With colorful San Antonio as a backdrop, IHS holds a spirited Annual Convention

The International Hearing Society's 55th Annual Convention offered a lively mixture of well-attended seminars, awards presentations, Texas-flavored social events, inspiring words from featured speakers, and an emotional tribute to a long-time former leader (see sidebar). The 700 people who gathered in San Antonio October 18–21 appeared to include a larger percentage of younger hearing professionals than usual. Following on the heels of the highly successful 2005 convention in Quebec City, this latest meeting seemed to signal that the organization is generating renewed support and enthusiasm from hearing instrument specialists and other hearing healthcare providers. MEMBERSHIP MEETING As usual, there was a large turnout for the annual membership meeting, which this year was held separately from the Awards Luncheon. Speakers included several IHS leaders and representatives of allied organizations. Presidential remarks This was the last convention as president of IHS for Harlan Cato, BC-HIS, and it marked the first appearance by James Ogurek, BC-HIS, as president-elect. On January 1, a few months after the meeting, Ogurek succeeded Cato as president and Chris Gustafson, BC-HIS, of Oregon, began a 2-year term as president-elect. Ogurek, a second-generation dispenser from Wisconsin, had been governor from the Central District until becoming president-elect last summer to fill a vacancy. In looking forward to his presidency, Ogurek said, “I think we all have a noble mission. We make the world a better place for people with hearing impairment.” He said that for the society to accomplish its mission, “ We need energy and passion and leadership.” He urged members when they returned home to “advocate for this society and this profession.” In looking back at his 2 years in office, Cato struck a similar note. “We make a difference in people's lives because we care,” he said. He reviewed some of IHS's recent accomplishments and announced some plans, including a branding initiative and a model licensure bill for states to adopt. Noting that membership had increased by 8% in the past year, Cato said that IHS “wants to offer a home to some people who don't feel like they have one—maybe including some audiologists.”Figure: Featured speakers at the membership meeting included Tim Waters, left, and Harlan Cato.Figure: Helping cut the ribbon opening the IHS Expo were, from left, Jim Ogurek, John Scolaro, managing director of Hansaton, and Harlan Cato. Hansaton sponsored the opening reception.Reports on the industry Tim Waters, the Washington attorney who has been representing IHS since 1974, gave an upbeat report on the state of the hearing health industry. “Get your children into this industry,” he advised members. “It will grow more.” He stated that the current consolidation of manufacturers would be good for practitioners. “You'll be in the driver's seat.” Noting that there continue to be “turf battles” between audiologists and hearing instrument specialists even though “there is enough business for everyone,” Waters expressed the hope that “one day, we will all coalesce and quit fighting and wasting money on political battles.” Andrew Bopp, director of government affairs for the Hearing Industries Association (HIA), reported that 2006 was “a good year” for the industry, with hearing aid sales up significantly over 2005. Bopp also noted other areas of progress: HIA's Exploring the Consumer's Journey Initiative to learn more about what leads to successful experiences with amplification, and the Better Hearing Institute's expanded efforts to increase public awareness of hearing, hearing loss, and hearing care.Figure: Greg Nedelec, left, honored five of the original class of board-certified dispensers in attendance at IHS.Celebrating 25 years More than 3000 hearing aid dispensers now hold BC-HIS certification, Greg Nedelec, BC-HIS, chairman of the National Board for Certification in Hearing instrument Sciences announced during the membership meeting. Nedelec said also that the institute would begin computer-based testing in 2007 and launch a new web site. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the educational wing of the International Hearing Society sponsored a Western-style roundup Thursday evening complete with country music and dancing and a mechanical bull. At that event, Nedelec saluted members of the first class to earn board certification. AWARDS LUNCHEON Tracy King, BC-HIS, a member of the Texas House of Representatives and a 23-year dispensing veteran, got the annual Awards Luncheon off to a strong start with a moving true story. Many years ago in Texas, he said, a mother could not afford to buy the hearing aids her young son needed to be educated in mainstream schools. But just before the boy was enrolled in the state school for the deaf, a kindly dispenser lent his mother the money she needed to help the boy. With his hearing aids, the boy graduated from high school with honors and then went on to become a successful hearing aid dispenser. In fact, King told his listeners, that boy is now the man they saw standing before them. He concluded, “Be proud of what you do.”Figure: Greg Nedelec taking a turn on the mechanical bull that was throwing intrepid IHS members throughout the NBC-HIS 25th Anniversary Roundup.During the ensuing 90 minutes, many outstanding hearing instrument specialists were honored for what they have done. The IHS Empowerment Award was presented to Ray Rich, BC-HIS. Rich, who has been dispensing for the past 55 years, was cited as “an early visionary” who long ago began advocating for legislation that would help IHS and the people it serves. Ernest Zelnick, BC-HIS, of Brooklyn, NY, a longtime IHS member and the first hearing instrument specialist to earn a PhD in audiology, also received the Empowerment Award, but was unable to accept it in person. The James Lowell Advocacy Award was presented to the Wisconsin Alliance of Hearing Professionals and to Doug Johnston, its general counsel. The recipients were cited for offering a model for how audiologists and hearing instrument specialists can work amicably together for the common good. Bill Schenk, BC-HIS, received The Hearing Journal's Joel S. Wernick Award for Dispenser Education. After being president of the Hearing Health Care Providers of California, Schenk served for 8 years on the board of the International Institute for Hearing Instrument Studies, which is dedicated to dispenser education. The Hearing Review gave its Professional Leadership Award to Harlan Cato, who was described as “a leader who tried to build bridges” during his 2 years as president of IHS. Chapter of the Year honors went to the Missouri Hearing Society, which was represented by Scott George, BC-HIS.Figure: Bill Schenk, right, the 2006 recipient of The Hearing Journal's Joel S. Wernick Award, shared a laugh with Jay McSpaden, BC-HIS, who in the past received and at this meeting presented both annual awards given by the industry trade journals.Figure: Ray Rich, recipient of the Empowerment Award, with Harlan Cato.A LEARNING EXPERIENCE The 2006 IHS Convention also featured a strong educational program and many prominent speakers. David Preves, PhD, one of the hearing industry's best-known engineers, discussed future developments in hearing aids and other ear-worn products. Among his predictions were that developments outside the hearing industry would affect hearing aid design and lead to a convergence of hearing aids with other technologies. For example, he said, “I can imagine a day when a cell phone will also be your hearing aid.” Preves, who is senior staff engineer at Starkey Labs, added that such convergence would have benefits for his listeners. For one thing, he said, it would reduce the stigma of hearing aids. Also, he told listeners, as more people wear devices in their ears, the opportunity will grow “to offer your professional expertise to the normal-hearing market.” David Lilly, PhD, a research investigator with the VA National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research, gave the annual Trends-in-Technology seminar, entitled “Noise, the Human Auditory System, and Hearing Aids.” After reviewing developments in hearing conservation technology, Lilly discussed efforts to help people hear better in noise. He suggested that digital noise reduction may improve intelligibility in noise, even though tests thus far have been unable to prove it. He suggested that more sensitive tests might reveal such a benefit. Lilly also discussed research findings indicating that with age people lose their ability to understand speech in noise to a much greater degree than their audio-grams would suggest. Patricia Connelly, PhD, an assistant professor at New Jersey Medical School and director of audiology service at University Hospital, offered listeners some tips for “demystifying hearing research” so they can conduct evidence-based practice. She encouraged practitioners to become skilled users of the Internet in order to keep abreast of the latest research findings in their field. Jay McSpaden, PhD, BC-HIS, long one of IHS's most popular speakers, discussed his own 45-year struggle with tinnitus. McSpaden, who is chair of the International Institute for Hearing Instrument Studies, pointed out that 40 million Americans have tinnitus and 10 million need help for it. Thus, he said, “If you are not dealing with tinnitus in your practice, you are not doing your job.” He said that a good solution for many tinnitus sufferers is to fit them with a hearing aid whose noise-suppression circuit can be turned off. When the circuit noise is audible, the aid becomes an effective broadband noise masker, he said.Figure: President-elect Jim Ogurek took a ride on Oreo, the Texas longhorn that greets visitors to the Knibbe Ranch.Von Hansen, another IHS favorite, amused and horrified listeners with recordings of how ineptly actual receptionists and, in some cases, owners answered the phones at dispensing practices. Especially disturbing, he said, was how few of them got the names and telephone numbers of callers or attempted to schedule appointments. Good receptionists “are worth their weight in gold,” he said, since one trained to handle calls properly will generate three extra appointments a week, which in turn, generate over $160,000 a year. TEXAS STYLE PARTIES The 2006 Convention came with an unusually lively collection of social events, starting with the Tex-Mex-flavored Welcome Reception, featuring a mariachi band, margaritas, and even a flash flood caused by a violent thunderstorm. Then, after the NBC-HIS Round-Up, came Saturday evening's grand finale, an old-fashioned Texas barbecue in the Hill Country north of San Antonio. It was hosted by the Knibbe Ranch, a working cattle ranch that has been in the Knibbe family for four generations. Along with delicious barbecued dishes, revelers enjoyed country music, line dancing, a hayride, a campfire, and rides on Oreo, a Texas longhorn. ROBIN CLOWERS GETS A WARM WELCOME HOME “Without Robin, we might not be here today,” said Kathy Harvey, BC-HIS, a former president of IHS, about Robin Clowers, BC-HIS, during the presentation of IHS's first Meritorious Service Award at the Membership Meeting. Clowers's surprise appearance in San Antonio was probably the emotional highlight of the convention. The popular dispenser-turned-executive served as president of IHS and then as executive director for 15 years, before stepping down at the end of 2004 because of multiple sclerosis. During the presentation, Tim Waters, IHS's Washington counsel, said, “I can't think of anyone who deserves this honor more. Robin is one of the great leaders in this organization's 55-year history.” Karen Sealander, a partner with Waters in the firm of McDermott Will & Emery, told the honoree, “Everyone in this room owes you a debt of gratitude.” She added that “Without her insight, tenacity, and knowledge of dispensing,” the Food and Drug Administration might have taken away the right of hearing instrument specialists to practice. The presentation motivated Scott Austin, BC-HIS, another former IHS president, to anμnounce that he was donating $1000 to the Advocacy Alliance of IHS in Robin Clowers's name. That inspired a host of additional contributions totaling over $7000 to the Alliance.Figure: Robin Clowers proudly brought Sara, her and her husband Michael Clowers's first grandchild, to the meeting.

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