Hearing News Watch

By David H. Kirkwood PITTSBURGH—The dispute between the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) escalated August 2 when ADA sued ASHA in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh. The lawsuit seeks an injunction against ASHA requiring it to correct what ADA charges were “fraudulent statements” made in letters to audiologists and on its web site.

PORTLAND, OR–Anthony T. Cacace, PhD, and Jinsheng Zhang, PhD, both leading researchers on tinnitus and professors at Wayne State University, have received a $1.5-million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to study blast- and concussion-induced tinnitus. The American Tinnitus Association (ATA), which announced the grant last week, notes that tinnitus is the most common service-connected disability among military veterans

WARRENVILLE, IL–Linda Thibodeau, PhD, a University of Texas at Dallas audiology professor who has devoted much of her career to (re)habilitation of children and adults with hearing loss, received  the 2011 Cheryl DeConde Johnson Award for Outstanding Achievement in Educational and Pediatric Audiology. The award is presented annually by Phonak LLC. Cheryl DeConde Johnson, EdD, the honorary chairperson of the

  SALT LAKE CITY—The Utah Department of Health has developed an innovative system for making hearing aids available for children in need. It encourages people who have hearing aids that are no longer being used to donate them to its hearing aid recycling program. No matter what their condition, the used instruments are of value. They may be reconditioned, sold

WEST PALM BEACH, FL-Audiology Distribution, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Siemens Hearing Instruments, was the winner in an auction held here July 30 for the assets of HearUSA, Inc. HearUSA, one of the nation’s largest providers of hearing healthcare, went up for bids under Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The bid by Audiology Distribution includes aggregate consideration of approximately $129 million

BATH, ENGLAND—There’s no doubt that motorcycle riders who wear helmets reduce their risk of skull fractures and fatal accidents. On the other hand, researchers at the University of Bath and Bath Spa University have found that helmets may actually increase the risk of hearing loss among bikers. According to their study, “Aeroacoustic Sources of Motorcycle Helmet Noise,” which has been

NEW YORK–Pete Townshend, guitarist with the legendary British rock band The Who, is probably the leading “poster child” for the ill effects of overamplified music. For more than a decade, he has talked about the severe hearing loss he has suffered because of his failure to use ear protection during the glory years of his band in the 1960s and

PARSIPPANY, NJ–Siemens Hearing Instruments submitted a bid on July 27 to buy HearUSA, whose assets go up for auction today in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy auction. Siemens, which was for many years the main hearing aid supplier to HearUSA, bid $75.5 million, of which $7.5 million is in cash. A few weeks ago,  Siemens sued HearUSA for money that it

GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO—After four decades in the West, Newport Audiology Centers is relocating its corporate headquarters to Nashville. One of the nation’s largest networks of hearing care providers, it has more than 2000 locations. Founded in Southern California in 1970, Newport Audiology is currently headquartered in the Denver area. In an interview with Hearing Health Matters, David Gligor, chief operating

This is a corrected version of an item originally published on July 26. WASHINGTON, DC—Most years, hearing aid sales peak in the second and third quarters, and are weaker in the first and fourth quarters. But thus far, that pattern isn’t occurring, which may make 2011 a slow year for the industry. According to the latest statistical report from the