PHOENIX, ARIZONA — In addition to HHTM’s very own Dr. Wayne Staab receiving the prestigious Samuel F. Lybarger Award for Achievements in Industry, several other notable individuals will be receiving awards when the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) holds its annual AudiologyNow convention next week in Phoenix.
Jerger Award for Research in Audiology: Ruth A. Bentler, PhD
Dr. Bentler is widely acknowledged as a foremost authority in the field of hearing aid amplification. She holds a bachelors, masters, and doctoral degree from the University of Iowa. She is currently a professor and chair of the Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders at the University of Iowa. During her career, she has worked diligently to advance the profession of audiology through service on committees and task forces, and mentoring students in audiology.
Marion Downs Award for Excellence in Pediatric Audiology: Marie Tharpe, PhD
For the past 35 years, Dr. Tharpe has made a significant and lasting impact on pediatric audiology through her research, educational contributions, and service to the profession. Her contributions have altered and accelerated the course of treatment and improved the quality of care to young children with hearing loss. Her research, which is significantly federal funding, is timely, innovative, clinically relevant, and possesses far-reaching clinical innovations. Her research interests cover topics such as unilateral hearing loss, minimal bilateral hearing loss, auditory characteristics of children with autism, home-based versus center-based intervention for infants and toddlers with hearing loss, and the importance of evidence-based practices.
Career Award in Hearing or Balance: D. Wesley Grantham, PhD
Dr. Grantham obtained his PhD in sensory psychology from Indiana University and completed post-doctoral training in the Auditory Research Laboratory at Northwestern University. During this time, he investigated the psychophysics of moving sound sources and published some of the authoritative studies on auditory motion after-effects and the time constants of binaural analysis alongside Dr. Fred Wightman. After two years as an assistant professor of psychology at Loyola University, Dr. Grantham became the coordinator of the Psychoacoustics Laboratory and eventually the director of research at the Bill Wilkerson Hearing and Speech Center at Vanderbilt University. For the past 27 years, Dr. Grantham has conducted research, taught courses, and mentored students, while maintaining an impressive history of research publications, scholarly presentations, and grant funding
Humanitarian Award: Robert (Bob) Jensen, MS
Throughout Mr. Jensen’s career, he has worn many hats. He has been a private practice audiologist, a health program manager for the Arizona Department of Health Services, a consultant to the Arizona Department of Health Services, a consultant to the Bureau of Maternal and Child, and a consulting audiologist for Arizona Affiliated Tribes and Migrant Head Start Programs Health. His most rewarding hat, and the primary reason we are recognizing him for the 2016 Humanitarian Award, is for the Ayudame a Escuchar (Help Me to Hear) program
International Award in Hearing: Sophia E. Kramer, PhD
Dr. Kramer is currently a university research professor in auditory functioning and participation in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, at the VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam. This prestigious appointment is a testament to the significant impact that Dr. Kramer has made on the practice and discipline of audiology in the Netherlands, and more widely at an international level.
Distinguished Achievement Award: Michael J. Cevette, PhD
Dr. Cevette is the director of audiology within the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ. He holds affiliated faculty positions in several universities including Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, the University of Northern Colorado, and the School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences at the University of Texas. He also holds a joint appointment in the Division of Preventive, Occupational, and Aerospace Medicine at the Scottsdale Mayo Clinic. Since 2006, Dr. Cevette has been a leader and developer of the Mayo Clinic’s aerospace medicine and vestibular research laboratory which is to become the monitoring ground station for the health of the civilian space travelers of tomorrow.
Distinguished Achievement Award: Richard Gans, PhD
In the last 30 years, the profession of audiology has expanded its scope of practice to include the diagnosis and treatment of vestibular problems. This evolution is due in very large part to the leadership of Richard Gans, PhD. As a clinician, researcher, and educator, Dr. Gans’ contributions to vestibular care has enhanced audiology’s status in the health care arena, and has improved outcomes for thousands of patients around the world
