Hearing News Watch

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

WASHINGTON, DC—The International Hearing Society is reaching out beyond its membership and inviting all hearing care professionals to take part in its 62nd Annual Convention & Expo, to take place September 12-14 in the nation’s capital. The theme is “Uniting the Profession,” and IHS president Tom Higgins, ACA, BC-HIS, described the convention as “a homecoming for all of our friends

WASHINGTON, DC–“One small sentence in a code book of thousands but one giant leap for people with hearing loss.” That was how Juliëtte Sterkens, AuD, hearing loop advocate for the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), assessed an action taken by an ICC/ANSI committee on July 17. That “small sentence” approved by the ICC/ANSI  (International Code Council/American National Standards Institute)

NORTH ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA—Rarely is a hearing healthcare practitioner singled out from all the other professionals in a country to receive a national honor. But that’s what happened to Sheridan Flint, MS, the audiologist been named 2013 Young Professional of the Year in Australia. The annual award honors someone under 35 years of age who demonstrates a high level of achievement,

    ST. PAUL, MN—Luminaries from the worlds of entertainment, sports, government, business, and philanthropy joined with hearing care professionals on July 28, for the Starkey Hearing Foundation’s 2013 So the World May Hear Gala. The annual event, which drew over 1600 people, raised a record sum of more than $8 million to support the foundation’s charitable work, which includes

Marion Downs has always been ahead of her time. Sixty years ago, as a junior faculty member in audiology at the University of Denver, she was fitting hearing aids on six-month-olds, something that virtually no one else believed could be done. In 1963, Dr. Downs opened the nation’s first universal infant hearing screening program in Denver, which inspired the movement