During the inaugural Future of Hearing Healthcare conference held in March, we hosted two panel discussions with experts from around the industry to discuss a myriad of topics related to the future of device innovation and the future of industry economics. Each panel was moderated by Dave Kemp, Director of Business Development at Oaktree Products and Host of the Future Ear Radio podcast.
The future of device innovation panel consisted of Brent Edwards (Director of National Acoustic Laboratories), Annette Mazevski, Au.D, Ph.D. (Manager of Technology Assessment Oticon), Ryan Kraudel (VP Marketing Valencell, Inc.) and Kevin Seitz-Paquette (Director of Phonak Acoustic Research Center).
Topics discussed for this panel include:
- Artificial Intelligence-based hearing solutions
- Biometric sensor integration and sensor fusion
- The role and impact of the Big Tech companies on hearing health
- Bluetooth connectivity & proliferation
- The trajectory of online, remote services
- Hearing Care Providers’ elevated role in an increasingly interconnected healthcare ecosystem
Podcast available on all players, including: Apple, Google, Spotify, Anchor.
For Dave Kemp’s episode write up, takeaways and full transcript, head here.
About
Dave Kemp is the Director of Business Development & Marketing at Oaktree Products and the Founder & Editor of Future Ear. In 2017, Dave launched his blog, FutureEar.co, where he writes about what’s happening at the intersection of voice technology, wearables and hearing healthcare. In 2019, Dave started the Future Ear Radio podcast, where he and his guests discuss emerging technology pertaining to hearing aids and consumer hearables. He has been published in the Harvard Business Review, co-authored the book, “Voice Technology in Healthcare,” writes frequently for the prominent voice technology website, Voicebot.ai, and has been featured on NPR’s Marketplace.
Brent Edwards, Ph.D., is the Director of the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL), where he is currently leading new innovation initiatives that focus on transforming hearing healthcare. For over 22 years he headed research at major hearing aid companies and at Silicon Valley startups that have developed innovative technologies and clinical tools used worldwide. Dr. Edwards founded and ran the Starkey Hearing Research Center in Berkeley, California that was a leading site for research in hearing impairment and cognition. Dr. Edwards is a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America and an Adjunct Professor at Macquarie University.
Annette Mazevski, AuD, PhD, has been involved in auditory and hearing aid research within academia and industry for 20 years. As Manager of Technology Assessment at Oticon, she facilitates greater understanding about Oticon products and feature sets to professionals, students and consumers. Annette completed her AuD from the University of Pittsburgh and her PhD from Gallaudet University, where she focused on aging adults and how changes in audibility and memory affect speech task performance.
Ryan Kraudel drives growth and marketing as part of the executive team for the leading innovator in biometric sensors used in millions of consumer wearables, medical devices and digital health solutions around the world today. Ryan is responsible for all areas of marketing strategy and execution. He is a recognized expert and speaker on the convergence of consumer wearables and health & medical devices. Ryan holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from the University of Maryland.
Kevin Seitz-Paquette is the Director of the Phonak Audiology Research Center. He and his team conduct research on the feasibility, efficacy, and effectiveness of existing and emerging hearing technologies. His interests include listening effort and the psychosocial impact of hearing loss.
