SCOTTSDALE, AZ—The American Auditory Society (AAS) held its 40th annual Scientific and Technology Meeting here March 7-9.
Since its founding in 1973, AAS has pursued the goal of increasing knowledge and understanding of the ear, hearing, and balance; disorders of the ear, hearing, and balance, and preventions of these disorders; and habilitation and rehabilitation of individuals with hearing and balance dysfunction. Its members are drawn from many disciplines, including audiology, otolaryngology, dispensing, engineering, and psychoacoustics.
Primarily through its journal Ear and Hearing and its Scientific and Technology Meeting, AAS provides for the interchange of information from allied professional fields.
DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS
A highlight of the 2013 meeting was the Carhart Memorial Lecture, given by Richard J. Smith, MD, a professor of otolaryngology at the University of Iowa. Smith, who is also director of the Iowa Institute of Human Genetics and the Molecular Otolaryngology and Renal Research Laboratories, spoke on “Genetic Testing for Deafness: Where We Were, Where We’re Going, and Why We Should Get There.”
Three other renowned scientists gave Transitional Research talks. They were Kathleen Pichora-Fuller, PhD, who addressed aspects of aging; Charles Limb, MD, on music and cochlear implants; and Jennifer Melcher, PhD, whose topic was neural aspects of tinnitus.
A special session on middle ear mechanisms and clinical assessment featured four prominent panelists: John Rosowski, PhD; Lisa Hunter, PhD; Hideko Nakajima, MD, PhD; and Joseph Kel, PhD.
AWARDS BESTOWED
The society took time off from the educational sessions to honor outstanding contributors to its field. The Life Achievement Award went to Barbara Bohne, PhD, professor of otolaryngology (neurobiology), at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She has worked in auditory science for more than 50 years.
Ross Roeser, PhD, received the Wayne Staab Award. Roeser is professor and executive director emeritus of the Callier Center for Communication Disorders at the University of Texas, Dallas. He was also the first editor of Ear & Hearing and also founding and current editor of the International Journal of Audiology. The award is named for Wayne Staab, PhD, a distinguished audiologist who was executive director of AAS for many years. He is now editor of the Wayne’s World blog at HearingHealthMattters.org.
The Young Investigator’s Award went to Susan Voss, PhD, Professor in the Picker Engineering Program at Smith College in Northampton, MA.
The 2012 Ear & Hearing Editor’s Award went to the 21 authors of an article entitled “The Tinnitus Functional Index: Development of a New Clinical Measure for Chronic, Intrusive Tinnitus.” They are M.B. Meikle, J.A. Henry, S.E. Griest, B.J. Stewart, H.B. Abrams, R. McArdle, P.J. Myers, C.W. Newman, S. Sandridge, D.C. Turk, R.L. Folmer, E.J. Frederick, J.W. House, G.P. Jacobson, S.E. Kinney, W.H. Martin, S.M. Nagler, G.E. Reich, G. Searchfield, R. Sweetow, and J.A. Vernon.
