Dr. Albert Mehl to address Newborn Hearing Screening and the Evolving Role of the Physician
(Reston, VA - January 12) - Albert Mehl, MD has been selected as the featured speaker for the 2006 Marion Downs Lecture in Pediatric Audiology at the American Academy of Audiology's AudiologyNOW! in Minneapolis, MN. Dr. Mehl will speak on Thursday, April 6th from 8:00 to 9:30 am. The Marion Downs Lecture is funded by the American Academy of Audiology Foundation with a grant from The Oticon Foundation.
In his presentation, "Beyond Newborn Hearing Screening: Childhood Hearing Loss and the Primary Care Physician," Mehl will discuss the ongoing education of primary care physicians pertaining to newborn hearing screening and the importance of timely follow up with those infants who do not pass the initial screening. In addition, he will focus on appropriate assessment of risk factors for early acquired hearing loss. Mehl will also discuss new opportunities for refinements in newborn hearing screening and will present suggestions to improve the collegial interaction between audiologists and physicians. "We are excited to have such noteworthy speaker like Dr. Mehl on tap for this year's Marion Downs Lecture. We're certain his presentation will be both dynamic and full of valuable information," said Academy Foundation President Barbara Packer.
Mehl is a pediatrician and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has practiced general pediatrics for 22 years. He is currently with Kaiser Permanente in Lafayette, Colorado, and is a member of the clinical faculty of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Following his introduction to newborn hearing screening in the newborn nursery of Boulder Community Hospital in 1993, Mehl became the pediatric consultant for the Colorado Newborn Hearing Screening Project. In this role, he assisted in lobbying for state legislation, and subsequently became chairman of the Colorado Infant Hearing Advisory Committee to the state health department in 1998.
He has published a number of scientific papers summarizing Colorado's successes in universal newborn hearing screening, and has given educational presentations on four continents. Mehl is the Chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics Task Force on Improving the Effectiveness of Newborn Hearing Screening, and was appointed in 2005 to the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing. In 1998, he was awarded the Peak Performance Award by the Colorado Academy of Audiology, and in 2005 he received the Frances Owens Communities Helping Young Children Award, from Frances Owen, the first lady of Colorado.
AudiologyNOW!, an experience in knowledge, science and technology is the premier annual event of, by and for audiologists. AudiologyNOW! 2006, April 5-8 in Minneapolis, MN will be comprised of exciting Featured Sessions, Symposia, Exhibitor courses, Focus and Discussion Groups, Research Pods, Poster Presentations, a Student Research Forum and more. For further information, please visit www.audiologyNOW.org.
The American Academy of Audiology Foundation's mission is to raise funds and support for programs of excellence in education, research and public awareness in audiology and the hearing sciences. The AAA Foundation works closely with the American Academy of Audiology to fund promising research grants annually, sponsor educational opportunities for audiologists and other hearing professionals, and 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 to the AAA Foundation are tax deductible as allowed by law. For more information, visit the AAA Foundation web site at www.audiologyfoundation.org.
