LOS ALTOS, Calif., MENLO PARK, Calif., LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) has announced that that Jane Baxter, Au.D., and Deborah Clark, Au.D., along with their entire practice, Pacific Hearing Service, were selected by a distinguished panel of their peers to receive the Leo Doerfler Award.
The Leo Doerfler Award, the ADA’s most prestigious honor, recognizes a private practice audiologist who has demonstrated outstanding clinical services in the community throughout his or her career.
“The ADA provides vital support and education for us, our audiologists, and the entire hearing healthcare industry. It’s exciting to be added to this amazing list of past recipients.”
—Deborah Clark, Au.D.
“I’m thrilled with ADA for recognizing our entire practice. We know we couldn’t do what we do without our team’s participation and enthusiasm. We’re also grateful for our humanitarian partners and the Entheos Audiology Cooperative,” said Dr. Baxter.
First Time ADA Has Awarded Entire Practice with Leo Deorfler Award
This is the first time the ADA has given the award to an entire practice and only the second time it has recognized multiple recipients.
In 2016, Drs. Baxter and Clark formed Pacific Hearing Connection to meet the growing hearing healthcare needs of the working poor in the Bay Area. By using a sliding scale that serves people with a household annual income up to 400% of federal poverty guidelines, Pacific Hearing Connection is able to serve low-income adults and underserved children who often fall through the cracks or don’t qualify for government-funded programs.
“Dr. Clark, Dr. Baxter, and Pacific Hearing Service have made unrivaled clinical contributions within their community and around the world. Untreated hearing loss is a public health crisis with significant health, financial, and societal costs. The innovative team at Pacific Hearing Service is leading the way in delivering evidence-based care, while going out of its way to make sure that everyone can get it. The model of care that they have developed has markedly increased access to affordable audiology services, without sacrificing quality or efficacy. It is my honor to recognize Drs. Baxter and Clark for their significant contributions—and it is my hope that through this recognition, their model of care delivery will be replicated by clinics in the United States and beyond.”
–ADA President Ram Nileshwar, Au.D.
In addition to the work they do in their California clinics, Dr. Baxter, Dr. Clark, and the Pacific Hearing Service team partner with audiology practices around the United States to lead humanitarian trips to treat people in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.
About Pacific Hearing Service and Pacific Hearing Connection
After over 40 years of serving the Bay Area, Pacific Hearing Service has earned a reputation as the premier private practice in the area. It combines state-of-the-art technology with a level of personal service that sets an unmatched standard for patient care.
Pacific Hearing Connection is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit hearing clinic providing hearing healthcare to low-income adults and under-served children in our community. Our mission is to build the self-worth of individuals by restoring their hearing potential and providing them with opportunities to engage with their communities through service to others.
About the Academy of Doctors of Audiology and the Leo Doerfler Award
The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) is dedicated to the advancement of practitioner excellence, high ethical standards, professional autonomy, and sound business practices in the provision of quality audiologic care. The Leo Doerfler Award, created in 2003, honors ADA ‘s founding President, Dr. Leo Doerfler, a practitioner who is remembered as one of audiology’s true pioneers. In 1948, Dr. Doerfler became the second person in history to earn a Ph.D. in audiology, after which he founded the audiology program at the University of Pittsburgh. He defied convention and defined the future of the audiology profession when, at 57, he left academia to start a private dispensing audiology practice. Dr. Doerfler was an early leader in the movement to make the Au.D. the professional doctorate in audiology. The Leo Doerfler Award is the ADA’s most prestigious professional honor.
Source: ADA
