Robert Traynor

Robert M. Traynor, Ed.D., is a hearing industry consultant, trainer, professor, conference speaker, practice manager and author. He is a founding member of HHTM and had previously written a regular weekly column for the site for many years. He has decades of experience teaching courses and training clinicians within the field of audiology with specific emphasis in hearing and tinnitus rehabilitation. He serves as Adjunct Faculty in Audiology at the University of Florida, University of Northern Colorado, University of Colorado and The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

Featured image for “The Effect of Automobile Air Bag Deployment on Hearing”

The Effect of Automobile Air Bag Deployment on Hearing

Automobiles are manufactured and driven all over the world. This week at Hearing International we will explore the impact of automobile air bags deployment on hearing. Various types of vehicles are available from the family sedan, station wagon, light pick ups, sport utility vehicles and many other styles. These vehicles may be powered by gas, diesel, natural gas, or a hybrid

Featured image for “Beethoven’s Hearing Impairment and its Influence on his Music: New Insights and Speculations”

Beethoven’s Hearing Impairment and its Influence on his Music: New Insights and Speculations

Ludwig van Beethoven, the iconic composer, faced the challenge of progressive hearing impairment throughout his life. Despite the complications brought about by his condition, he continued to compose masterpieces that resonated with audiences. In our previous two-part series, Hearing International explored Beethoven’s life, his frustration with his hearing loss, and the existing speculations regarding the causes of his impairment. Recent

Featured image for “Peri-Operative Hearing Loss from Anesthesia”

Peri-Operative Hearing Loss from Anesthesia

Over the past few years, I have seen a few patients for rehabilitative treatment that felt their recent surgery had caused their hearing loss or greatly contributed to the progression of their impairment. While hearing loss from anesthesia seems to be a rare complication and may be more common for some operative procedures than others, basically what happens is that patients who heard well as they were wheeled

Featured image for “The Mysterious Case of Vincent Van Gogh’s Pinna”

The Mysterious Case of Vincent Van Gogh’s Pinna

Sherman (2009) states that Vincent Van Gogh is not only universally recognized as among the great artists in history, but also as the tortured genius and crazy painter who sliced off his own ear. Art-loving audiologists from around the world have long been baffled by Van Gogh’s loss of his right pinna and his much-discussed hearing impairment. Vincent Van Gogh,

Featured image for “Deafness of Caesar and the Ides of March”

Deafness of Caesar and the Ides of March

“Come over to my right side, because this ear is deaf, and tell me what you really think of Cassius,” said Caesar to Mark Antony… was this just a manufactured line in Shakespeare’s play or was Caesar really deaf in his left ear? This is the question for this week’s Hearing International. William Shakespeare, widely regarded as the greatest writer in

Featured image for “The “Dummy” Who Invented Umpire Signals”

The “Dummy” Who Invented Umpire Signals

A Towering Presence, On and Off the Diamond William Ellsworth “Dummy” Hoy overcame deafness at age 3 and societal stigma to enjoy a storied baseball career spanning 1886-1903. Playing centerfield for various major league teams, Hoy competed alongside future Hall of Famers capably. His .287 batting average and mastery of small ball reflected exceptional physical talents. However, Hoy’s greater legacy

Featured image for “WWII Bomber Crews and the Legacy of Hearing Loss”

WWII Bomber Crews and the Legacy of Hearing Loss

Many young men, barely out of high school, found themselves working on family farms or at local establishments. As World War II unfolded, a significant number of these youths enlisted in the Army Air Corps, driven by the call to contribute to the defeat of Germany and Japan. The initial months of their military training, primarily as pilots and crew

Featured image for “Hearing Dog Use Continues to Spread Worldwide”

Hearing Dog Use Continues to Spread Worldwide

Brief History of Service Dogs Dogs have been aiding the blind for many years longer than people often realize. The first documented effort to train dogs to assist the blind occurred around 1780 at the ‘Les Quinze-Vingts’ hospital for the blind in Paris. In 1788, Josef Riesinger from Vienna successfully trained a Spitz so proficiently that his sight was often

Who Was Ferdinand Berthier?

France played a significant role in the early days of deaf education. A while back, Hearing International delved into the National Institute for the Deaf in Paris, which was established and led by Abbé Charles-Michel de l’Epée (1712-1789). De l’Epée was a pioneer in developing the education of the deaf as we understand it today. He introduced sign language from

Featured image for “Cochlear Explorers – Part VIII – Space of Nuel”

Cochlear Explorers – Part VIII – Space of Nuel

This week’s installment of Hearing International’s tribute series to Cochlear Explorers features Jean-Pierre Nuel (1847-1920), an esteemed ophthalmologist and physiologist from Luxembourg and Belgium. His Seminal Cochlear Research While a medical student, Nuel studied the auditory organ during a summer research term in Germany. He published meticulous descriptions of the cochlea’s interior in 1872, focusing on nerve fibers and the