On the Ear: An Audiology Podcast

Guest: Melissa Anderson, AuD, CCC-A: This episode explores cochlear nerve deficiency (CND) and its consequences, focusing on using cochlear implants in this population. The guest provides expert insights into counseling and programming, as well as what collaborating on a team to manage these patients looks like.

Guest: Margaret Dillon, AuD., Ph.D - Dr. Meg Dillon shares the history of treatment for single-sided deafness (SSD), how cochlear implants have become a good intervention option for this population, and how our approach to programming CI for SSD has evolved. Her new approaches include incorporating imaging and addressing frequency mismatch.

Guest: Matthew Bush, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS - Dr. Matthew Bush is a leader in the field of research regarding disparities in hearing healthcare. He shares his work in assessing these disparities and what clinicians can practically do to begin addressing these gaps and barriers to care.

Meredith Berger is the Director of Clarke School New York, a leader in the field of early intervention for children who are deaf and hard of hearing, and parent of a child with bilateral microtia/atresia. She discusses her experiences and the connections across these disciplines, as well as provides an in-depth discussion of microtia and atresia.

Guest: Derek Stiles, PhD, CCC-A - Dr. Stiles is the Director of the Diagnostic Audiology Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, and his team recently developed metrics for measuring productivity in their department. In this episode, he describes their process for developing wRVUs, how it affects workflow, and how current clinicians can incorporate these ideas into their productivity metrics.

Guest: Madison Howe, AuD, CCC-A - Dr. Howe shares the ways that clinicians can adjust their practice to improve inclusivity for their gender-diverse patients. Her discussion includes tips, training, language, and opportunities for growth that audiologists can utilize to ensure their care is compassionate and culturally competent.

Guest: Teddy McRackan, MD - The guest shares his work evaluating the poor correlation between cochlear implant speech recognition scores and patient-reported outcome measures. Discussion explores how we can improve pre-CI evaluations and patient expectations, as well as a new tool developed to assess CI Quality of Life.

Guest: J. Riley DeBacker, AuD, Ph.D. - Mentorship is a topic not often formally taught but critical to the success of professionals in a variety of backgrounds. Not only can mentorship benefit mentees, but also mentors and the profession as a whole. Dr. DeBacker shares his insights on the impact mentorship has played in his career, and how those not currently engaged can seek it out.

While many audiologists specialize in different types of care, such as tinnitus, vestibular, or cochlear implants, few emphasize the distinct connection between our field and that of musicians. Dr. Heather Malyuk is a clinician who focuses on providing cutting-edge care for musicians, as a specialist in Music and Alternative Audiology. She explains her work with this population, and how the future of audiology can be shaped by this work.

Pediatric audiologists serve a variety of roles in providing hearing healthcare, but in hospitals and medical-based programs, that role can stretch into the complex realm of palliative care. This discussion includes where the audiologist fits into this sensitive aspect of care, and how they can work collaboratively with other professionals involved.

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