Oh, Canada!

Figure. David: H. KirkwoodIn speaking and communicating by e-mail with International Hearing Society members recently, I've been picking up on an unusual amount of excitement about its 2005 Convention, which starts October 19. What's driving a lot of it is the bold choice of venue for the organization's 54th annual gathering. In case, you haven't noticed, it will take place in Canada—Quebec City, Quebec, to be exact. This is probably a good time for me to be up front about my prejudices. I am an American born and raised. But, for the first 15 years or so of my life, my father was a Canadian, until he finally got tired of being unable to vote in the country he had lived in for nearly 25 years. All through my childhood, we regularly visited relatives in that country. To this day, most of my cousins reside in various parts of the United States' larger neighbor to the north. (Yes, larger. You can look it up.) Anyway, maybe all this is what makes me think it's a great idea for IHS to hold a meeting in Canada—not to mention in one of the most charming cities in that country or any other. But, I don't think so. Frankly, it seems to me—and to a lot of Canadian and also U.S. members of IHS—that it's about time! After all, it was in 1991 that the organization added International to its name (it used to be the National Hearing Aid Society). So, you might ask, what took IHS so long to live up to its name? What's more, there is always a large and active contingent of Canadians at the annual meetings, so it seems only fair that they have a chance to host this meeting from time to time. It may also prove a good decision from an attendance standpoint. Advance reports indicate that there will be an extraordinarily large turnout of Canadian members, as well as more than 200 acousticians from Quebec, very few of whom belong to IHS (yet) or have ever attended an IHS meeting. WHO'S NEXT? I don't want to sound critical of IHS. After all, while it took a long time, the organization was finally ready to look outside the borders of this country. The organization's leaders, past and present, deserve to be praised for their decision. By comparison, the other professional organizations in hearing healthcare seem a bit provincial in terms of their meeting sites. True, a few old-timers will point out that the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) did hold its annual convention in Toronto once. But that was in 1982; surely Canada is overdue for another turn. In fairness, I'm willing to give the Academy of Dispensing Audiologists (ADA) a pass. No, not because its 1999 meeting was in Bermuda. While Bermuda is a pretty place with friendly people, it's not a country at all, but rather a British territory with a population half the size of Peoria. The reason for excusing ADA is that it makes no claim to be an international organization and it has only a handful of members from outside the U.S. However, the American Academy of Audiology (AAA) is another matter. It is the most important audiology organization in the world, and its annual convention attracts a large number of international attendees. While its membership is primarily American, it does include a few hundred audiologists from other countries. Among them are about 150 Canadians, including some of the profession's leading lights. So, perhaps one of these years, AAA will follow IHS's lead and schedule a meeting in Canada (or another country). It won't be anytime soon, as it has selected U.S. locations for its conventions through 2010. But, when and if AAA finally decides the time has come to expand its horizons and fully accept its role as the world leader in audiology, it will find that Canada offers some great host cities, including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Who knows, if AAA waits long enough and global warming continues, Whitehorse in the Yukon Territory, may be an attractive choice. But, until then, let me join my fellow Canada-enthusiasts (and Canadians) in congratulating IHS and urging its members and other hearing professionals to make its convention in Quebec City a great success.

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