This Week in Hearing

Tamra Dale, a former finance executive and now a dedicated stay-at-home mother, shares her challenging journey with hearing loss and its impact on her family life. Tamra first noticed her hearing difficulties in her early 30s, which led her to seek professional help. Despite initial setbacks with inadequate professional support and suboptimal hearing aids, her determination to stay present for

Host Andrew Bellavia is joined by U.S. sprint kayak champion and Olympic athlete Aaron Small, who has recently been named a Global Brand Ambassador for Phonak. As he prepares to compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris later this month, Aaron shares his journey of overcoming hearing loss challenges, balancing a rigorous training schedule, and excelling academically. In their candid

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Jonathan Kil, the CEO and CMO of Sound Pharmaceuticals to discuss the latest developments in hearing loss treatment. With a distinguished background in auditory neuroscience and otolaryngology, Dr. Kil co-founded Sound Pharmaceuticals over 22 years ago with a mission to develop drug-based therapies for sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus. He has led the company’s

OrCam is leveraging its expertise in AI-based devices to address the cocktail party problem in hearing technology with the introduction of OrCam Hear. The device, which made a notable debut at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), uses advanced AI to isolate and enhance specific voices in noisy environments. This innovation aims to significantly improve the speech-to-noise ratio, making it easier

Host Shari Eberts sits down with Dr. Stephanie Meyer, who brings 28 years of audiology expertise, with 27 of those years devoted to educational audiology. Dr. Meyer discusses how instructional audio technology is reshaping modern classrooms, ensuring equitable access to the auditory curriculum for all students. She shares practical strategies for overcoming adoption barriers and offers her vision for the

Gael Hannan and Shari Eberts interview Dr. Barbara Weinstein, a distinguished professor at CUNY and adjunct professor at NYU Langone Medical Center. Dr. Weinstein shares her recent research on the InnoCaption app, which provides real-time captions for phone calls, making them accessible to individuals with hearing loss. Dr. Weinstein highlights that many hearing professionals are not familiar with captioning apps

The Audible Contrast Threshold (ACT™) test is the quickest method to accurately measure a person’s ability to hear in noisy environments. Developed by the Interacoustics Research Unit, ACT™ uses a non-linguistic, contrasting stimulus to provide a personalized testing experience. The results offer objective data that directly guides hearing aid fitting by predicting aided speech-in-noise performance. In this session, originally part

Shari Eberts welcomes Dr. Michelle Wiebke, the Lyric Audiology and Education Manager at Phonak. Dr. Wiebke discusses the recent FDA approval that allows experienced Lyric users in the U.S. to self-replace their devices, a significant development aimed at enhancing accessibility and reducing the need for frequent in-office visits. This new clearance empowers certified Lyric providers to offer the self-replacement option

Join us for an insightful discussion on how cutting-edge connectivity is revolutionizing hearing care through Bluetooth® LE Audio and Auracast™. Originally presented by Andrew Bellavia at the 2024 Australian College of Audiology conference on May 9th, this session delves into the transformative impact of these technologies on everyday listening experiences, enabling people to hear their best in various situations. The

Host Andrew Bellavia explores crucial aspects of hearing health policy and coverage with guest Bridget Dobyan, Executive Director of the Hearing Industries Association. The discussion begins with an introduction and a policy discussion on the Medicare Audiologist Access Improvement Act (MAAIA). The focus then shifts to the current state of Medicare coverage for hearing aids and the gaps in accessibility,