Interview with Bopanna B. Ballachanda Ph.D., Nominee for AAA Member-At-Large

AO/Beck: Hi Dr. Ballachanda, it is a pleasure to speak with you.

Ballachanda: Good afternoon Dr. Beck. Thank you for inviting me.

AO/Beck: I would like to start by getting a little background information for the readers who may not be familiar with you. Can you please tell me where you went to school?

Ballachanda: Yes certainly. I got most of my education in India and I got my Bachelor's in Audiology and Speech Pathology from the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysore. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, this was the only place to get a degree in all of India and in all of Southeast Asia. The program was very difficult to get into because the competition was tremendous. If you can imagine, there were 15 positions open, to serve a country that had, at the time, some 650 million people, and then of course when you add in Southeast Asia, the numbers are staggering. Of course to gain admission, we had to have a significant science background to even be considered for the program. Frankly, I still agree with the heavy science background, and that's why when I was involved in 1988, writing the first Au.D. proposed curriculum, I put in the hard science requirements. To graduate with my bachelor's I had to have three years of focus on speech and hearing sciences, and we had 1500 hours of clinical practicum. So the program in India is very stringent, rigorous, and demanding.

AO/Beck: Tell me a little about the Au.D. curriculum you are referring to?

Ballachanda: In 1988, when the ADA met to write the Au.D. proposed syllabus, David Goldstein, Carl Binne, Jean Bogges and I wrote the syllabus. It was very controversial at the time. I was involved in writing the syllabus and the requirements are essentially intact today, although they have changed a little over the last 13 years. Nonetheless, my contribution was to insist upon a significant science and math background.

AO/Beck: That is very interesting. I hadn't realized that you were involved with the Au.D. movement back at the beginning.

Ballachanda: Yes, well I was at Purdue at that time, and I was always very interested in whatever may have been happening in graduate education. So, after completing my bachelor's, I was in Kuwait from 1975 to 1980 as the chief of audiology and speech language pathology and I established the speech and hearing program there. Then in 1980, I left Kuwait and came to the US. I studied at the University of South Alabama for one semester, and then I joined the Callier Center in Dallas, Texas. I earned my master's degree at Callier and I met Ross Roeser there. His work ethic and his integrity were wonderful and I just tried to follow him every day. He was just a marvelous person to work with.

AO/Beck: So then, where did you get your Ph.D?

Ballachanda: I also earned my doctorate in 1988 at the Callier Center. My mentor for the doctorate was George Moushegian. My dissertation addressed auditory brainstem response to localization and lateralization. It was published in JAAA, in the January, 2000 edition.

AO/Beck: And after you received your doctorate, where did you go?

Ballachanda: In 1988 I went to Purdue as an assistant professor of audiology and I stayed until 1995, at which point I went to the University of New Mexico, where I have remained. I am now an associate professor of speech and hearing sciences here at UNM.

AO/Beck: I have to mention that I have a copy of you 1995 book here in front of me, titled The Human Ear Canal, published by Singular. The information in this book regarding the human ear canal, it's anatomy, ear canal examination, ear canal acoustics, cerumen management, ear canal pathology and the color plates are just amazing. This really is an excellent text and I certainly recommend it.

Ballachanda: Thank you for the kind words. The book was designed to be useful for those studying anatomy, physiology and pathology.

AO/Beck: Thank you for sharing a little about your education and your past professional experience. Let's move on to the position you are seeking on the AAA Board of Directors.

Ballachanda: I am seeking the position of Member-At-Large.

AO/Beck: Have you had previous political experience?

Ballachanda: Yes, I served on the Asian-Indian Caucus of ASHA and I am also a member of the Multicultural Issues Board of ASHA, and I am the chair of the Cultural and Linguistic Diversity committee of the AAA. Through AAA, we try to recruit and retain people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. As you know Doug, in some countries audiologists are trained like technicians, and in other places they are trained as physicians. So there is a tremendous international continuum of knowledge. South Africa, India, England and Australia are similar in their approach to training audiologists. Other countries vary tremendously.

AO/Beck: I agree. Nonetheless, as an American, I look at the American programs as wildly diverse within the confines of our educational system.

Ballachandra: Well they are each a little different, but they all have similar goals. It's interesting how the programs have so much information to teach in such a short period of time. Additionally, the information and the application changes very rapidly. Consider that 15 years ago the number of clinical tests the audiologist performed daily was probably about 10. Now we have probably 20 or 30 tests we might do daily. So basically, we need to enhance and reinforce our educational methods to make sure we produce absolutely the best possible clinicians through our educational models.

AO/Beck: Why are you seeking the Member-At-Large position?

Ballachanda: The first issue for me is that I want to help develop a broader participation of culturally diverse people. I think this is key to our international development and recognition as professionals. Another issue is that I want to help focus the AAA on recruiting stronger and more well trained audiology students to eventually provide the profession with better students, better clinicians and better professors. In addition to the issues that I have mentioned, I personally feel that with the experience I have in teaching, clinical work, and research, I can understand the concerns of audiologists from diverse backgrounds.

AO/Beck: What do you think about the lack of Ph.D. students in audiology programs?

Ballachanda: I think this is a serious problem and one that we can solve. I think the MD/PhD model has worked well for physicians interested in pursuing clinical as well as research and academic studies, and I think an AuD/PhD model could work in our profession too, for those who are interested in seeking it.

AO/Beck: How much time would it add to acquire a PhD, in addition to the 4 year AuD proram?

Ballachanda: I think it would add about one year. Of course we don't know for certain because it hasn't been done yet, but I can envision a situation where the degrees could be earned together over a five year graduate school experience, as an option for those wishing to pursue it. Nonetheless, I think it would be useful. Many professions, and ours in particular sometimes have the situation where a professor is teaching clinical students, but the professor hasn't seen patients in ten or twenty years. How can you teach a clinical discipline when you don't practice clinically? Additionally, to attract NIH funding, often the NIH or other funding bodies will require PhDs to be involved. Basically, I'd like to help develop a protocol for people interested in earning a PhD be able to do so, and perhaps doing that combined with an AuD will be attractive for a number of students and doctoral programs.

AO/Beck: Thank you very much for spending time with me today. You have a fascinating history and I wish you luck in your campaign.

Ballachanda: Thank you for the time. I have enjoyed speaking with you.