Washington, DC - On March 30, the Starkey Hearing Foundation presented its first annual Student Humanitarian Awards at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC. The awards were presented at a dinner sponsored by Starkey Laboratories after the National Association of Future Doctors of Audiology (NAFDA) annual conference.
The Foundation's award recognizes the humanitarian service given by the two recipients, Alison M. Bruns and Philip C. Griffin, who will have an opportunity to attend a Starkey Foundation Mission later this year as part of their award.
Alison Bruns expects to finish her Au.D. degree from Ball State University in 2007. Diagnosed at age five with a sensorineural hearing loss that affects three-fourths of her maternal family members, Bruns intends to practice pediatric audiology. Her own experience with hearing loss has uniquely positioned her for that work. She says, "I feel a need to help children with hearing loss overcome the obstacles associated with it." Currently in pediatric rotation at St. Vincent's Hospital, she will spend five weeks in the pediatric department this summer at the Medical Hospital of South Carolina. Bruns has volunteered extensively and received numerous awards throughout her academic career. She is a member of NAFDA, the Indiana Speech and Hearing Association and the American Academy of Audiology.
Philip Griffin is pursuing his Au.D. degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he expects to graduate in 2007. Fluent in Spanish, Griffin plans to use his language skills to bring hearing care to Hispanic Americans here in the United States and to underprivileged populations abroad. He said, "In whatever city I enter into the practice of audiology, I intend to establish a community hearing aid bank for financially challenged persons with hearing loss." One of Griffin's research interests is multicultural issues in audiological care, and he has already been active in that area, having organized and managed hearing care centers for Latino health fairs in the Chapel Hill area. In addition to his NAFDA membership, Griffin is a proud member of SALSA, the Spanish Speakers Assisting Latinos Student Association.
"We are so very proud of these young people," said the founder of the Starkey Hearing Foundation, William F. Austin. "Their passion for helping others hear will be an important asset, not only to their careers, but also to those who need their skill and caring attitudes. Their eagerness to serve is a tremendous positive example for us all."
For more information on Starkey, visit the Starkey website.
