Wayne Staab

Dr. Staab is an internationally recognized authority in hearing aids. As President of Dr. Wayne J. Staab and Associates, he is engaged in consulting, research, development, manufacturing, education, and marketing projects related to hearing. His professional career has included University teaching, hearing clinic work, hearing aid company management and sales, and extensive work with engineering in developing and bringing new technology and products to the discipline of hearing. This varied background allows him to couple manufacturing and business with the science of acoustics to bring innovative developments and insights to our discipline. Dr. Staab has authored numerous books, chapters, and articles related to hearing aids and their fitting, and is an internationally-requested presenter. He is a past President and past Executive Director of the American Auditory Society and a retired Fellow of the International Collegium of Rehabilitative Audiology. Interests engaged in outside of the above include: fishing, hunting, hiking, mountain biking, golf, travel, tennis, softball, lecturing, sporting clays, 4-wheeling, archery, swimming, guitar, computers, and photography. These are great topics of discussion away from business.

When RITE may be WRONG and RIC may be RIGHT

Measurements: RIC, RITE, and Thin Tube BTE (RIA) Hearing Aids RIC (receiver-in-the-canal, or what some call RITE: receiver in the ear) hearing aids are major products in a dispenser’s hearing aid sales. This article will use the term RIC because it is thought to be a more accurate description when properly fitted, and some of the advantages identified as being

Hearing Aid Preferences – RIC vs Custom-Molded

The Harvard Report Revisited – Kind of…. Sometimes one collects data that could be published, but somehow never gets around to it. This blog involves the results on one such study.* Background For many years, the so-called “Harvard Report” has been alternately credited and disparaged. For the uninformed, the general finding of the Report was that the desired response for

Hearing Research Conflict

Cowboy Action Shooting and Hearing Research Occasionally I get an opportunity to mix pleasure with business. Such is the case when I attend Cowboy Action Shooting (CAS) events. Also known as Western Action Shooting or Single Action Shooting, this is a competitive shooting sport having its origins in California in the early 1980s and is now practiced in many places

The Mozart Effect

What is the Mozart Effect? Jennifer Gonzalez, B.A. Frank Muskik, Ph.D. Editor’s Note: A simple conversation with Dr. Musiek often leads to rather interesting topics of discussion and subsequent investigation. Such was the case when he asked me what I knew about the the “Mozart Effect” – which was nothing. The result of that conversation is the following article.

Changing Deaf Education in South Africa

I am indebted to my good friend, Nico van der Merwe, Founder & Director of EDUPLEX in Pretoria, South Africa, for contributing this blog. He, his wife, Anita, and son Nico Jr. are good friends and have been my hosts on a number of my trips to South Africa, starting long before the EDUPLEX was developed. This is a remarkable

Selling Hearing Aids: Ethical Issues – Again

Conflicts/Turmoil/Antagonism This blog is a continuation of last week’s that described the changes manufacturers had to make as audiologists began to legally and ethically sell hearing aids for profit. Today, having a hearing aid practice in which hearing aids are also sold is most likely the single largest employment opportunity for audiologists, and hearing aid sales the largest revenue-generating activity.

Hearing Aid Manufacturing Winds of Change

The Winds of Change at the Hearing Aid Manufacturing Level – Historical Events In one of my previous blogs I described the transition of audiologists from being non-ethical for selling hearing aids, to going to legal and ethical if not sold for profit, and then essentially overnight to legal and ethical to sell hearing aids. Certainly, a schizophrenic ride for those

Audiologists in Industry – Wayne Staab Part 8

Early Industry Audiology Pioneer Involvement Previous blogs related to my involvement as an Audiology Pioneer in the Hearing Aid Industry focused primarily on how I managed to enter this industry, and many of the initial trials that I, along with my colleagues at the time, had to endure as audiologists when we made this decision. This blog will focus on

Audiologists in Industry – Wayne Staab Part 7

Hearing aids for profit – from Non-ethical to Ethical – Overnight Developmental History: Audiologists Can Sell Hearing Aids – But Not For Profit At the 1971 ASHA convention in Chicago, discussion had already taken place about a plan that would allow audiologists and hospital clinics to sell hearing aids on a non-profit basis. Proponents contended that this would reduce

Audiologists in Industry – Wayne Staab Part 6

The Hearing Aid Ethics Inquisition – Conclusion My past several blog postings have been focused on the hurdles that the first audiologists working for hearing aid manufacturers were faced with, especially as they related to the Ethical Practice Board of the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA). This post provides the conclusion to this phase of what I have called