Hearing News Watch

BLUFFDALE, UTAH & NEWARK-ON-TRENT, U.K. — Listen Technologies, a provider of advanced wireless listening solutions for more than 27 years, and Ampetronic, a global leader in hearing loop systems, have announced the promotion of Mikey Shaffer to vice president of North American sales. In this role, Shaffer will focus on accelerating revenue growth, expanding market presence, and optimizing channel performance

HAUPPAUGE, NEW YORK — Widex has announced that U.S. Ski Team member Estella Hassrick has joined the company as an official brand ambassador. At age 19, Hassrick has established herself as a rising athlete in ski jumping, recognized for her discipline, composure, and competitive focus. “Estella embodies everything Widex stands for,” said Alan Raffauf, Head of Brand Marketing, Widex. “Her confidence,

EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA — On Founder’s Day, Starkey honored William F. Austin and the legacy he has built over more than 65 years in the hearing industry. The company said Austin’s career represents more than a professional milestone, reflecting decades of leadership shaped by compassion, service, and a belief in the life-changing impact of hearing. Through his vision and humanitarian

MONTPELLIER, FRANCE — Cilcare announced it will present clinical results from its first observational clinical study, DIAMANT, at the 2026 ARO MidWinter Meeting in Puerto Rico. The results will be presented by Professor Jérôme Nevoux, ENT physician at Bicêtre Hospital, Paris, during a scientific session dedicated to Neural Mechanisms of Speech Perception. Cilcare said sensorineural hearing loss is an underrecognized

The European Union of Hearing Aid Acousticians (EUHA) has issued a call for papers for the 70th International Congress of Hearing Care Acousticians, scheduled for October 14–16, 2026, in Hanover, Germany. EUHA described the meeting as a major international event for the hearing care industry, combining a scientific lecture program with an industry exhibition and networking opportunities. Submission deadline and

INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA — MED-EL founders Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair have been named Laureates of the 2026 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize), an international award recognizing engineering innovations with global impact. The 2026 prize highlights the design and development of modern neural interfaces—technologies intended to restore lost human functions—and recognizes engineers whose work has helped establish and advance these approaches. The

BOSTON, MASS. — A new real-world analysis of 97 U.S. patients with bothersome tinnitus treated with Lenire, an FDA-approved bimodal neuromodulation device, has been made available on medRxiv, a preprint server for health sciences. The paper, titled “First Real-World Evidence Utilizing the Multidimensional Tinnitus Functional Index to Assess Treatment Impact with Bimodal Neuromodulation,” reports outcomes measured using both the Tinnitus

MindEar, a digital tinnitus support platform, is offering a free one-week trial of its guided “Sound Wellness Challenge” during Tinnitus Awareness Week 2026 (February 2–9). The company says the seven-day program is designed to help participants try evidence-informed strategies that may reduce tinnitus distress, including sound-based tools, attention and stress regulation techniques, and habit-building approaches that support sleep and daytime

A new observational study suggests that individuals with primary subjective tinnitus are significantly more likely to have low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 compared with individuals without tinnitus, and that deficiency may be associated with greater tinnitus severity and chronicity. The findings, published in Frontiers in Neurology, add to a growing body of evidence linking vitamin D status to inner ear

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) have introduced the Veterans Hearing Aid Improvement Act, bipartisan legislation intended to improve access to hearing aids for eligible veterans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The proposed bill would authorize a two-year pilot program allowing the VA to evaluate the use of