ListenUp!

Dr. Meredith Holcomb is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Hearing Implant Program at the University of Miami’s Department of Otolaryngology. She spent the first 13 years of her career at the Medical University of South Carolina, working as an assistant professor and Clinical Director of their Cochlear Implant Program.

Dr. Holcomb is a past chair of the American Cochlear Implant Alliance Board of Directors and is currently on the Audiology Advisory Council for Advanced Bionics. She received her Doctorate in audiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As awareness spreads for cochlear implants, so do the questions. Many people are uncertain about hearing treatment that goes beyond a simple, removable hearing aid. The best remedy for this confusion is education, and who better to educate than Dr. Meredith Holcomb. Dr. Holcomb is the Director of the Hearing Implant Program at the University of Miami. She has become an expert in the hearing implant field and has refined her program’s process over the years. So how can you successfully educate and lead people through getting their cochlear implants? Dr. Mark Syms invites Dr. Meredith Holcomb, an Associate Professor and the Director of the Hearing Implant Program at the University of Miami, onto the ListenUp! Podcast to talk about the cochlear implant process from start to finish. They break down each step, how they take care of their patients, and some of their unique practices. Dr. Holcomb also talks about why they contract out two processors and work with multiple implant companies.

Beth Eckel is the Founder and an artist at Doctor’s Art Gallery, a studio that specializes in creating and restoring anatomical artwork. She is a creative leader with her own design firm — Beth Eckel Designs — where she oversees the entire creative process. In the past, she has worked as an art director, multimedia designer, and motion graphic designer. 

Beth graduated from the Barcelona Academy of Art, where she studied Classical Realism Painting and Drawing.

The worlds of audiology and art rarely overlap. With so much emphasis on the treatment and business aspects, it can be a cold and clinical environment.

Beth Eckel, a classically-trained artist, saw this void and started working directly with medical professionals to create stunning art pieces that maintain precise anatomical accuracy. Her work has reached several medical fields, including audiology. In this episode of the ListenUp! Podcast, Dr. Mark Syms talks with Beth Eckel, Founder and artist behind Doctor’s Art Gallery, to discuss her work. They talk about her time studying in Barcelona, how she maintains accuracy, why she started working with medical professionals, and the craziest project she’s ever completed.

Gregory Scott is the Founder of SoundPrint, an app that empowers users to search for places based on sound levels. He is considered a valuable resource within the audiology industry and has spoken at conferences including the Acoustical Society of America, the National Hearing Conservation Association, and the Hearing Loss Association of America.

Making your way in the world with hearing loss can be difficult. Even without hearing loss, the risk of permanent hearing damage is shockingly common in modern society. Unfortunately, there are very few tools that can help people know the audio profile of places before they arrive. That’s where SoundPrint comes in. Gregory Scott is the Founder of SoundPrint, an app that creates a database for the noise levels of real-world locations. This allows people to find quiet spaces anywhere and helps warn people of potentially damaging levels. So how does the app work and where did it originate? Dr. Mark Syms has an informative conversation with Gregory Scott, the Founder of SoundPrint, to discuss the new app. The two discuss how it was made, the technology behind it, and its most practical applications. They go onto other topics such as young hearing loss, good audio environments for conversations, and how different devices measure sound. Hear all of this and much more on this episode of the ListenUp! Podcast.

Nicholas Pitt is a third-generation hearing expert serving through his family’s hearing practice. He is a Hearing Instrument Specialist at HearingLife and was the Vice President of Optimal Hearing Systems, Inc. He has thorough experience as an educator, having taught everywhere from Tokyo to Istanbul to Georgia and more. His focus is on empowering patients and making the best information available.

Running a successful audiology practice is difficult, and many principles do not carry over to hearing care companies. While similar, there are some key differences, both in practice and on the operational side. Hearing care comes from its own legacy and practices. For Nicholas Pitt, that legacy includes his family lineage. He is a third-generation hearing expert with additional background in education. That unique combination has allowed him to be an experienced specialist, a great leader, and a thorough communicator. So what principles from his hearing care practice should you consider for yours? In this episode of the ListenUp! Podcast, Dr. Mark Syms has a discussion with Nicholas Pitt, a Hearing Instrument Specialist for HearingLife, to talk about his own experience with his practice and his insights on hearing care. They go through his background in education, improving the family business, and instilling core values. They also touch on the hiring process and finding strengths in different professions.

Mark Lorigan is a patient at ListenUp! Hearing Center. He spent almost four years as a medical corpsman in the Navy. He has a bachelor’s degree in biology and worked in the pharmaceutical industry in medical sales for 27 years. He has experience with sudden and dramatic hearing loss and wants to help increase awareness by sharing his journey.

Many people assume that hearing loss is a particular issue with only a few treatments. However, there are multiple causes that require specific care. Mark Lorigan was an average person before he discovered two layers to his hearing loss: fluid on his eardrum and gradual damage over a lifetime. Receiving treatment for the first helped show him the need for the second. In light of this, he wants to share his journey and encourage others to take the steps he did toward better hearing. Dr. Mark Syms invites one of his patients, Mark Lorigan, to talk about his hearing experience on this episode of the ListenUp! Podcast. Together, they break down Mr. Lorigan’s initial issues and how they revealed his untreated hearing loss. They talk about the immediate benefits, listening to the people in your life on health issues, and how people adapt to hearing aids over time.

Amanda Mason is a licensed clinical social worker with two decades of experience. During her tenure as a social worker, she worked in healthcare in managerial and clinical roles. She has worked through her hearing loss through consistent treatment. She is married and is a proud mother of two children.

There is a large divide between medical advice from professionals and advice from other patients. While the expertise of audiologists is most important, it can be comforting to hear from other people struggling with hearing loss. Amanda Mason is experienced with her own hearing loss, having struggled with it since birth. She has overcome many challenges by receiving different hearing treatments and technology. Her story serves as a powerful and informed example for others, and now she shares that story with you. In this episode of the ListenUp! Podcast, Dr. Mark Syms invites Amanda Mason, a patient of his, to discuss her own journey with hearing loss. They talk about her early childhood, how hearing aids have changed over the years, and when she finally made the jump to try a cochlear implant. They also touch on the real world effects of both her hearing loss and the treatments she received.

Dr. Keith Darrow is an audiologist and neuroscientist with over 20 years in hearing health care. He is the Founder of Excellence in Audiology, a network that provides guidance for people who need hearing restoration and tinnitus treatment.

Dr. Darrow has worked as a speaker and content producer for AuDExperts. He is the host of The Dr. Darrow Podcast and has written several books including Preventing Decline, Stop Living in Isolation, and Healthy Food Healthy Brain.

As research continues to corroborate the connection between audiology and neuroscience, the need for shared education grows. Audiologists need to be considering the full scope of a patient’s health. Fortunately, there are leaders in the industry who are helping make the change. Dr. Keith Darrow is a respected figure in audiology and neuroscience. He works as a consultant and even runs a bootcamp to help unify education in the two fields. His experience and network of specialists is quickly growing, so what do you need to know about the changing landscape? In this episode of the ListenUp! Podcast, Dr. Mark Syms talks with Dr. Keith Darrow about the intersection of audiology and neuroscience. They discuss his bootcamp, the advice he gives for general practices, and how testing can be improved. They then touch on patient health and how the rise of over-the-counter hearing aids will affect the future.

Dr. Jacob Hunter is currently the Dedman Family Scholar in Clinical Care and an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern. He has worked as an Assistant Professor for the UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Dr. Hunter started his medical career as an Otolaryngology Resident at Montefiore Medical Center. He completed his Neurotology Surgery Fellowship at Vanderbilt, where he specialized in acoustic neuroma surgery, cochlear implants, skull base surgery and chronic ear disease.

Epidemics are associated with infectious, quick-spreading diseases. However, the same principle applies to any medical issue that expands quicker than treatment can cover. The need for cochlear implants falls into this perfectly — the patients who could benefit from the technology greatly outnumber those receiving treatment. As a result, thousands upon thousands of people are living with deteriorating hearing loss and have made little effort to change their situation. So what can be done to provide more hearing care? On this episode of the ListenUp! Podcast, Dr. Mark Syms talks with Dr. Jacob Hunter, an Associate Professor at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, about the state of cochlear implants. They discuss raising awareness, utilizing data to make informed decisions, and building infrastructure. Lastly, they touch on the personal element of hearing counseling and how it plays into education.

Dr. Thomas Powers is a healthcare executive with over 35 years of experience in the hearing healthcare space. He has published over 40 articles and over 200 presentations on various audiological topics including technology, technique, and disruptive innovations. He is a Strategic Advisor for the Hearing Industry Association and has his own consultancy, Powers Consulting. 32 years of his career were spent with Siemens Hearing Instruments.

Over-the-counter hearing aids have presented a unique challenge to the audiology space. Having access to technology without corresponding treatment can be valuable for some patients but problematic for others. Many professionals in the industry have thoughts and concerns, especially Dr. Thomas Powers. Working as a consultant, Dr. Powers knows the importance of care in combination with hearing aids. He has seen the rise in the OTC model and is able to help illuminate what the future holds.

In this episode of ListenUp! Podcast, Dr. Mark Syms interviews Dr. Thomas Powers about OTC hearing aids and what the public needs to know about them. They talk about the cost, how they have introduced ambiguity to the field, and the government regulations that affect them. They also touch on the retail component of hearing aids that is often overlooked.

Reese Jones is a Practice Trainer at AuDExperts where he works with practices around the country, training their staff to better help patients. He is dedicated to resolving the healthcare epidemic of hearing loss and the cognitive dysfunction associated with it. Before entering his current role, he worked at Intermountain Audiology Hearing Clinics and EIA Media Group. He is also a Kolbe Certified Consultant, administering assessments that measure the instinctual skill set of each individual.

Audiology is a unique and often challenging branch of healthcare. While many ailments and diseases are treated with urgency, there can be reluctance when it comes to hearing loss. The danger and difficulty still exist without the same willingness from most patients. What many people need is someone outside the conventional system to talk to them. Reese Jones fills this need through his role at AuDExperts. Rather than merely sell patients on his own treatment or technology, he makes recommendations and helps them from a compassionate angle. So how does he do it? In this episode of the ListenUp! Podcast, Dr. Mark Syms sits down with Reese Jones, a Practice Trainer at AuDExperts, to go over conversations with patients and how to navigate them. They talk about Reese’s own unique entrance into the field, his approach to those conversations, and the common questions that patients ask. They also touch on valuable resources that people should know.