According to a recent press release, the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) will host a 3-part online Audiology Hackathon series to bring audiologists, students, consumers, and other experts together virtually, for the purpose of addressing specific issues, and to foster greater awareness and action around hearing health as a public health concern. The Audiology Hackathon is scheduled to begin July 23.
The main goal of the Audiology Hackathon is to promote awareness and action around the recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine’s (NASEM) 2016 Report, Hearing Health Care for Adults: Priorities for Improving Access and Affordability.
Unless you are a student or a computer programmer, it’s unlikely many audiologists have experience with a hackathon. A hackathon, similar to a wiki, allows individuals across the globe to collaborate on ideas and projects using the internet. Unlike a wiki, however, a hackathon is confined to a relatively short period of time.
In the case of the ADA Audiology Hackathon Series, which is comprised of three parts spread over three separate dates; it strives to form a large community of contributors to apply the most focused possible effort around the issues of access and affordability of hearing care.
To register for the event, visit the hackathon page on ADA’s website.
Audiology Hackathon
The ADA Audiology Hackathon will be a 3-part event over the following dates:
Part 1: Messaging to Move the Masses
July 23rd-25th, 2017
During this session, participants will develop elements of a public education campaign to raise awareness about the importance of audiology, healthy hearing, and early intervention for hearing loss.
Part 2: Creating Common Hearing Health Metrics for Consumers
August 18th-20th
Consistent with recommendations from the National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine, the second part of the Audiology Hackathon series will focus on the development of a consumer-based metric to enable individuals to understand and track their communication abilities and hearing needs, and to create a consumer-oriented format for disseminating the audiogram and other hearing test results to patients.
Part 3: OTC and Me
September 15th-17th
During the final session, participants will develop a strategy and a step-by-step process for incorporating and marketing over-the-counter (OTC) amplification products in a private audiology practice.
More About the Audiology Hackathon
Here are a few details about the ADA-sponsored Hackathon:
- Each session will allow teams and individuals to contribute to solve a shared problem or achieve a shared goal over 72 hours.
- Participants will “hack” away at the specific problem in a collaborative fashion. There will be platforms to share ideas, articles, and resources.
- There is no minimum time commitment, only the commitment to contribute your thoughts and ideas on topic. Participants may come in and out of the session as needed over the three-day duration. The session will run continually, allowing global participation.
- You may register for all sessions, or register for single sessions. You may register individually or register an entire team (there will be multiple “virtual rooms” for collaboration).
- All of the tools and resources developed through the hackathon will be shared with the entire audiology community and stakeholders.
- All sessions will be conducted remotely using whiteboard and video conferencing software.
I love this concept. I am looking forward the sessions.