Hearing News Watch

Sep. 23, 2011

Dynamic Hearing to be sold for $5 million

David Kirkwood
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND–Wolfson Microelectronics has announced that it will buy Dynamic Hearing, an Australian software company that provides technology for hearing aids and other electronic products, for 3.3 million pounds (about $5 million) According to Wolfson, a Scottish-based company, it has been working with Dynamic Hearing for 18 months developing equipment to run on its Audio Hub products. Dynamic employs about
Sep. 20, 2011

Direct-to-consumer hearing aid debuting at AARP Expo

David Kirkwood
LOS ANGELES—MyWay™, a new digital hearing aid that will be sold directly to consumers, will be introduced September 22 at the AARP Life@50+ National Event and Expo in Los Angeles. Developed by Audiotoniq (www.audiotoniq.com), an Austin, Texas-based technology company, a pair of the MyWay behind-the-ear hearing aids will cost $1949. While the device isn’t expected to be available until December,
Sep. 20, 2011

Staff at VA audiology clinic honored for cutting wait times

David Kirkwood
MOUNTAIN HOME, TN—The audiology staff at the James H. Quillen/Mountain Home VA Medical Center have received the National Veterans Health Administration Systems Redesign Champion Award. They were selected for the honor by the Under Secretary for Health for improving the efficiency of the Hearing Aid Evaluation Clinic without compromising the effectiveness of service delivery Prior to January 2010, the Hearing
Sep. 20, 2011

It’s official: Siemens takes over HearUSA

David Kirkwood
WEST PALM BEACH, FL—The sale of HearUSA’s assets to Siemens Hearing Instruments, Inc., was completed on September 9. As reported in this blog on August 2, Siemens outbid William Demant, parent company of Oticon, for HearUSA, in an auction held after that company filed for bankruptcy last spring. To acquire the national network of hearing care practices, Siemens paid approximately
Sep. 19, 2011

Under its new name, Hearing Health Foundation seeks to restore hearing

David Kirkwood
NEW YORK—The board of the Deafness Research Foundation announced September 14 that the organization has changed its name, effective immediately, to the Hearing Health Foundation (HHF). To signal the 53-year-old foundation’s unwavering dedication to hearing research, it unveiled a groundbreaking research consortium, the Hearing Restoration Project Clifford P. Tallman Jr., chair of the HHF board, said, “This is an exciting day
Sep. 19, 2011

Students win scholarships from Starkey

David Kirkwood
MINNEAPOLIS—Five outstanding future audiologists have been named William F. Austin Scholarship winners, and 10 others were honored as Outstanding Student Clinician. The Austin Scholars, who were selected from nearly 140 applicants, will receive up to $10,000 from Starkey Laboratories, Inc., to pursue their studies. The scholarships are named for the founder and principal owner of Starkey, the largest U.S. manufacturer
Sep. 14, 2011

Research probes tinnitus causes and cures

David Kirkwood
BERKELEY, CA—Tinnitus has long been among the most common, troublesome, mysterious, and intractable conditions related to hearing. While many cases are mild, tinnitus can cause constant torment, sleeplessness, and desperation that may even lead to thought of suicide. Adding to the frustration over tinnitus is that neither the causes nor the best treatments for the condition are clear. While many
Sep. 14, 2011

Oticon Awards honor people for defying stigma of hearing loss

David Kirkwood
Recipients of top honors in the Focus on People Awards program joined Peer Lauritsen, center, president of Oticon, Inc., at the awards presentation. They are, from left, Donald Sims, Jennifer Alberstadt, Sarah Wegley, and Dylan Dunlap. LOS ANGELES—A dozen Americans whose accomplishments have proven that hearing loss need not limit one’s dreams and aspirations were honored here September 12 as
Sep. 12, 2011

Cochlear recalling unimplanted Nucleus CI500 devices because of failure risk

David Kirkwood
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA–Cochlear Limited, the world’s dominant manufacturer of cochlear implants, announced today (September 12) that it is voluntarily recalling unimplanted devices in the Nucleus CI500 range after learning of an increased incidence of failures in its Nucleus CI512 implants. According to the Australian-based company, fewer than 1% of the CI512s implanted since the product’s introduction in 2009 have failed. However,
Sep. 09, 2011

Bill Clinton to kick off Hearing Innovation Expo

David Kirkwood
LAS VEGAS—Former President Bill Clinton will be a keynote speaker at Hearing Innovation Expo 2012, being held here January 4-7 at the Cosmopolitan. Organized by Starkey Laboratories, the largest American hearing aid manufacturer, the unprecedented event is expected to draw 3000 attendees from the hearing care industry. Clinton, who is founding chairman of the Clinton Global Initiative, was a featured