This Week in Hearing

Despite increased availability of hearing devices, their adoption remains disappointingly low globally. This week, joined by Dr. Sophie Brice and Dr. Brent Edwards, Andrew Bellavia leads a discussion on global accessibility in hearing care, shedding light on the reasons behind the gap, focusing not only on those diagnosed with hearing loss but also individuals encountering situational struggles. T...

Over the past 70 years, the field of hearing augmentation has seen remarkable advancements, transitioning from archaic ear trumpets to discrete digital aids with personalized features like Bluetooth connectivity and mobile app customization. Knowles Corporation's invention of balanced armatures has been pivotal in driving the industry towards high-performance hearing solutions and premium soun...

Dr. Robert Sweetow is an accomplished clinician, educator, and researcher in audiology. His career has been marked by a dedication to patient care, teaching, and research that has been widely acknowledged within the global community of audiologists. Recognized for his substantial contributions spanning aural rehabilitation, hearing aids, tinnitus, counseling, and forensics. He currently holds the...

In this week's episode, Brian Taylor revisits the topic of cochlear implants and sits down for a follow-up conversation with Brent Lucas, CEO of Envoy Medical. Expanding on their previous discussion from last year, the interview explores the company's latest advancements. The discussion highlights the outcomes of a clinical trial at Mayo Clinic involving the Acclaim fully implanted cochlea...

Neurosoft Bioelectronics is leading the way in the development of sophisticated soft implantable electrodes designed to interact with the brain and address severe neurological disorders. In this week's discussion, host Bob Traynor engages in a conversation with CEO Nicolas Vachicouras, delving into the company's pioneering initiatives to create an implantable brain interface device aimed a...

The recently published book “Teleaudiology Today: Remote Assessment and Management of Hearing Loss” provides a practical guide for audiologists looking to adopt telehealth practices. Co-authors Vinaya Manchaiah, PhD, and De Wet Swanepoel, PhD, discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated increased use of teleaudiology for screening, diagnostics, hearing aid fittings, and rehabilitation services....

This discussion centers on ASI Audio's groundbreaking 3DME in-ear monitoring system, which recently earned them the prestigious title of 'Innovator of the Year' in the 2023 Hearing Technology Innovator Awards. Hosted by Andrew Bellavia, the conversation features Dr. Michael Santucci, President of Sensaphonics and ASI Audio, and Evan Mackenzie, VP of Marketing and Sales for ASI Audio. T...

This week, host Andrew Bellavia sits down with Dr. Janice Trent, VP of Audiology Practice at the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) to break down the findings of ASHA's survey on over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids. They discuss the surprisingly low adoption rate, with only 2% of individuals interested in OTC hearing aids having purchased them in the past year. The conversatio...

This week, host Dr. Bob Traynor discusses the groundbreaking tele-audiology platform with his guest Renée Lefrançois, an audiologist at SHOEBOX. With a comprehensive range of tests, including air conduction and bone conduction assessments, speech testing, video otoscopy, and speech-in-noise evaluations, the innovative platform allows clinicians to provide high-quality hearing care remotely. They e...

This week, Shari Eberts sits down with Paul Travers, the CEO of Vuzix, and Monique Clark, the COO of SignGlasses. The discussion revolves around the fascinating technology in SignGlasses, which seeks to provide accessibility for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing. SignGlasses are a wearable computing device that appears as ordinary glasses, but is designed to seamlessly bring language accessib...

This week, Laurel Christensen, Chief Audiology Officer at GN Hearing, joins host Andrew Bellavia for a deep dive into the company's latest hearing technology: ReSound Nexia. They discuss the evolution of hearing aid technology over the past decade and how GN's latest devices are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including Bluetooth Low Energy Audio (LE Audio) and seamless compatib...

This week, Brian Taylor sits down with Darleen Wilson, a writer, musician, and hearing health advocate. Darleen shares her unique journey from being a musician and recording engineer to becoming an advocate for hearing loss. She believes that the hearing industry focuses too heavily on stigma (the S-word) and that this has a negative impact on public perception surrounding hearing loss and use of...

The Giants of Audiology is a segment where host Bob Traynor is joined by some of the profession’s most influential figures. In this week's episode, we are joined by Dr. Marshall Chasin. With an impressive career spanning four decades, Dr. Chasin is widely recognized for his work addressing the unique hearing health challenges faced by musicians. He is the author of over 200 articles and 8 book...

This week, Andy Bellavia interviews fellow co-host Brian Taylor, to discuss the release of Signia's new Integrated Experience (IX) hearing aid platform. The conversation explores the platform's innovative features, including real-time conversation enhancement, advanced beamforming, and its readiness for future technologies like Auracast. Taylor emphasizes the goal of optimizing conversatio...

This week, we explore the world of investigational medicines that have the potential to revolutionize the landscape of hearing healthcare, from restoration to treatment and prevention. Our guest for this insightful discussion is Nawal Ouzren, the CEO of the French biotech firm, Sensorion. With a distinguished career that includes significant roles at Shire and Baxter, Ouzren sheds light on Sensori...

This week, host Amyn Amlani introduces us to Earzz, an innovative sound recognition device and monitoring system. He is joined by the founder of Earzz, Prad Thiruvenkatanathan, who sheds light on the technology's unique capabilities and its potential impact for those with hearing loss. Unlike most other hearing-related technologies that focus on speech or speech in noise, Earzz specializes in...

This week, host Shari Eberts talks with Katie Petruzziello, the author of "Mighty Mila," a children's book that celebrates the adventures of a young girl with cochlear implants. Unlike many traditional hearing loss books, Mighty Mila focuses on showcasing children's abilities and adventures, regardless of their hearing abilities. Katie shares her family's hearing loss journey...

While previous attempts to incorporate health sensors in earbuds faced challenges like comfort, battery drain, and a lack of compelling use cases, there are ongoing developments to overcome these issues. One company, MindMics, has developed technology that allows users to monitor heart rate and other health characteristics acoustically, using the ear canal as a microphone. Dr. Anna Barnacka, the f...

This week, host Dave Kemp is joined by two distinguished researchers from the National Acoustics Laboratory (NAL) in Australia. Dr. Padraig Kittrick and Dr. Paola Incerti, discuss their work on developing the NALguide, a new tool designed to demystify hearing aid technology and features for consumers. The NALguide is the result of a collaborative effort involving engineers, audiologists, and behav...

This week Andy Bellavia is joined by Deaftronics co-founder, Tendekayi Katsiga, and Georgia Tech professor, Dr. Saad Bhamla, to discuss their respective projects aimed at addressing the global crisis of hearing loss. Deaftronics, based in Botswana, designs and manufactures affordable hearing aids that utilize solar power, while promoting awareness and accessibility to hearing care solutions, parti...

This week, host Andy Bellavia is joined by two researchers from the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. Nicholas Reed, AuD, and Kening Jiang, MHS, discuss their research into the complex relationships between hearing loss, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive decline. Kening Jiang discusses her study on the connection between hearing loss and self-repor...

This week, Dave Kemp is joined by Dr. Daniel Romero and Dr. King Chun, to discuss their experience as part of a humanitarian mission to Poland working with Ukrainian refugees. Along with students and translators, they were able to provide essential audiological services, including hearing assessments, hearing aid fittings and vestibular evaluations and treatment. Looking ahead, they plan to contin...

Falls are one of the costliest mishaps affecting older adults, and there is evidence suggesting a link between age-related hearing loss and falling. Dr. Laura Campos, a clinical audiologist at the University of Colorado, recently joined Brian Taylor to discuss her study's focus on hearing aid usage and the potential for reduced fall risk in older adults. The research revealed that individuals...

This week, Amyn Amlani sits down with Audicus founder and CEO, Patrick Freuler, to discuss direct to consumer hearing care. His company, Audicus, has been providing hearing aids direct to consumers for over 10 years. They discuss how Patrick's background in engineering and healthcare led to the creation of Audicus, and how the company has evolved over the past decade, including its innovative...

This week, Brian Taylor welcomes Professor Christina Roup from The Ohio State University to discuss adults with normal audiograms and self-reported hearing difficulty. The prevalence of this condition is estimated to be around 12-15% in younger and middle-aged adults, with a higher prevalence in older age groups and those with a history of traumatic brain injury. Dr. Rouf reviews some of the lates...