FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Amy Miedema, CAE
703-226-1033
amiedema@audiology.org
Audiologists “Steer with Success” to San Antonio, Texas, for AudiologyNOW!
Over 6,000 audiologists will head to the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio,
Texas, for AudiologyNOW!, the annual conference of the American Academy of Audiology, to be
held March 25–28, 2015. “Steer with Success” is this year’s theme, as the unique and
innovative educational experiences, research, and technologies offered during AudiologyNOW!
will help audiologists better serve their patents and the profession.
Two specialty conferences that have traditionally started on the first day of the event will return
once again on Wednesday, March 25. The annual Academy Research Conference (ARC),
Vestibular Assessment and Rehabilitation, will open at 8:30 am and run until 6:00 pm. This
year’s ARC will address vestibular disorders, which estimated 35 percent of adults in the United
States over the age of 40 have experienced to some degree, but can also affect the pediatric
population as well. The conference will review the various vestibular dysfunctions, as well as the
research and practice being done in the areas of vestibular assessment and rehabilitation.
Clinicians, researchers, and students are encouraged to attend this one-day translational
conference to learn more from a world-renowned panel of experts.
For audiology students, the Student Academy of Audiology Conference will return for its third
year on the same day, from 8:00 am–4:50 pm. Audiology students at this conference will learn
clinical decision-making done in a case-study discussion and problem-solving format from
internationally recognized audiologists. Some of the cases the student audiologists will explore
include adult diagnostics with an emphasis on electrophysiology, aural (re)habilitation pediatric
diagnostics, auditory processing disorders, tinnitus management, and cochlear implants.
This year, at the General Assembly on Thursday morning, we are honored to present an
inspirational keynote—Staff Sergeant Shilo Harris. Harris's Humvee hit an IED while on patrol in
Iraq in February 2007. What followed was an agonizing road to recovery, which began with
nearly two months in a medically induced coma. Following the General Assembly, Staff
Sergeant Harris will be conducting a book signing in the Siemens booth (425) in the exhibit hall.
The book is available for sale, Steel Will: My Journey Through Hell to Become the Man I Was
Meant to Be.
A workplace management lecture will be presented by Dan Veto, a senior advisor for Age Wave,
on Thursday, March 26. Titled “How the Age Wave Will Transform Health, Health Care, and Our
Lives,” Veto’s talk will look at the demographic tsunami of increasing longevity that will impact
every aspect of human life, and outlie the path required to create healthy aging and productive
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longevity. On Friday morning, Christine Yoshinaga-Itano, PhD, will give the annual Marion
Downs Lecture, “The Past, Present, and Future: Developmental Outcomes for Children Who Are
Deaf or Hard of Hearing.” On Friday Afternoon, the Topics in Tinnitus lecture will be given by
Dirk De Ridder, MD, PhD. Titled “Pathophysiology-Based Treatments for Tinnitus,” De Ridder’s
lecture will focus on two possibilities for tinnitus treatment—the Bayesian brain concept, and a
second new avenue on the use of network science models, which can be used to study brain
activity and connectivity changes linked to tinnitus. All three lectures are underwritten by the
American Academy of Audiology Foundation, and can be viewed live through eAudiology.org.
For the second year in a row, the exhibition will open at 5:00 pm of the first day of
AudiologyNOW!, March 25 to host Celebrate Audiology, the opening night party. Learning Labs
will also open the same day at 8:30 am, with featured sessions starting at 1:00 pm, and being
held through Saturday afternoon. A new event, NIOSTA: Fiesta Audiology, will take place on
Friday evening in the historic "original" downtown village of La Villita, offering traditional
cuisine, unique beverages, and entertainment.
The exhibit hall will feature approximately 175 exhibitors in over 300,000 square feet,
highlighting their latest research and technology, new products, and services in hearing health
care as well as quick solutions and industry updates educational sessions. Attendees will also be
able to able to plan out their visit to the exhibit area using the Virtual Show Floor. This feature
will allow attendees to see what exhibitors are participating at AudiologyNOW! and get more
information about the companies and the products and services they will be highlighting.
AudiologyNOW!, the unparalleled annual event of, by, and for audiologists, will also offer
continuing educational options for 2015, including featured sessions, learning modules, research
podiums, and exhibitor courses starting Wednesday through Saturday afternoon. Learning labs,
available for an additional fee, will be offered on Wednesday. Attendees will be able to earn up
to a total of 3.45 CEUs. Online learning will also be available. Over 200 clinical, research, and
teaching posters will be on display from Wednesday through Saturday.
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The American Academy of Audiology is the world's largest professional organization of, by, and
for audiologists. With an active membership of more than 12,000 audiologists, the Academy
promotes quality hearing and balance care by advancing the profession of audiology through
leadership, advocacy, education, public awareness, and support of research. To learn more
about the audiology profession and how audiologists are helping the 36 million Americans who
experience hearing loss, please visit the Academy's Web site at www.audiology.org.
To arrange for an interview or a press pass to this event, visit the AudiologyNOW! Web site and
click on General Information/Media, or contact Amy Miedema by e-mail at
amiedema@audiology.org.
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