Gathering in Orlando, IHS reviews accomplishments, installs a new leader

Against the backdrop of Disney's fanciful Dolphin Hotel and Resort in Orlando, FL, the International Hearing Society (IHS) held its 53rd Annual Convention and Exposition August 25–29. Although the organization had not reported attendance figures as this issue went to press, Robin Clowers, BC-HIS, the executive director, said that turnout was substantially ahead of last year in St. Paul. IHS reported a turnout of 600 dispensers there in 2003, and 900 people in all. The main event at the 2004 gathering was the annual business meeting and luncheon, which included the inauguration of Harlan Cato as the president for 2004–2006, the annual not-so-silent “silent” auction, officers' reports, a challenging keynote address, awards presentations, and a report from the organization's legislative counsel in Washington, DC.Figure: Harlan Cato, right, the new president of IHS, takes the gavel from his predecessor, Sam Hopmeier.Figure: Looking presidential, these nine past and present leaders of IHS, posed for a photo in Orlando. From left are Alan Lowell, John Kenwood, Ray Rich, Mike Stone, Kathy Harvey, Robin Clowers (currently executive director as well as a former president), Scott Austin, Sam Hopmeier, and the incumbent, Harlan Cato.Figure: Kathy Harvey accepts the Joel Wernick Award from Jerry Laux.Figure: Jerome Ruzicka, chairman of the Hearing Industries Association, addresses the business meeting.Figure: Richard Nodar was presented the Professional Leadership Award by Karl Strom.REMEMBERING ROCKY W.F. Samuel Hopmeier, BC-HIS, whose term as president concluded during the meeting, opened the proceedings with a valediction and moment of silence in honor of Howard E. “Rocky” Stone, who died on August 13. “Rocky's contributions are legendary,” Hopmeier said. “Not just the obvious, the founding of SHHH and his work with Teamwork, but also for the not-so-obvious contributions that he made.” Hopmeier gave a short biography of Rocky Stone, who, despite a bilateral hearing loss, had a distinguished 25-year career with the Central Intelligence Agency before he “embarked on a second career of activism.” The IHS president described Stone's “integral involvement” in the enactment of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. Calling Stone “truly a leader among leaders,” Hopmeier said his legacy would live on through all of his good works.” HOPMEIER LOOKS BACK After lunch, Hopmeier returned to the podium to deliver his final presidential report. He began by citing IHS charter members Herb Knapp, BC-HIS, and Millard Handelman, BC-HIS, who each received a round of applause for over 5 decades of support for IHS. Hopmeier then spoke of “the end of a term and, in fact, of my career,” highlighting his participation in the development of hearing aid standards for the industry and his involvement with IHS and with his state organization in Missouri. Highlights of his presidency, he said, included attending the Arkansas State University-Mountain Home's first graduation for its degree program in hearing instrument sciences and his trip to Japan to visit members of that country's IHS chapter. Finally, he spoke of his “legacy”: “I hope my legacy is the Progressive Action Committee Team (PACT) that we created together.” He continued, “From this structure we accomplished a revised code of ethics, an expanded ACA course availability, and successful defense of the word “audioprosthologist,” with the help of our legal counsel from Detroit. We also achieved adoption of a Professional Practice Profile, development of the first international convention, the first associates' seminar, and, today, board approval for a plan to put our educational materials on the Internet, with the cooperation of Audiology Online.” SPOTLIGHT ON WAINGROW Following the president's report, Neil Waingrow, BC-HIS, the treasurer of IHS, reported that revenues had exceeded goals in the past year. Following his formal report, Waingrow assumed his now-traditional role as auctioneer of manufacturer-donated equipment, a major fund-raiser each year at the convention. When the dust settled, the auction had raised over $43,000. Waingrow was acknowledged with the applause of all present for his effective and enthusiastic way of advancing the work of the organization. Waingrow returned to the stage a little later when Scott Austin, BC-HIS, chair of the nominating committee, announced his selection as the new president-elect. He will succeed Harlan Cato in 2006. In accepting the new title, Waingrow said, “We are in a fantastic business. We get paid to do something that changes people's lives. We do make a difference. There is somebody somewhere who, because you have changed their life so totally, can enjoy the twilight of their life, and they can share love. So, thank you for allowing me to lead your organization.” KEYNOTE ADDRESS In the keynote address, Sergei Kochkin, PhD, executive director of the Better Hearing Institute, reviewed findings of his studies indicating the positive impact of BHI's Physician Referral Development Program (PRDP). He reported that patients whose physicians gave a positive recommendation on acquiring hearing instruments were five times more likely to seek such a solution for hearing loss than those who received a negative medical recommendation. Kochkin then gave a detailed description of BHI's program for hearing instrument specialists and dispensing audiologists, which emphasizes direct contact and relationship building between the hearing professional and the primary-care physician. The “bottom line” of his presentation was that dispensers who participated in the program were seeing an average 6% annual sales growth, and more persons in need of help were being served. Both for economic and public health reasons, Kochkin strongly recommended that IHS members join the program. (Details of the findings appeared in his article in the August 2004 Hearing Journal.) AWARDS CEREMONY In another time-honored portion of the annual IHS business meeting, the two trade journals in the hearing industry bestowed awards for outstanding contributions. Jerry Laux, publisher of The Hearing Journal, presented the Joel S. Wernick Award for Excellence in Dispenser Education to Kathy Harvey, BC-HIS, MA. Although Harvey is an audiologist—the first to serve as president of IHS—Laux noted that the honoree has observed, “Everything I've learned about fitting a hearing aid I've learned as a dispenser.” He cited her strong and ongoing commitment to dispenser education, and quoted former IHS president Scott Austin's statement that “what Kathy is doing today [in cooperation with AAO] will be seen 20 years from now as building a bridge between hearing instrument specialists and physicians.” Karl Strom, editor of The Hearing Review, presented his publication's Professional Leadership Award to Richard Nodar, PhD, of the Cleveland Clinic. Strom, who praised Nodar's work as a scholar, teacher, researcher, and clinician, emphasized his leadership in hearing care for children and adolescents. He described the honoree as “a thinker with a rebellious streak. He forces other people to think.” Earlier during the meeting, the North Carolina Association of Hearing Care Professionals received the Chapter of the Year Award from IHS. REPORT FROM WASHINGTON Another highlight of the meeting was the presentation by Karen Sealander, of the firm of McDermott, Will & Emery, Washington counsel for IHS. She described the many IHS-related initiatives in which the firm is involved. Most notable over the past year was success in persuading the Food and Drug Administration to reject two citizen's petitions filed by Gail Gudmundsen, AuD, and Mead Killion, PhD, that would have opened the door to the over-the-counter sale of inexpensive, non-custom hearing devices. After receiving input from IHS through McDermott, Will & Emery, as well as from other organizations in the hearing industry, the FDA rejected the petitions. Sealander also read a letter from U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson to IHS, lauding its efforts in the past and encouraging its efforts in the future. She ended by assuring IHS members of the firm's “vigilance” in monitoring and representing their interests in the advancement of federal tax credits for hearing aids. CATO SETS PRIORITIES Last but not least, Harlan Cato, BC-HIS, assumed the presidency for the next 2 years, as Hopmeier passed the ceremonial gavel to the North Carolinian. Cato, a former governor of the Southeast territory, said, “We have several priorities before us, including working for tax credits, working with other organizations, aggressively pursuing membership development, and keeping up the momentum in our educational program.” He thanked Hopmeier for his effective stewardship of the presidency, and said that he looked forward to working “with those who do the work of IHS on a day-to-day basis.” Immediately after the meeting, members took part in a lively “Quebec Kickoff!” reception. As a way of emphasizing the international scope of its work and its membership, IHS will hold its first annual meeting outside the United States. The meeting will take place in Quebec City, Canada, in October 2005.

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