Hearing News Watch

SALEM, NH—Meet Blue Ear, the latest Marvel superhero. And, while he has superpowers, Blue Ear also has a hearing loss–until he puts on a special listening device that gives him super-sonic hearing. Blue Ear isn’t the first Marvel character with a hearing loss. Hawkeye, who lost his hearing in a battle with Crossfire in the 1980s, is featured in The

LOS ANGELES—By now, most Americans, teenagers included, have probably heard that exposure to loud music can be hazardous to their hearing. Yet a study by the House Clinic provides specific and alarming information about just how hazardous attending a rock concert can be. In a presentation last month to the 2012 Meeting of the American Otologic Society, M. Jennifer Derebery, MD,

By David H. Kirkwood Lou Ferrigno, who overcame profound hearing loss to become a TV and movie star best known for playing The Incredible Hulk, has long been an inspiration to young people growing up with impaired hearing. He has generously shared his remarkable story as a spokesperson for the Better Hearing Institute for 25 years and as a stalwart

PHOENIX—The Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ACDHH) issued a strong statement last week opposing the service-delivery model developed by hi HealthInnovations for online hearing testing and sale of hearing aids directly to consumers. Although the commission said it “encourages efforts to find a safe, effective and affordable methods of delivering hearing health care in America,” it

SAN MATEO, CA—Sonitus Medical, Inc.,  manufacturer of the only non-surgical and removable hearing device that transmits sound via the teeth, announced this week that it has closed a $25 million Series D round of venture capital funding. Several investors took part, led by Abingworth, an international investment group dedicated exclusively to the life sciences and healthcare sector. The Sonitus Medical

SILVER SPRING, MD–The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) will offer a free webinar next week to tell consumers what they need to know about hearing loss and hearing aids. The 30-minute webinar will take place Wednesday, May 23, at 2 pm Eastern time. The featured speaker will be Shu-Chen Peng, PhD, an audiologist

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ—Bravo has not (yet) found room on its schedule for The Real Audiologists of Hennepin County or Desperate Dispensers, and it will be a while yet before the nation gets to watch Snooki’s newborn being screened for hearing loss. However, what is loosely referred to as “reality television” really did pay a visit to Family Hearing Center in Lawrenceville,

Robert J. Briskey, a pioneer in audiology and among the first in his profession to work in the manufacturing sector, died on May 12 at age 87. A native of Detroit, he received his MA from Wayne State University in 1947, and was a member of the faculty there until 1952, when he became director of an audiology clinic that

The following obituary for Robert Sandlin, PhD, is derived in large part from The Hearing Review, and appears here with the kind permission of that publication. For further tributes to Dr. Sandlin, see this week’s post at Wayne’s World, and look for an upcoming post at Hearing Views.   Robert E. Sandlin, PhD, one of audiology’s best known and most beloved figures,

For many years, Richard Einhorn has been best known as one of America’s leading composers. But recently, he is gaining fame as a resourceful hearing aid wearer who is learning to take advantage of technology beyond amplification. Last fall, The New York Times and The Washington Post both ran articles that reported on the joy Einhorn felt when hearing loops allowed him