This Week in Hearing

What happens when people report real hearing difficulties, but their audiograms show “normal” results? In this episode, Brian Taylor speaks with Dr. Brittan Barker and Dr. Aryn Kamerer from Utah State University about their recent research on adults with unexplained hearing concerns. Despite normal test results, many of these individuals struggle with everyday communication, particularly in noisy...

Rock guitar legend Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big, Racer X) joins host Shari Eberts to share his personal journey with hearing loss and how it has shaped his life, both on and off the stage. He opens up about the challenges of understanding speech compared to music, the role of hearing aids in his daily life, and how he has learned to advocate for his needs by asking people to speak slowly, clearly, and fa...

What does it really take to keep a private audiology practice running smoothly? In this episode, Operations Manager Carla Taghvaei of A&A Audiology in Scottsdale, Arizona, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the daily challenges and rewards of managing a growing clinic. Carla shares how her practice organizes patient scheduling, handles insurance and third-party billing, manages staff training,...

Comedian D.J. Demers joins Gael Hannan to explore the intersection of humor and hearing loss. Known for his appearances on America’s Got Talent, late-night talk shows, and his Canadian sitcom One More Time, Demers has built a career making audiences laugh while also normalizing conversations about hearing aids and everyday challenges of hearing loss. In this conversation, he shares how stand-up co...

Can regenerative medicine move beyond managing symptoms to actually restore natural hearing? Brian Taylor speaks with Simon Chandler, CEO of Rinri Therapeutics, about the company’s pioneering cell therapy for hearing loss. They discuss Rincell-1, Rinri’s first-in-human clinical trial, and how regenerative medicine could complement or even surpass today’s treatments like hearing aids and cochlear i...

What if a regenerative therapy could not only halt sudden hearing loss but also help the inner ear repair itself? Dr. Reimar Schlingensiepen, CEO of Berlin-based biotech AudioCure, joins Brian Taylor to discuss AC102, the company’s lead compound now in Phase 2 clinical trials for sudden sensorineural hearing loss. With limited treatment options available today, the drug is being closely watched as...

Madison Levine sits down with Dave Kemp to share her journey from founding a private practice to shaping it into a clinic that bridges hearing care with the wider healthcare system, emphasizing the role of hearing in cognition and aging well. She discusses her recent TEDx talk, the importance of physician and patient education, and how hearing care professionals can strike the right balance betwee...

Phonak has introduced the Virto R Infinio, its first fully rechargeable custom in-the-ear hearing aid. Built on the Infinio platform, Virto R offers a deeply recessed, discreet fit while delivering the same advanced performance as Phonak’s behind-the-ear models. Key features include RightFit technology for personalized acoustics, biometric calibration for optimized directionality, and AutoSense OS...

What if a cochlear implant could adapt and improve throughout a patient’s lifetime? Hearing health advocate and author Gael Hannan sits down with Brendan Murray, Vice President of CI Product Portfolio at Cochlear, to discuss the launch of the Cochlear™ Nucleus® Nexa™ System. The Nexa is the first cochlear implant platform with upgradeable firmware, allowing recipients to benefit from future innova...

For the first time, optical coherence tomography (OCT) is being used to study the human inner ear directly in patients. In this follow-up conversation, Dr. John Oghalai, Professor and Chair of the Caruso Department of Otolaryngology at USC, shares the latest advances in this groundbreaking research. Dr. Oghalai describes how his team has transitioned from animal studies to human imaging, uncoverin...

ReSound has introduced the Enzo IA, its newest super-power hearing aid built for people with severe-to-profound hearing loss. Smaller and rechargeable, Enzo IA offers up to 28 hours of battery life while delivering powerful gain without feedback. It also brings advanced hearing-in-noise performance through the new Clear Focus beamforming system, along with Auracast™ compatibility for next-generati...

What happens when the technology that restores your hearing comes with ongoing costs that insurance often won’t cover? Angela Irwin—bilateral cochlear implant recipient, TEDx speaker, confidence coach, and founder of the Joyful Life Cochlear Implant Fund—shares her personal journey and why she’s working to ensure no one loses their hearing a second time due to equipment costs. In this in-depth con...

What if we could treat hearing loss before it shows up on a standard audiogram? Celia Belline, CEO and co-founder of Cilcare, shares progress on the company’s lead compound, CIL001, developed to treat cochlear synaptopathy—often referred to as hidden hearing loss. A Phase 2A clinical trial is planned to begin later this year, targeting individuals with type 2 diabetes who are more likely to presen...

What happens when technology, human connection, and sign language expertise come together to close access gaps for the Deaf community? In this episode, Shari Eberts sits down with Cirrus co-founders Chris Fillman and Rhett Youngberg to explore the mission behind CirrusTranslate—a new AI-assisted, human-delivered platform for American Sign Language (ASL) translation. The platform aims to increase a...

What happens when hearing loss shapes an artist’s path? Priscila Soares—a Brazilian-American artist, illustrator, and mother—draws on her experience with single-sided deafness and raising a child with profound hearing loss to create artwork that reflects, honors, and connects with the hearing loss community. In this thoughtful conversation, Priscila shares how reconnecting with her creativity thro...

What happens when audiology students learn directly from people living with hearing loss? In this episode, Shari Eberts talks with Dr. Kathleen Cienkowski, audiologist and professor at the University of Connecticut, about her recent efforts to incorporate community-engaged learning into the audiology curriculum. Their conversation centers around a class project where students read Hear & Beyon...

What happens when a global hearing aid manufacturer and a fashion house join forces to challenge stigma? In this episode, host Andrew Bellavia speaks with Marie Schleimann Nordlund, Director of Communication and Community at GN Hearing, and Kristian Rye, CEO of Han Kjøbenhavn, about their recent collaboration showcased at Copenhagen Fashion Week. Together, the two companies brought hearing health...

For many with hearing loss, traditional meditation practices fall short—one woman is working to change that. Janaki Zaremba is a lifelong meditator who also lives with hearing loss, she’s developing a more inclusive and sensory-friendly approach to mindfulness that goes beyond traditional audio-based guidance. In this conversation with Shari Eberts, Janaki shares how meditation helped her navigate...

Dr. Tena McNamara’s audiology journey has spanned clinical practice, academic leadership, advocacy, and national service. With more than four decades of experience and dual certification in audiology and speech-language pathology, Dr. McNamara has worked across educational systems, early intervention, and higher education. She currently serves as a pediatric audiologist at Midwest Children’s Thera...

Hearing care professionals often face challenges when trying to evaluate and compare performance claims across hearing aid brands. Andrew Bellavia speaks with Michael Preuss, Audiology Manager at Sonova, about Phonak’s approach to validating its claims through objective, lab-based methods designed to better reflect real-world listening environments. Preuss explains how Phonak uses a 12-speaker arr...

What does it take to build sustainable hearing care infrastructure in underserved regions of the world? In this inspiring interview, Andrew Bellavia is joined by Richard Brown, Chairman and President of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, and Alfred Mwamba, Executive Director of the Starkey Hearing Institute in Zambia, to explore the foundation’s evolution from mission-based outreach to a scalable, co...

How well do hearing aids handle noisy, real-world environments? Dr. Bob Traynor sits down with Drs. Sheena Oliver and Eric Branda of WS Audiology to discuss a recent independent study conducted by Hörzentrum Oldenburg. The research compared speech understanding performance between Signia's Integrated Xperience (IX) hearing aids and another leading device featuring an AI co-processor. The conversat...

What if a digital tool could help bridge the gap between hearing loss and informed action? In this session from the 2025 Future of Hearing Healthcare Conference , Dr. Mel Ferguson of Curtin University introduces the Hear Choice project—a co-designed, evidence-based decision aid developed to empower adults with hearing loss. Backed by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council, Hear C...

Tinnitus is one of audiology’s greatest challenges—and opportunities. In this episode, Dr. Ben Thompson of Treble Health joins host Bob Traynor to share how he built a successful telehealth practice focused exclusively on tinnitus care. Ben outlines his journey from in-person visits in San Francisco to scaling a nationwide virtual clinic that now serves thousands of patients, and then to his next...

Advances in implantable technology are opening new possibilities for people living with hearing loss. In the third installment of our cochlear implant series, we welcome back Brent Lucas, CEO of Envoy Medical, to explore the latest advancements in hearing technology and patient care. He shares the latest updates on the company’s progress toward fully implantable hearing devices and discusses their...