2023 Industry Roundtable

Catherine Palmer
PhD

Catherine Palmer is Professor in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh and serves as the Director of Audiology and Hearing Aids at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center including the UPMC Children’s Hospital.  Dr. Palmer conducts research in the areas of auditory learning post hearing aid fitting, the relationship between hearing, cognitive health and health outcomes, and matching technology to individual needs.  She has published over 80 articles and book chapters in these topic areas as well as provided over 100 national and international presentations. Dr. Palmer teaches the graduate level amplification courses at the University of Pittsburgh and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Seminars in Hearing. 

Brian Taylor
AuD

Brian Taylor is a Doctor of Audiology and Senior Director of Audiology for Signia. He is also the editor of Audiology Practices, a quarterly journal of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology, editor-at-large for Hearing Health and Technology Matters and adjunct instructor at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Taylor has authored several peer reviewed articles and textbooks and is a highly sought out lecturer. Brian has nearly 30 years of experience as both a clinician, business manager and university instructor.

Catherine Richardson
MA

After growing up with a hearing impairment, Catherine Richardson received her Masters degree in Audiology from Louisiana State University. To share her passion for great hearing solutions, Catherine has worked for leading hearing instrument manufacturers, business development groups and as a practice owner. Today, Catherine is the Director of Market Expansion and Integration for Cochlear Americas.

Dave Fabry
PhD

Dave Fabry is Chief Innovation Officer for Starkey, where he has worked since 2009.  He is a Past Board Member and President of AAA, and served as Editor in Chief for Audiology Today for over a decade, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Auditory Society.  He is a licensed Audiologist in Minnesota, Florida, and Rwanda.

John Pumford
AuD

John Pumford, AuD is the Director of Audiology and Education at Audioscan. Previously, Dr. Pumford held senior audiology, clinical research, and management positions for some of the industry's leading hearing instrument companies. He has also held clinical audiology positions in hospital and private practice settings along with a research audiology role at the National Centre for Audiology at Western University where he investigated compression processing, directional microphones and contributed to the development of DSL v5. Dr. Pumford has presented extensively internationally on hearing instrument technology and best-practice verification procedures and has authored numerous articles, peer-reviewed papers and book chapters on these topics.

Laurel Christensen
PhD

Dr. Christensen leads Global Audiology for GN Hearing, based in Ballerup, Denmark. Global Audiology is responsible for GN Hearing's activities related to product development and launch, including trials, regulatory activities, audiology support to product marketing, and training and education subsidiaries worldwide. Dr. Christensen holds adjunct faculty appointments at Northwestern and Rush Universities in Chicago. She served as an Associate Editor for both Trends in Amplification and the Journal of Speech and Hearing Research. She has presented well over 250 talks worldwide, mainly on hearing aid signal processing, and has many publications, including book chapters on hearing aid technology.

Randy Baldwin

Randy Baldwin is the Vice President of Marketing for CareCredit’s health and wellness industries. As a marketing and product management executive with over 25 years of experience, Randy currently oversees provider engagement with several specialized healthcare industries. He and his team are responsible for educating professionals on how to maximize the benefits of patient financing for both their patients and their practice.

Shannon Basham
AuD

Shannon M Basham, AuD has been in the field of audiology since receiving an AuD in 2003 from the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY. She practiced in private practice settings until she joined InSound Medical as a professional trainer in February 2008. She joined Sonova as the National Training Manager with the acquisition of InSound in July 2010. In her current role as the Senior Director of Audiology and Education, she is responsible for the design, content development, management, implementation, and education programs supporting Phonak and Unitron products, services, and thought leadership.

Steve DeMari
MS

Steve earned his MS in Audiology from Syracuse University and has been an Audiologist for over 35 years and has served in a variety of leadership roles. Most recently, he was Vice President of Sales and Account Management and Director of Audiology for United Healthcare Hearing. Previously, he was Director of Government Services and Business Development for Phonak, Starkey, and Sivantos as well as clinical audiologist and manager for a wide demographic of medical and private practice clinics in Los Angeles and Chicago.

Steve was instrumental in launching the state’s first Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program in Illinois.  Steve is a member of the American Academy of Audiology, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, IHS and Illinois Academy of Audiology. He stays highly involved in the industry through continuing education seminars, conferences and social networks and professional blogs.