Thursday Keynote Address
Working Toward Consensus on Pediatric Hearing Instrument Fitting
Richard C. Seewald, Ph.D., CCC-A
Thursday, November 13 - 11:00 am-12:00 noon
McCormick Place, North Bldg, Level 2, Room N227
Increasingly, hearing health care professionals are being required to submit scientific evidence in support of the procedures and technologies they apply in their clinical practice. This is certainly the case in the recent development and implementation of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs. 'Good ideas' without supporting evidence are no longer sufficient and, within some jurisdictions, are unacceptable to those who now monitor and fund our hearing health care delivery systems. With regard to pediatric hearing instrument fitting, recent survey data indicate substantial practice variation across clinicians and facilities. The need for a more uniform application of evidence-based approaches to hearing instrument fitting in infants and young children will be discussed. Current issues related to audiometric assessment, electroacoustic selection and verification will be considered.
Dr. Seewald holds a Canada Research Chair in Childhood Hearing at the National Centre for Audiology in London, Ontario, Canada. He is also a Professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Western Ontario.
Friday Keynote Address
The Promise of a Profession: Are We There Yet?
Lucille B. Beck, Ph.D., CCC-A
Friday, November 14 - 8:00 am-9:00 am
McCormick Place, North Bldg, Level 2, Room N227
Audiology has evolved over the course of its history and continues to make progress towards the ultimate goal of professional practice and recognition of audiologists as independent health care practitioners. While all of the professional constituencies agree on the ultimate goal and the primary dedication to the patients served, the journey has been characterized by varying approaches to a course of action. As Yogi Berra once said, "If you don't know where you are going, you might not get there."
This presentation will highlight the accomplishments related to professional issues and present a road map for future gains. Areas related to education and training, scope of practice, qualifications, credentialing and licensure, ethics reimbursement, legislation and regulation will be addressed.
Quality of care and the timely topics of the evidence base for practice, clinical practice guidelines, and documented outcomes of treatment will be covered. The presentation should lead to a discussion of where does Audiology go from here as it continues to establish its role, rights and responsibilities.
Dr. Beck is the Chief Consultant, Rehabilitation Strategic Health Care Group and the Director of the Audiology and Speech Pathology Program for the Department of Veterans Affairs. These are decentralized field-based headquarters positions located at the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C. where Dr. Beck serves as the Chief of the Audiology and Speech Pathology Service. Her responsibilities include both national and field based direct patient care activities for Audiology and Speech Pathology.
Saturday Keynote Address
Frontiers of Childhood Hearing Loss
Judith S. Gravel, Ph.D., CCC-A
Saturday, November 15 - 8:00 am-9:00 am
McCormick Place, North Bldg, Level 2, Room N227
Dr. Gravel's presentation will address how the advancements in technology, methodology and research, as well passage and implementation of education and public health care law and policies have moved forward the frontiers of childhood hearing loss, expanding, facilitating and informing our professional practice patterns. Nationwide, universal newborn hearing screening programs continue to proliferate and improving performance of those programs is evident. The subsequent demands for timely and appropriate follow-up of all infants and young children identified as at risk for permanent hearing loss, however, appears to be lagging behind our identification efforts. While increasingly sophisticated electrophysiologic, physiologic and behavioral techniques are available, few clinicians are prepared to evaluate and manage very young infants in the short and long term. In addition to such daunting challenges, controversy continues to surround the efficacy of directing detection, assessment and management efforts at children with minimal hearing losses, particularly those with chronic conductive loss occurring secondary to otitis media with effusion. This presentation will consider where we have come, what we need to know, and where we need to be to meet the expanding frontiers of childhood hearing loss.
Judith Gravel is Professor of Communication Sciences at Hunter College of the City University of New York and Visiting Professor of Otolaryngology and Pediatrics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York. Dr. Gravel's primary interests are in behavioral audiologic assessment of infants and young children, the effects of otitis media with effusion on child development, and early identification of hearing loss. She is currently Chair of the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH).
Saturday Special Invited Session
Prestin & Hearing
Peter Dallos, Ph.D. - Northwestern University, IL
Saturday, November 15 - 9:30 am-10:30 am
McCormick Place, North Bldg, Level 2, Room N227
It is well established that a local amplification process is necessary to endow the hearing organ with its sensitivity and frequency selectivity. The best candidate for the amplifier is the outer hair cell. Electrically evoked shape changes of this cell are powered at acoustic frequencies by a novel molecular motor: prestin. We shall get acquainted with the discovery and properties of this remarkable protein.