This Week in Hearing

How will innovations in microchip technology influence the future of hearing and audio devices? This week, Dave Kemp is joined by Jonathan Russo of Femtosense and Andrew Bellavia of AuraFuturity.  They talk about some of the latest innovations and trends in the industry, including different use cases and how this will help improve the lives of people with hearing loss - both for OTC and presc...

Sony Corporation and WS Audiology recently announced that they have entered into a partnership agreement in the over-the-counter self-fitting hearing aid market . Through the partnership, Sony and WSA aim to combine their respective technological and medical expertise to create solutions that will shape the new field.   In this special episode, Amyn Amlani sits down with Maarten Barmentlo, Ch...

Do you or your patients ever wonder why live music concerts are “so loud?” Live sound systems engineer, instructor, podcast host, technical writer/editor and author Michael Lawrence dives deeply into conversation with Laura Sinnott and Heather Malyuk. He describes life on tour, how he and his team at Rational Acoustics were awarded the 2022 Safe in Sound award by the National Hearing Conservation...

John and Chase Prieve are a father-son duo who also happen to be co-founders of the start-up mobile app, Hi There Solutions. They sit down with Brian Taylor to discuss their motivation for creating this suite of live voice to text apps and describe how it can be used by persons with a range of hearing losses to more effectively communicate in acoustically challenging situations. Be sure to subscri...

Dr. Michael Valente returns to discuss how remote care and remote fine tuning can help address issues of accessibility and convenience for patients. He’ll explain the importance of why audiology practices should implement these options in their service offering to differentiate their clinic in a post-OTC era. Listeners may also be interested Part 1 and Part 2 of this series by Dr. Valente: Part 1...

The recent release of the final FDA guidelines on over-the-counter (OTC) and prescriptive hearing aid categories is detailed and complex.   In this episode, Amyn Amlani is joined by David Akbari, Senior Medical Science, Clinical and Regulatory Affairs Liaison at Intricon Corporation, to help breakdown the new regulations.  Dr. Akbari provides listeners with an overview of the guidel...

Battered and bruised, stuck in a cabinet for many months, then ready for action at a moment's notice -- think of all the loved ones, spouses and companions who shouted, "Can you hear me now?"  into its bulbous black microphone, those ubiquitous pocket amplifiers had a great run.     If you haven't already, now might be a good time to ditch the old pocket amplifiers and replace...

How do you test a dog's hearing and what exactly is Animal Audiology? This week, Heather Malyuk is joined by Dr. Kristine Sontrsom Malowski, Director of the Akron FETCHLAB™ at the University of Akron. They discuss all things animal audiology and the fascinating work being done by Dr. Sonstrom Malowski's at the Akron FETCHLAB™ to evaluate the hearing status in dogs and other animals. Be sure to sub...

In July 2022, Bose Corporation and Lexie Hearing announced a partnership to bring Bose’s self-fitting hearing aid technology to the Lexie Hearing product line. The new Lexie B1 Hearing Aids 'Powered by Bose', allow wearers to fit, program, and control their hearing aids “with clinically proven, audiologist-quality results — without a doctor visit, hearing test, or prescription.”    In th...

This week, host Kathleen Wallace sits down with Dr. Barbara Weinstein, Professor and Founding Executive Officer of the Health Sciences Doctoral Program at the CUNY Graduate Center. Dr. Weinstein is probably best know for her role in the development of the the Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (HHIE), a self-assessment tool containing 25 questions that are designed to assess the impact of...

This week Dave Kemp is joined by audiologist, Lena Kyman, and her father Jack Kyman, who wears both a hearing aid and a cochlear implant, to discuss remote microphone technology.   During the discussion, Jack talks about his initial reluctance to use the Roger remote microphone system, but says he is now able to use it seamlessly with both his hearing devices easily and that it helps him hear...

In 2022 the FDA has now finally issued its final regulations for over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids in the United States. Many years in the making, as part of the development of the OTC guidelines, the FDA received input from various stakeholders, including those who actually manufacture hearing devices for people with hearing loss.    After commenting on the draft regulations that were...

After years of debate and discussion, the FDA has finally issued its 'final rule' for over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids in the United States. After hearing from numerous stakholders and thousands of comments following the publication of the draft rule in late 2021, the FDA made some changes to the previous draft version of the regulations.    How do hearing professionals feel about the...

On August 17, 2022, the FDA issued its landmark 'final rule' to establish a new category of over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids in the United States. This will now enable consumers with perceived mild to moderate hearing loss to purchase hearing aids directly from stores or online retailers without the need for a medical exam, prescription or a fitting adjustment by a hearing professional.  &...

The Giants of Audiology is a new segment on This Week in Hearing, where host Bob Traynor will be joined by some of the profession's most influential figures. For the inaugural episode of the new segment, we are joined by Dr. James W. Hall III.   Dr. Hall is one of the founders of the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) and has over 40 years of experience in audiology as a as a clinician, admi...

After last week's discussion on the essential elements of running a successful practice, such as calculating cost/hour and how this can be used in a bundled or unbundled approach to hearing aid dispensing, Dr. Michael Valente returns to discuss how audiology clinics can integrate OTC devices into their clinic offering.   In Part 2 of his presentation, Dr. Valente covers:   Impact of OTC/...

Heather Malyuk sits down with her audiology colleagues, Kathleen Wallace and Laura Sinnott, to discuss their experience helping develop the Tuned hearing care platform. They discuss what has surprised them about the patients and providers using the platform and how audiologists can leverage Tuned to enhance their service offerings.    To learn more about Tuned and to register as a provid...

Should you bundle or unbundle your clinic fees? How do you determine which method is best for your business and your patients?  Michael Valente, PhD, joins Dave Kemp to discuss the essential elements every practice owner or clinic manager should know to ensure the viability of their clinic. He describes how he has been able to successfully manage the audiology clinic at Washington University...

This week, Heather Malyuk sits down with Lisa Tannebaum to discuss how she came to specialize in music audiology. Tannenbaum has more than 30 years’ experience providing ear protection and hearing devices for thousands of clients.  She established Musician’s Hearing Services in 1993—the first practice on the West Coast to focus on the audiological needs of musicians, sound engineers, and prod...

Envoy Medical® Corporation recently announced that the FDA has approved its Investigational Device Exemption application to begin a clinical trial with its fully implanted Acclaim® cochlear implant. The single-center Early Feasibility Study for the Acclaim will take place at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.   In this week's episode, Brian Taylor sits down with Envoy Medical CEO, Brent...

In this episode, Ashley Hughes is joined by Riley DeBacker with a discussion on LGBTQ+ inclusivity in the audiology profession. They discuss how clinicians can be more inclusive with their patients and co-workers.   Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest episodes each week, and follow This Week in Hearing on LinkedIn and Twitter: https://www.linkedin.com/company/this-week-...

This week, Ashley Hughes is joined by Audrey Taylor, a clinical audiologist in Texas, to discuss her experience as a student and now as a clinician with hearing loss. Dr. Taylor helped create and develop the Student Academy of Audiology's resources for students with hearing loss, and continues to serve as an advisor to the group.    In this episode she also offers advice for colleagues a...

Today, a growing number of audiology practices are looking at ways to expand and differentiate their clinic offerings. In today's episode, Heather Mayluk talks with Brad Stewart about what it takes to begin and grow a mobile audiology practice.   Dr. Stewart has extensive experience in mobile audiology, having grown a mobile practice to over seven figures in collected revenue in under 3 years...

The new mantra in hearing care is to meet the patient where they are. One segment of hearing care within this service delivery domain is assisted living care.    In this segment, Hank Sarazin, CEO and Founder of Onsite Hearing Care, discusses how his company has grown to be one of the largest, and most successful, providers of hearing health services to independent and assisted living co...

The Northern Virginia Resource Center for Deaf & Hard of Hearing Persons (NVRC) is a non-profit organization that empowers Deaf and Hard of Hearing people and their families through education and community involvement.    NVRC does not directly diagnose and treat patients; instead, they offer a myriad of educational materials and technologies for patients, their families, and their p...