Student Academy of Audiology completes an active first
year
By Brande Victorian
Launched at AudiologyNOW! 2009, the Student Academy of Audiology (SAA), the American
Academy of Audiology’s national student organization, has racked up a number of
achievements in its first year. Birthed out of NAFDA, the National Association of Future
Doctors of Audiology, SAA is focused on bridging the gap between students and professionals,
says SAA’s president, Virginia K. Best.
“It’s a great opportunity for networking, meeting people, taking on leadership positions,
and just getting involved now that the students have their own organization.”
LAYING THE FOUNDATION
Much of the organization’s first year has been spent laying the groundwork to achieve the
goals of the student academy, says Best, who is a fourth-year AuD/MBA graduate student at
the University at Buffalo.
One of SAA’s first initiatives was
establishing a partnership with Special
Olympics Healthy Hearing, in which
audiology students will help with hearing
screenings at a number of events
throughout the year.
“The organization wanted to have
some service-related special projects that
could be carried out at the chapter level and
at the national level. The one that resonated
with everyone was the Special Olympics
Healthy Hearing Program,” says Jackson
Roush, PhD, chair of the SAA advisory
committee.
Fostering
relationships
among
Virginia K. Best
students nationwide was another major
focus of SAA from the beginning. So far, 42 of the 72 AuD programs in the country have
joined SAA, and the number is growing by the month. In March, the student academy also
launched a newsletter to help students stay more connected with its activities.
“At the local level, having SAA as a student organization provides a voice for AuD
students and a mechanism for them to conduct philanthropy, and at the national level it affords
opportunities to learn, network, and provide input to the Academy on student related issues,”
says Roush, who is a faculty audiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
One such opportunity is externships, which are highlighted on the academy’s web site, www.studentacademyofaudiology.org. Luckily for expectant graduates, the economy hasn’t
taken a heavy toll on the profession, notes Best. She says, “Students are either looking for
jobs or externships, but it seems like things haven’t changed that much compared to years
before.”
LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE
SAA’s new board of directors will take office in July. With budgets set and funding secured for
the coming year, the board will focus on reaching its goal of every AuD program having a
student chapter and expanding its relationship with Special Olympics Healthy Hearing, with
guidance from audiologist Gilbert Herer, PhD, the program’s Global Clinical Director.
AudiologyNOW! gives the student academy its biggest opportunity for exposure. This
year, SAA will hold a two-hour business meeting open to all students that will provide an
extensive overview of the organization’s progress and introduce the newly elected 2010 board.
There will also be an SAA Board/Undergraduate Mixer, an ABA Meet and Greet where
students will be paired up with mentors, and a PhD Networking Breakfast.
Best says a dream of hers would be for the student academy to hold its own annual
conference either before AudiologyNOW! or in the fall.
“It’s not in the works yet because we couldn’t do everything in one year, but it’s
definitely on the list for the next board to begin to think about how that could be possible,” she
says.
Something else that has been on the minds of both Best and Roush is how to further
diversify the audiology profession. Although the issue hasn’t been formally brought up to the
board, going forward, it would be ideal to see more minority representation, more men, and
more audiologists enter the field, says Roush.
He adds, “It’s imperative that we have a workforce that reflects the diversity of the
populations we serve”