January 23, 2012, Reston, VA - The American Academy of Audiology Foundation is pleased to announce that Linda Luxon, CBE, BSc, FRCP, will present the 2012 Marion Downs Lecture in Pediatric Audiology. Dr. Luxon's presentation, The Dilemma of Dizziness in Children, will be offered on Friday, March 30 at AudiologyNOW!® in Boston;the lecture will also be available at no charge on eAudiology in both live and on-demand formats.
Professor Luxon has served as the chair of audiovestibular medicine at the University of London, based at University College of London (UCL), since 1991. Her presentation will discuss the causes of dizziness in childhood as well as a diagnostic strategy for and management of dizziness in children. Additionally, she will address why balance disorders in children are frequently misdiagnosed or overlooked, both by parents and professionals, and the high index of clinical suspicion required if an accurate diagnosis and appropriate management is to be put in place. The lecture will include a discussion of risk factors for vestibular pathology and common pathologies giving rise to imbalance in children, and a simple clinical schema for detailed investigation of pediatric vestibular dysfunction will be outlined and appropriate management reviewed.
Richard Danielson, PhD, chair of the Foundation Board, expressed his enthusiasm about Professor Luxon's featured session at the Boston conference. "Dr. Luxon is uniquely qualified to provide a comprehensive coalescence of research and clinical approaches to pediatric audiology and vestibular disorders," stated Dr. Danielson. "It is an honor to make available to audiologists such an esteemed lecturer and researcher. We thank the Oticon Foundation for funding this program that supports Professor Luxon's travel to the States, as well as the availability of technology that enables others to have access to her lecture via the worldwide web.
Professor Luxon's clinical, research, and teaching experiences encompass a broad range of areas, including vestibular disorders;noise-induced, genetic, and autoimmune hearing loss;and central auditory processing disorders. She was trained in general internal medicine and neurology at St Thomas' Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London. In 1980, she was appointed as a consultant in neuro-otology at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, the United Kingdom's largest dedicated neurological and neurosurgical hospital.
Professor Luxon has served as the president of numerous professional organizations, including the British Society of Audiology, the Clinical Neuroscience Section of the Royal Society of Medicine, the International Association of Physicians in Audiology, and the European Federation of Audiological Societies. She also currently serves as the Department of Health's national clinical advisor in audiology and vestibular disorders and as an officer at the Royal College of Physicians London. She has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed research papers, 70 chapters in textbooks, and is an editor of the Textbook of Audiological Medicine and a co-editor of Scott Brown's Otolaryngology, a Handbook of Vestibular Rehabilitation and Noise and its Effects. As a result of her distinguished career and achievements, she was awarded the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2010 for her services to medicine.
The AAA Foundation is honored to feature her presentation at AudiologyNOW!, and is pleased that she will join a growing list of distinguished Marion Downs speakers. To date, seven presentations have been featured on subjects in pediatric audiology that have included genetics, implantation, speech optimization, and treatment of children in developing nations.
"At a time when pediatric audiology is becoming increasingly specialized, we are pleased that the Oticon Foundation-sponsored Marion Downs Lecture Series continues to give hearing care professionals timely access to the latest developments in pediatric audiology," stated Donald Schum, PhD, vice president of audiology and professional relations at Oticon, Inc., upon hearing of Professor Luxon's selection as the eighth Marion Downs lecturer. "This important lecture series has provided cutting-edge educational opportunities that empower pediatric practitioners to deliver optimal hearing care and solutions to the youngest patients."
For more information on the 2012 Marion Downs Lecture in Pediatric Audiology, visit www.audiologyfoundation.org.
About the American Academy of Audiology Foundation
The American Academy of Audiology Foundation's mission is to promote philanthropy in support of research, education, and public awareness in audiology and hearing science. The AAA Foundation works closely with the American Academy of Audiology to fund research grants, to sponsor educational opportunities for students, audiologists and other hearing professionals, and to increase public understanding of the causes, treatments, and prevention of hearing loss. The AAA Foundation is exempt under 501(c)(3) of the IRS code, and all gifts are tax deductible as allowed by law. For more information, visit the AAA Foundation Web site at www.audiologyfoundation.org.
