WARRENVILLE, IL – (December 18, 2013) –Phonak awarded its first Phonak Lifetime Achievement Award to Patricia Stelmachowicz, Ph.D., CCC-A, for more than 40 years of exceptional contribution to pediatric audiology at its 6th International Pediatric Conference, “A Sound Foundation Through Early Amplification,” held December 8-11 in Chicago.
Dr. Stelmachowicz received the award amid a standing ovation from hundreds of her peers at the conference. Her close colleague and longtime friend, Mary Pat Moeller, PhD., Director of the Center for Childhood Deafness and Director of the Infant Language Development Laboratory at Boys Town National Research Hospital, feted the inaugural recipient by sharing career highlights with attendees before she was presented the award by Ora Buerkli-Halevy, Vice President, Brand Management, Phonak AG.
From left to right: Ora Buerkli-Halevy, Phonak AG; Award recipient Patricia Stelmachowicz, Boys Town National Research Hospital; Mary Pat Moeller, Boys Town National Research Hospital; Anne Marie Tharpe, Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, Vanderbilt University.
“Dr. Stelmachowicz is truly an outstanding professional and researcher who has sustained a most remarkable and productive career, with significant contributions across several domains,” said Richard C. Seewald, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the National Centre for Audiology at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. “She was responsible for the development and administration of one of, if not the highest quality clinical service delivery units in pediatric audiology in the world.”
Dr. Stelmachowicz is Director of Audiology Services and the Hearing & Amplification Research Lab at Boys Town National Research Hospital. Throughout her productive career, she has been published extensively in a variety of areas of clinical practice. Her research work in pediatric speech perception and amplification is highly translational and continually referenced. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has validated the quality of her research by awarding her continuous support over most of her career – a rare accomplishment achieved by few researchers in the country.
One such example of Dr. Stelmachowicz’s research excellence was her first in a series of papers on the aided perception of high-frequency speech sounds by children with hearing loss, which served as critical data to support the development of the breakthrough technology SoundRecover, an innovative non-linear frequency compression algorithm which has improved the quality of life for children with hearing loss around the world by providing audibility of the full speech spectrum and enhancing the listening experience.
Another unique aspect of her career is the wide range of research collaborators with whom she has worked with over the years – a testament to the quality of her research and her wonderful comradery. Additionally, Dr. Stelmachowicz has been a stellar mentor of students and colleagues and an exemplary role model for other clinical researchers. Included among her many awards are the Editor’s Award in Hearing from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, the Editor’s Awards from Ear and Hearing and the Research Achievement Award from the American Academy of Audiology.
Dr. Stelmachowicz received her Ph.D. in Hearing Science from the University of Iowa and both her Master of Science degree in Audiology and Bachelor of Science degree in Hearing and Speech Science from Colorado State University.
About A Sound Foundation Through Early Amplification 2013
The 6th International Pediatric Conference “A Sound Foundation Through Early Amplification” is sponsored by Phonak and chaired by Anne Marie Tharpe, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences and Associate Director of the Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and Marlene Bagatto, Au.D., Ph.D., Research Associate and Adjunct Research Professor at the National Centre for Audiology at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. The Phonak Research Advisory Board serves as the Steering Committee.
The Committee has selected speakers from among the world’s most distinguished pediatric audiology experts as well as new investigators and clinicians. Topics include the latest in diagnostic procedures, current hearing technologies, integration of various hearing technologies in complex listening environments – all within the context of family-centered service provision. Additional conference highlights include a submitted poster session and a panel who will discuss cases submitted by conference attendees.
About Phonak
Headquartered near Zurich, Switzerland, Phonak, a member of the Sonova Group, has developed, produced and globally distributed state-of-the-art hearing systems and wireless devices for more than 60 years. The combination of expertise in hearing technology, mastery in acoustics and strong cooperation with hearing care professionals allows Phonak to significantly improve people’s hearing ability and speech understanding and therefore their quality of life. For more information, please visit www.phonak.com
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