep on the night of

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Starkey, Widex help fund ACAE’s mission to raise the bar in audiology education

WASHINGTON, DC–The Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education (ACAE) got a much-needed boost earlier this month when Starkey Hearing Technologies, in conjunction with Widex USA, Inc., announced that they would provide $160,000 to the commission over the next three years, 2014-2016. ACAE is an independent non-profit organization that accredits university graduate programs in audiology. It was created by audiology organizations to

Unlike most aging rock stars with hearing loss, Kiss frontman Paul never heard well

Pete Townshend of the Who, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, and Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath (and the hit “reality” TV show, The Osbournes) have all told the world about suffering hearing loss during their long careers as rockers. So have their fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Eric Clapton, Neil Young, and Jeff Beck. And the list

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New study finds that when hearing loss goes untreated, the cost is astronomical

By David H. Kirkwood LONDON–A report issued July 9 by the British Commission on Hearing Loss further confirms the enormous economic toll that untreated hearing loss takes on those with the condition–as well as the rest of society. It also explores why in the United Kingdom, where hearing aids are free, only 20% of the 10 million people with hearing