Hearing News Watch

MINNEAPOLIS—If Adrian Peterson, the National Football League’s top running back, scores the 77th touchdown of his career this Sunday in the Minnesota Vikings’ opening game against the Detroit Lions, his team will make a $500 donation to the Starkey Hearing Foundation.  The same is true if Minnesota’s All-Pro wide receiver Greg Jennings adds to his total of 53 touchdowns. Throughout

By David H. Kirkwood McLEAN, VA–Only about 6% of the children and adults in the United States who are good candidates for cochlear implants have them, says Donna Sorkin. That’s why the American Cochlear Implant Alliance (ACI Alliance), where Sorkin is the executive director, is stepping up its efforts to increase awareness of and access to cochlear implants. The membership

TUCSON, AZ—Kevin Liebe, AuD, has joined the line-up of well-known editors at The Blogs @ Hearing Health & Technology Matters (HHTM). Effective this week, Dr. Liebe has taken over the editorship of Hearing Views, where every week he and guest contributors will share their opinions and perspectives on a wide range of subjects related to hearing. Liebe, a fulltime clinical

MESA, AZ—Juliëtte Sterkens, AuD, a Wisconsin audiologist and a leading advocate for the use of hearing loops, has been selected as Humanitarian of the Year by the Alumni Chapter of A.T. Still University Arizona School of Health Sciences. Sterkens received her doctorate of audiology from ASHS. Earlier this year, the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) named Sterkens as its new

By David H. Kirkwood ATHLONE, IRELAND–The Irish people have long been renowned for having “the gift of gab,” the ability to speak with ease, at length, and in a most expressive and entertaining manner. It’s ironic then, that in a land where people speak so well, there seems to be so little concern about citizens’ ability to hear what their

PITTSBURGH—As Hearing News Watch readers with exceptionally long memories may recall, nearly two years ago this blog reported on a lawsuit brought against the City of Pittsburgh. The plaintiff, Karen Piper, who was a visiting professor of English at Carnegie Mellon University, claimed that she had suffered permanent hearing loss in September 2009 when Pittsburgh police used a Long Range Acoustic

By David H. Kirkwood MARSHALL, TX–The Texas Hearing Aid Association (THAA) has brought a federal class-action lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc., charging that the world’s largest retailer is selling hearing aids in Texas without the state-mandated license. The plaintiffs, who filed suit last month in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Marshall, are asking the court

PORTLAND, OR—The American Tinnitus Association (ATA) has appointed Cara James to be its new executive director and lead its mission to find a cure for tinnitus. Before joining ATA, James was founder and executive director of Bola Moyo, an international non-profit organization in Malawi dedicated to improving the health and lives of youth in Africa. She was also a delegate

  MINNEAPOLIS–Six outstanding audiology students have been awarded 2013 William F. Austin Scholarships from Starkey Hearing Technologies. More than 100 future audiologists applied for the $10,000 scholarships, which are named for the founder and CEO of Starkey, the largest U.S.-based manufacturer of hearing aids and other hearing technology. This year’s scholarship recipients are Jodi Seligman, who attends the University of

NEW YORK–Since its founding in Seattle 42 years, Starbucks Coffee has grown into the largest chain of coffeehouses in the world, with more than 20,000 stores in more than 60 countries. It has also built an enviable reputation as a progressive, socially conscious company with one of the most admired brands in the business world. But that image has taken