Over the Wire
2003; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 56; Issue: 5 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1097/01.hj.0000293897.51434.c5
ISSN2333-6218
Autores ResumoBARRY FREEMAN WINS MAULDIN AWARDFigure: Barry Freeman, the Mauldin Award recipient for 2003, is flanked by Steve Hannibal, left, vice-president of Beltone Electronics, and Jim Curran, the president of Beltone.SAN ANTONIO— Beltone Electronics Corporation awarded the Larry Mauldin Award for Excellence in Education to Barry A. Freeman, PhD, during the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) 2003 Annual Convention, held here April 2–5. Freeman is department chair and professor of audiology at Nova Southeastern University. The award, given annually by Beltone, honors the accomplishments of the late Larry Mauldin, especially for his work and commitment to education in audiology. Presented since 1999, the honor is given to an industry leader committed to continuing education and to giving back unselfishly to the profession, the community, and hearing-impaired people. The honoree is nominated and selected by industry peers, and Beltone sponsors the award. “Barry's distinguished career emphasizes the important tie between audiology and education, as well as a demonstrated commitment to educating both patients and students,” said Jim Curran, president of Beltone USA. A diverse career During his more than 30 years in audiology, Freeman has worked in a range of settings. However, throughout he has been deeply involved in education. Early in his career, Freeman was director of audiology services in the Lansing (MI) Public School District. Before joining Nova Southeastern, he held several other academic positions, including at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, the Syracuse University Department of Special Education, and the Austin State University School of Education. He also owned a private practice for several years. Freeman is prominent in professional organizations, including AAA, of which he is a former president, the American Auditory Society, the Florida Speech and Hearing Association, the Florida Academy of Audiology, and the Tennessee Academy of Audiology. Most recently, he was the founding co-chair of the Council of Audiology University Program Directors. He has published more than 30 articles in audiology journals. He holds a BS in international economics and business from Boston University, an MS in audiology and speech from Emerson College, and a PhD in audiology from Michigan State University. OTICON HONORS 16 FOR DEFYING STIGMA OF HEARING LOSSFigure: Oticon's Focus on People Award recipients included, from left, Sherri Collins and Amanda Beers (Miss Washington), shown with Mikael Worning, president of Oticon, Inc.SAN ANTONIO— Focus on People Awards were presented here to 16 people who have helped overcome negative stereotypes and misconceptions about hearing loss. This was the seventh year that Oticon, Inc., has honored hearing-impaired people and hearing care practitioners in a program designed to prove that hearing loss need not limit a person's ability to live a full, productive, and inspiring life. A panel of distinguished judges selected the award recipients from some 300 nominees. The featured guest speaker at the April 2 luncheon program and the recipient of a special award was Amanda Beers, the current Miss Washington and a Miss America finalist. Beers, who was born with a binaural hearing loss, told how her Oticon hearing aids “opened up a new world for me” and spoke of her personal experience with hearing loss and public attitudes toward it. She recalled how her first piano teacher had cautioned her parents that she would never learn to play well. She then disproved that prediction with a beautiful performance of the final movement of a piano concerto written by Beethoven right after he learned his hearing loss was permanent. The youngest of the honorees was 7-year-old Adam Boardman of Cincinnati. Adam, who wears hearing aids for a severe loss caused by treatment for a neuroectodermal brain tumor, has been enthusiastically educating other youngsters in Cincinnati about hearing aids. First-place winner in the student category was Katie Sullivan, 13, of Woodhaven, NY, who was born with a severe/profound hearing loss. An excellent student in mainstream classes, Katie, along with two other young people, designed a national award-winning copyright web site for “Thinkquest Junior.” She also wrote a book, How Can I Hear?, which won the Ezra Jack Keats Award for the Borough of Queens, NY. In the adult category, first prize went to Maxine Sutcliffe, PhD, director of cytogenetics at Children's Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of South Florida. Sutcliffe, who has had a progressive hearing loss since early adulthood, has published in numerous journals. Her work, which includes patient counseling and research, has been cited in over 60 publications and she is a frequent speaker at conferences in the U.S. and U.K. The Focus on People Awards also cited outstanding advocates for hearing-impaired people. First place went to Sherri Collins of Phoenix. Deaf since birth, she is executive commissioner for the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing. Thanks to her efforts, every deaf and hard-of-hearing person in Arizona is entitled to free telephone amplifiers or amplified telephones. Top honors in the practitioner category went to Elizabeth W. Cook, MA, an audiologist in Denville, NJ. Cook, who has served hearing-impaired patients for 25 years, is renowned for her ability to fit extremely difficult audiometric configurations and unusual anatomic circumstances. She co-authored a chapter in the CIC Handbook, and writes the “Ask Liz…She's Listening” column for Fifty Plus Magazine. Oticon donated $1000 in each first place winner's name to the charity of the person's choice. Also honored in the practitioner category was Blaine Smith, ACA, BC-HIS, of San Antonio, whose Vaqueros del Oido (Hearing Cowboys) have been donating hearing care to needy people in Mexico since 1988. John Wright, MS, CCC-A, an audiologist in Birmingham, AL, took third-place honors. The Oticon Focus on People Awards also recognized second and third place winners in the other categories. They were: Youth: Margaret Judith Katter of Indianapolis and Daniel Ocasio of Livermore, CA. Student: Lauren Kovarik of Albuquerque, NM, and Austin Nelson of South Kent, CT. Adult: Sandra Harris, PhD, of Piscataway, NJ, and Myrle Green of Birmingham, AL. Advocate: Denise Jones, PHR, of Spokane, WA, and Scott DeLoach of Aurora, IL. SOLODAR TO JOIN AAA BOARD RESTON, VA— The American Academy of Audiology (AAA) board of directors has selected Helena Solodar, AuD, to serve a 1-year term on the board. Solodar, whose term begins July 1, will fill the vacancy created by the election of Richard Gans, PhD, a board member, to the office of president-elect. Solodar is president and co-owner of Audiological Consultants, which has eight offices in the Atlanta metropolitan area. She has been in private practice for 27 years and will bring to the board a strong background in business, marketing, and reimbursement. OTICON FOUNDATION gives grant to afa WEST LAFAYETTE, IN— Second-year AuD students will be the beneficiaries of a new scholarship beginning in 2004. Developed and administered by the Audiology Foundation of America (AFA) and funded by the Oticon Foundation, also known as the William Demant and Wife Ida Emilie Foundation, the grant will support five exceptional students over the next 3 years. AuD program directors will be invited to submit one nominee following the posting of first-semester grades. Nominees will be first-year students, who will be in their second year when the awards are given. The AFA and the Oticon Foundation also provide scholarships for two third-year AuD residential students. Nominees for third-year scholarships are in the process of submitting their applications; selection will begin this month. For information about AuD programs, contact AFA or visit its web site at www.audfound.org. ASHS AWARDS 92 AuDs MESA, AZ— The Arizona School of Health Sciences (ASHS) awarded 92 doctor of audiology (AuD) degrees to transitional students at its March 15 commencement. In addition, James McGovern, PhD, the president of A.T. Still University, bestowed the university's first honorary doctor of humane letters on ASHS alumna Anita Pikus, AuD, of Bethesda, MD. Pikus, who was also the keynote speaker, told the graduates of the ASHS distance-learning program in audiology, “I commend you to guard your personal and professional freedoms with both alertness and courage. Your professions and the public need you. I know in you they have the best healthcare has to offer in compassion harnessed to competence and confidence.” AuD graduates were joined by family, friends, and ASHS audiology faculty and staff at a reception and dinner the night before graduation. During the event, a $3100 donation was presented on behalf of this year's graduates to benefit the new 4-year residential AuD program at ASHS. VA AUDIOLOGISTS/SLPs NAME LEADER WASHINGTON, DC— Douglas Noffsinger, PhD, has been selected as the first president of the Academy of Federal Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists (AFASLP). Noffsinger is chief of audiology and speech pathology at the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System and was formerly president of the Association of VA Audiologists (AVAA). AFASLP consists of three organizations: the AVAA, the Military Audiology Association (MAA), and the Association of VA Speech-Language Pathologists (AVASLP). The AFASLP executive group also announced the appointment of David L. Miller, PhD, as president-elect, and Thomas L. Hutchison, MA, MHA, as secretary-treasurer. Miller, the president of AVAA, is chief of audiology and speech pathology at the VA San Diego Healthcare System. Hutchison is head of the Audiology Division, Naval Health Care New England, in Portsmouth, NH. In addition to its officers, the executive committee of AFASLP includes Beverly Hildebrand, PhD, chief of audiology and speech-language pathology at VA Central Arkansas Healthcare System and president of AVASLP; Lt. Col. Angela Williamson, AuD, flight commander, audiology/hearing conservation at Robins Air Force Base, GA, and president of the MAA; Lucille Beck, PhD, director of the VA national program in audiology and speech pathology and chief consultant to the secretary of veterans affairs for the rehabilitation strategic health group; and the three audiology service consultants to the surgeon generals of the armed forces: Col. David Chandler (Army), Cdr Nancy Hight (Navy), and Lt. Col. Martha Ann Stokes (Air Force). KANSAS group MEETS TOPEKA, KS—More than 100 hearing aid specialists and dispensing audiologists attended the Kansas Hearing Aid Association's 2003 Educational Seminar held here March 21–22. Twelve CEUs were given and 22 companies either exhibited or provided items for raffles. The faculty included Terry Griffing, MS; Robert Heygster, BC-HIS; Kenneth Smith, PhD; Susan Schmiechen, MA; Gary Gustavson; and Michael Spradlin. During the annual meeting, Terry Cathers was elected to a 2-year term as president and Kevin Albee to a 2-year term as vice-president. Also elected were Wes DuPerier, secretary-treasurer, and board members Philip Lowry and Haris Zafar, PhD. The Kansas Association will hold its 2004 Educational Seminar March 26–27 in Wichita. For information, contact M. Day Kaufmann, at 3200 SW College Ave., Topeka, KS 66611-2052, telephone/fax 785/266-4833.
Referência(s)