2010 Recipient is nation's first and longest-serving school audiologist Warrenville, Illinois - (May 4, 2010) - Today, Phonak LLC awarded its annual Cheryl DeConde Johnson Award for outstanding achievement in Educational and Pediatric audiology to Frankie Mickelson, AuD, CCC-SLP/A, FAAA, the first and longest-serving public school educational audiologist in the United States.
"We received many nominations recognizing many deserving professionals for this year's award," said Dr. Cheryl DeConde Johnson, honorary chairperson of the Award Selection Committee. "Frankie, in particular, received numerous nominations from her peers for her tireless passion in championing FM amplification in the Maryland school system. We applaud her unending dedication and enthusiasm for the profession of audiology, are privileged to have her as a peer and delighted to acknowledge her outstanding contribution."
Dr. Mickelson began her career in 1972 as Coordinator for Audiological Services in the Prince George's County School System in Maryland, the 16th largest school system in the nation with 129,000 students and the Children's Hospital's Hearing and Speech Center, Washington DC. During this time, she created The Model Audiology Program, published by the Prince George's County School System. The booklet outlined a new Audiology protocol for delivering services to deaf and hard-of-hearing students in the school district.
Dr. Mickelson created the Sound Field Initiative and had over 800 kindergarten and first grade classrooms in the Prince George's County Public Schools outfitted with Sound Field Systems to allow the students in those classrooms to hear the teacher in every part of the classroom. It was an initiative that helped acoustic access to general education students as well as those with hearing losses, and aided in reducing vocal stress for the teacher
Over the years, Dr. Mickelson has traveled extensively throughout Maryland demonstrating the critical importance of FM amplification, training other educators of the deaf on the use of FM equipment, fitting students with FM in the classroom, writing proposals for new equipment and counseling parents on its use. She created the annual Audiology Seminar for Educational Audiologists in Maryland, now marking its 12th consecutive year.
In addition, she has written multiple articles and guides throughout the years and been featured in newspaper articles explaining FM technology and its impact on school-aged children. Marking her 40th professional year, Dr. Mickelson continues to institute the latest innovations in FM amplification and advocate the importance of getting hearing-impaired students "on the air."
Her many awards and certificates over the years include PGCEA National Certification, ASASP National Certification, ACE Awards from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, American Academy of Audiology Scholar, and Certificate of Achievement from The Office of the County Executive of Prince George's County in the State of Maryland.
Dr. Mickelson attended Boston University and graduated with Special Honors from The George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology. She received her Masters Degree from The Ohio University and her Doctorate in Audiology from the Arizona School of Heath Sciences at A. T. Still University.
About the Cheryl DeConde Johnson Award
In 2007, Phonak LLC introduced the award to honor US educational and pediatric audiologists for their outstanding work and commitment to advocate and improve communication as well as academic outcomes of children.
The award is named for Cheryl DeConde Johnson, EdD., FAAA, the first hearing health professional to receive the award for her many years working as an educational audiologist and deaf educator, including 15 years successfully directing the audiology and deaf education programs for the state of Colorado.
Along with honorary chairperson Cheryl DeConde Johnson, the Award Selection Committee includes Cathy Jones, Eric Timm, Pat Henry, Rose Bongiovanni, Chas Kuratko, Christine Jones, Evert Dijkstra and Hans Mulder, all of whom are with Phonak. The award includes a trip to Phonak world headquarters in Switzerland to meet with management and engineers responsible for the development of next-generation wireless technology.
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 50 years. The combination of expertise in hearing technology, mastery in acoustics and strong cooperation with hearing healthcare professionals allows Phonak to significantly improve people's hearing ability and speech understanding and therefore their quality of life.
Phonak offers a complete range of digital hearing instruments, along with complementary wireless communication systems. With a worldwide presence, Phonak drives innovation and sets new industry benchmarks regarding miniaturization and performance. For more information, please visit www.Phonak.com or the Phonak web channel on Audiology Online.
