Future Forward: An Expert Perspective on the Expanding Role of the Audiologist in Manufacturing

An interview with Starkey Chief Audiology Officer and Executive Vice President of Product Strategy, Sara Burdak, AuD to discuss customer training initiatives and product development strategies from the hearing technology manufacturing perspective. Providing appropriate and effective training for clinicians, university faculty and students is at the core of Starkey’s mission to serve their customers better than anyone else.

 

AudiologyOnline: Dr. Burdak, as the head of Starkey’s education and training initiatives, what is the main role of education and training from a manufacturer’s perspective?

Sara Burdak, AuD: Education and training has always been a passion of mine and is at the core of how we help hearing healthcare professionals deliver exceptional patient care with Starkey products. Clinicians are typically eager to fully understand the various nuances with technology because they want to fit the best sounding, most reliable hearing aids for successful patient outcomes. We want that too because we know the importance of making every single patient interaction count. Fortunately, our Education and Training team works alongside Research and Development, Product Management and Clinical Research to deeply understand the intricacies of how our technologies work and the patient benefits provided. Once the trainers themselves are trained, we start by ensuring our customer support teams are fully prepared to help clinicians with every aspect of the patient journey. Afterall, Starkey’s mission is to serve our customers better than anyone else so that professionals can serve their patients better than anyone else. We work closely with clinicians knowing it is a partnership requiring a prescriptive and personal approach for every patient.

AudiologyOnline: What do you feel is the best way to train clinicians?

Sara Burdak, AuD: I hear often that clinicians seek to meet patients where they are on their hearing journey and that is exactly how we think about education and training. I believe the best way to educate is to accommodate multiple learning styles while using a variety of learning modalities. Our trainers have vast expertise in adult learning techniques and will meet clinicians where they are both literally and figuratively. We are fortunate to live in a time where there are so many ways to connect and learn. It is always great to be in-person whether in an office, at a regional event or during a two-day summit at Starkey, but we can also offer effective training options on our virtual learning platforms. Many professionals love these options because they can fit training into a busy work schedule. There are many ways to connect, including one-on-one virtual sessions, regular monthly webinars on various topics, and our weekly sessions on Audiology Online.

Regardless of the learning platform, I firmly believe learning by doing, especially when newer to the technology, is the best approach for retention. We have many ways to support hands-on learning and as the largest provider of continuing education globally, we are uniquely qualified to deliver industry-leading training experiences.

AudiologyOnline: How have roles or opportunities changed for audiologists in the manufacturing workspace?

Sara Burdak, AuD: The opportunities for Audiologists have increased significantly over the 27 years that I have been in the industry. Starkey is an audiology focused company who is proud to employ more than 350 audiologists throughout all facets of our organization. Audiologists are key to the development of Starkey’s hearing technology, establishing professional partnerships, and delivering quality products and services that bring better hearing, health, and wellness to patients around the world. Starkey has also been a leader in educating and advocating for better hearing; whether lobbying about the importance of hearing healthcare on Capitol Hill or providing unparalleled support for audiology student organizations. Starkey works tirelessly to advocate for the audiologists of today and the future. We are also focused on shattering the stigma associated with hearing aids and are catalysts for changing the status quo.

AudiologyOnline: Based on your bio and title, you wear a lot of hats at Starkey. Besides heading up Education and Audiology and Clinical Research, you are also EVP of Product Strategy. What is your approach to planning and developing new hearing technology?

Sara Burdak, AuD: When developing new technology, it is necessary to find the right balance between ground-breaking innovation, strategic market insights and the needs of both the professional and patient. This balance must be considered across the entire hearing ecosystem; the hearing aid hardware, signal processing and sound quality, wireless connectivity, accessories, and mobile apps. These are coordinated systems today.

Of course, everything we do at Starkey is focused on providing the best hearing in the real-world and not just in the lab. What we have been able to do with artificial intelligence (AI) and deep neural networks (DDN) for sound quality is incredible. However, it is not enough to have the best sounding hearing aids. They must also be comfortable, reliable for all day wear and have exceptional battery performance.

I would also be remiss if I did not mention how proud I am that Starkey is the first company to incorporate inertial sensors into hearing aids to expand what hearing aids can do for fall detection, balance training, and more. We develop hearing technology designed for all whether they are tech savvy, want to just put their hearing aids on and forget about them, and everyone in between.

AudiologyOnline: With that in mind, what do you see being the most impactful hearing aid development in the next 3-5 years?

Sara Burdak, AuD: The further utilization of AI and DNN into signal processing will continue to improve patient outcomes. We have demonstrated clinical benefits of AI and DNN with features like our Edge Mode+ (DNN Assisted MNR Whitepaper.pdf). We also have DNN processing on all the time in our main signal pathway providing a much cleaner audio signal. These advances will just keep moving forward to help patients hear their best in all listening situations. Another key area is wireless technology. With Auracast on the horizon of being adopted by a wider range of industries, I envision a world of easy connectivity with mobile devices, TVs, theaters, airports, and any other time this type of connected experience could provide benefit. Connectivity must be easy and seamlessly integrated. But with all this incredible technology on the horizon, we must recognize the importance of the hearing professional. Clinicians will always be a key component in bringing better hearing to patients.

AudiologyOnline: How does the clinician come into planning for new products?

Sara Burdak, AuD: We work closely with clinicians during the product development process. For instance, when our software team was developing our Pro Fit software, we consulted with hundreds of clinicians globally to find out how they like to interact with software during fittings. What is their preferred workflow? What aspects of their fitting process take priority? This information directly influenced how Pro Fit was designed. We take professional feedback very seriously. We constantly monitor professional and patient suggestions for every aspect of the products and services we offer. A great recent example is the addition of more tinnitus stimuli options. We received requests from clinicians for more low- and high-frequency weighted stimuli. Now professionals have quick access to several “color” noise stimuli as a result. Please tell us. We are always eager to hear from you and our product managers are often at training events, doing office visits, and hosting regular focus groups to proactively get your input.

AudiologyOnline: Thank you for your time! Let us close with one final question. Your role at Starkey gives you the opportunity to interact with audiology students. What is your advice to students as they are contemplating their professional career?

Sara Burdak, AuD: I am always amazed by the enthusiasm students have for audiology and the future of their chosen profession. It’s an exciting time to be an audiologist and the future is bright. My advice is to explore the world of audiology and keep an open mind. There are so many options open to audiologists today that are often not shared in academic environments. You can work clinically in a medical setting or run your own private practice. You can be a part of academia in a university setting or research facility. The hearing aid industry opens up so many opportunities. At Starkey, we have audiologists as part of technical support, fitting support, sales, product management, education & training, clinical research, quality control, and product marketing to name just a few. Many audiologists are managers, directors, and vice presidents of their departments. The sky is the limit!

For those interested in learning about Starkey’s latest product family, Edge AI, and all it offers patients, you can easily schedule a training session by contacting your sale representatives or follow this link: Training & Events

Students and faculty are invited to learn more about our commitment to the future of audiology by visiting: Students & Faculty: Starkey University| StarkeyPro