(Reston, VA–November 18, 2016)—The American Academy of Audiology Foundation (AAAF) is pleased to announce the following speakers for AudiologyNOW! 2017:
Anu Sharma, PhD, Expert in Brain Plasticity with Individuals with Hearing Loss, Is Guest Speaker for AudiologyNow! 2017 Marion Downs Lecture
Anu Sharma, PhD, will be the guest speaker for the Marion Downs Lecture in Pediatric Audiology, at AudiologyNOW! 2017, April 5–7, in Indianapolis. Her lecture, “Brain Changes in Hearing Loss,” will be held on Friday, April 7, from 9:45 to 11:15 am, with philanthropic support provided in part by The Oticon Foundation.” Notably, Dr. Sharma was the inaugural speaker at the first Marion Downs Lecture in 2005.
Dr. Sharma is a professor and the interim chair of the Department of Speech Language and Hearing and a fellow at the Institute for Cognitive Science and Center for Neuroscience at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She also serves as an adjunct professor in the Department of Otolaryngology and Audiology at the University of Colorado at the Denver Medical School. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 2001, and focuses on examining brain plasticity in children and adults with hearing loss who receive intervention with hearing aids and cochlear implants.
Dr. Sharma has earned an international reputation as an eloquent speaker who can make her research understandable to any audience. She has delivered the keynote address at the British Academy of Audiology and the British Society of Audiology, and has presented in many other national, regional, and state venues. The Foundation is pleased she is available for the 2017 Marion Downs Lecture.
James Henry, PhD, Expert in Tinnitus Management, Is Guest Speaker for Audiologynow! 2017 Topics in Tinnitus Lecture
James Henry, PhD, will be the guest speaker for Topics in Tinnitus Lecture at AudiologyNOW! 2017, April 5–7, in Indianapolis. His lecture, “Evidence‐Based Tinnitus Management: Inching Toward a Standard of Practice,” will be held on Friday, April 7, from 3:00 to 6:00 pm, with philanthropic support provided in part by Widex.
Dr. Henry is a certified and licensed audiologist with a doctorate in Behavioral Neuroscience. He is employed at the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR), located at the Department of Veterans Affairs Portland Health Care System. He is also a research professor in the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Oregon Health and Science University. For the past 22 years, Dr. Henry has devoted his career to clinical tinnitus research. His overall goal is to develop and validate clinical methodology for effectively helping patients who are afflicted with bothersome tinnitus. The Foundation is pleased he is joining us for the 2017 Topics in Tinnitus Lecture.
Barbara Balik, EdD, MS, RN, Expert in Patient/Family Experiences, Is Guest Speaker for AudiologyNOW! 2017 Workplace Management Lecture
Barbara Balik, EdD, MS, RN, will be the guest speaker for the Workplace Management Lecture at AudiologyNOW! 2017, April 5–7, in Indianapolis. Her lecture, “Innovation in Hearing and Balance Care—A Pathway to Transforming Outcomes,” will be held on Wednesday, April 5 from 2:30–4:00 pm, with philanthropic support provided in part by Phonak, LLC.
Dr. Balik is the principal of Common Fire Healthcare Consulting, an organization committed to health‐ care transformation through thriving partnerships. She is senior faculty at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a member of the National Patient Safety Foundation Board of Advisors, and faculty for Arizona State University’s Executive Fellowship in Innovation Health Leadership.
Using a human‐centered co‐design approach, she works with health‐care leaders to generate flourishing cultures and exceptional outcomes by integrating patient/family experience, safety, quality, and joy in work. Recent activities with leaders include assessing and co‐designing effective safety/quality systems and cultures for organizations, developing skills and systems for patient/family partnerships in physician practices, strengthening cultures to enhance joy in work and reduces burnout, developing leadership in physicians and executives, assuring reliable systems and transitions in care, and creating effective infrastructure design for population health. The Foundation is pleased she is available for the 2017 Workplace Management Lecture.
Please visit www.audiologynow.org for more information.
About the American Academy of Audiology Foundation
The American Academy of Audiology Foundation’s (AAAF) mission is to promote philanthropy in support of research, education, and public awareness in audiology and hearing science. The tax‐exempt 501(c)3 organization, which was founded in 1989, works with the American Academy of Audiology, and other organizations that promote healthy hearing to reach consumers, youth, educators, audiologists, and the general public. The AAAF also provides grants and scholarships that are partially funded by Academy members, grateful patients and their families, and corporations.
