Welcome Hearing Views’ new editor

By David H. Kirkwood

Every Wednesday since April 2011, Hearing Views has been bringing you opinions on subjects related in some way to hearing. As editor of the blog, I have been responsible for making sure there was an original opinion piece ready to publish each of the past 125 weeks.

Fortunately, I’ve had a lot of help in fulfilling Hearing Views’ mission, which is to publish informed, original, non-commercial, and lively opinions and perspectives of interest to people who believe that “Hearing Health Matters.”

Guest contributors have included dozens of audiologists, among them some of the profession’s most renowned figures as well as talented newcomers to the field. We’ve also published insightful posts by hearing instrument specialists, by people who work in the hearing industry, and by leaders of professional associations. Some of my favorite posts have come not from “insiders,” but rather from hearing care consumers writing about their personal experiences with hearing loss and its treatment. I am grateful to all of them, and also to my colleagues at HearingHealthMatters.org, whose posts I have sometimes borrowed for Hearing Views.

Despite all the help I’ve received, I have personally written more than 50 Hearing Views since this blog debuted. And, frankly, I’m running out of fresh opinions to express. That’s not surprising, especially when you consider that for 20 years before this, I wrote a monthly editorial in a hearing industry trade journal. Moreover, for 15 years before that, I composed one—or more–editorials a week for a local newspaper in the suburbs of New York.

While I have enjoyed the rewards and responsibilities of sharing my point of view with hundreds of thousands of readers over the years, I’ve decided that it’s time to take a break from opinionating and focus my attention on other areas that will further strengthen HearingHealthMatters.org. I am especially happy to be handing over Hearing Views to a fresh new talent.

MEET KEVIN LIEBE

Kevin Liebe

In recent months, my colleague Holly Hosford-Dunn and I have become acquainted with Kevin Liebe, AuD, an up-and-coming young audiologist. Kevin contributed an excellent post to Hearing Views a few months ago, and he was also guest editor of an outstanding recent series on Holly’s Hearing Economics blog.

Although still in the early stages of his career, Kevin, a clinical audiologist in private practice in Richland, WA, is president-elect of the Washington State Academy of Audiology and chairs its Government Relations Committee. A strong believer in advocacy, Kevin is former president of the Washington Children’s Hearing Aid Alliance, a volunteer group that has championed the passage of hearing aid insurance legislation for children in Washington. He is also an accomplished writer who long before he started blogging at HearingHealthMatters.org has been contributing articles about hearing and audiology to professional and consumer publications.

As Holly writes this week on Hearing Economics, Dr. Liebe is “a joy to work with.” I second her opinion, and am confident that his youthful energy and fresh ideas will make Hearing Views better than ever. I urge readers and contributors to welcome Kevin aboard. You can reach him at [email protected].

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK

While Kevin will be taking over the editorship of Hearing Views next week, I’m not going away.  I will continue editing the Hearing News Watch blog as well as performing the various and sundry tasks that come with being editor-in-chief of HearingHealthMatters.org. And, if I ever do get the urge to express my opinion again, I think Kevin will give me a turn.