Message from Brenda Ryals
2005 Convention Co-Chair

A recent quote by the actor Michael J. Fox grabbed my attention as I was preparing this welcome message for the 2005 Audiology Convention at ASHA.  Mr. Fox said that if you asked people with disabilities what their favorite therapy was, they would tell you "it is the one that works."  I think every audiologist would say that their goal in diagnosis and treatment is to provide just that-a test and treatment that works.  The question before us is: How do we know which test or treatment will work for each patient?  This year's convention theme, "Using Evidence to Support Clinical Practice," addresses that very question. 

The 2005 ASHA Convention will be suffused with the best research and best clinical expertise in all areas of diagnosis and treatment.  By combining both, we will indeed be bringing evidence to our best clinical practice.  I'd like to take this opportunity to encourage all of you to submit presentations that reflect both the underlying science and the essential clinical expertise of the practice of audiology today.  This is a wonderful chance to communicate your very best clinical and scientific research.  We welcome your experience both in the clinic and in the lab!  

This year will be the 5th anniversary of the Audiology at ASHA convention introduced by Fred Bess in 2001.  The format of a "convention within a convention for audiologists and hearing scientists" has made attending the ASHA Convention over these past 5 years a very special experience for me.  It is an opportunity to hear about the very best scientific and clinical research within the context of a smaller meeting focused on hearing and balance, while still having the chance to learn about the larger issues in all areas of communication disorders. 

Please join me in San Diego for this unique and special opportunity for audiologists to show how they are "Using Evidence to Support Clinical Practice"!

Brenda Ryals, PhD, CCC-A
2005 ASHA Convention Co-Chair