In this Hearing Horizons podcast episode, Hearing Review Chief Editor Melanie Hamilton-Basich sits down with Robert Traynor, EdD, MBA, FNAP—a veteran audiologist, educator, and author—to discuss the fascinating world of forensic audiology. Traynor shares insights from his career as an expert witness and the opportunities this niche field offers audiologists. Drawing from his new book on forensic audiology, Traynor explores how audiologists can leverage their expertise in legal cases and why this practice is gaining traction within the profession.

During their conversation, they discuss:

• The historical barriers to audiologists serving as expert witnesses and how the emergence of the AuD credential has shifted perceptions in legal settings.
• Why forensic audiology is one of the most lucrative and engaging paths an audiologist can pursue.
• The steps audiologists can take to become forensic experts, from gaining clinical experience to completing expert witness training.
• What it’s like to testify as an expert, including how to handle depositions and the courtroom experience.
• How to balance a forensic audiology role with a clinical practice or academic position.
• Key considerations for conducting medico-legal evaluations, including the need for comprehensive diagnostic protocols.

Learn More:
To dive deeper into forensic audiology, check out Robert Traynor’s book, Forensic Audiology: A Primer for Expert Witnesses, available through Plural Publishing.

In this episode of the Hearing Horizons podcast, Associate Editor Andy Lundin talks with Laura Pratesi, AuD, president of the Audiology Practice Standards Organization (APSO) and owner of Citrus Hearing Clinic in Clermont, Florida. Together, they discuss APSO’s mission to define minimum standards of care for audiologists, the importance of these standards in advancing the profession, and how emerging technologies like AI and telehealth will shape the future of audiology. Pratesi also shares her personal journey into audiology and the driving passion behind her work with APSO.

In this Hearing Horizons podcast episode, Hearing Review Chief Editor Melanie Hamilton-Basich talks with Angela Bonino, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and director of the school's Children's Auditory Perception Laboratory, to discuss her research on why children with developmental disabilities tend not to get the best hearing assessments, and what can be done to change that. 

During their conversation, they discussed:

• How children with developmental disabilities have a significantly higher risk of hearing loss but often lack timely access to assessments.
• Why many of these children face challenges in receiving essential hearing tests, which delay diagnosis and care.
• Why audiologists should adapt hearing assessments to fit the unique developmental profiles of children with disabilities for better results.
• How working closely with pediatricians and other professionals ensures children with developmental disabilities receive proper, ongoing hearing care.

In this episode of the Hearing Horizons podcast, The Hearing Review’s Melanie Hamilton-Basich is joined by Patrick S. Kochanowski, BS, ACA, BC-HIS, IHS president, a longtime hearing instrument specialist and business owner who advocates for professional leadership and advancement in the field. He shares his perspective on hearing care as a hearing instrument specialist, emphasizing the importance of building trust with patients; reflects on his tenure as president of the International Hearing Society; and discusses what he sees as the most pressing matters for hearing care, now and in the future.

In this Hearing Horizons podcast episode, Hearing Review Chief Editor Melanie Hamilton-Basich talks with Bec Bennett, PhD, a clinical and research audiologist at National Acoustic Laboratories in Sydney, Australia, to talk about a program she and her team developed to help audiologists incorporate talking to patients about mental well-being into their practice.

Bec Bennett, BSc (Hons), MAud, MBus, Grad Dip Couns, PhD, is a clinical audiologist and senior research audiologist at National Acoustic Laboratories in Sydney, Australia, and an adjunct senior research fellow at Ear Science Institute Australia and the University of Western Australia. Her research focuses on adult audiological rehabilitation, teleaudiology service delivery, and the social and emotional impacts of hearing loss. She is a NHMRC Investigator Fellow and a director of the board, Audiology Australia.

Find out more about the research that was used to develop the AIMER framework: 

A Framework to Provide Mental Health Support for Hearing Loss

In this episode of the Hearing Horizons podcast, The Hearing Review Chief Editor Melanie Hamilton-Basich is joined by Stephanie Czuhajewski, MPH, executive director of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology, who shares her thoughts on the results of the new Synchrony “Hearing Health & Loss Prevention” study focused on what consumers ages 18-55 think about hearing loss and hearing care. They discuss the different reasons why more younger people don’t seek out hearing care and how audiologists and other HCPs could use insights from the study to better understand and help patients. 

In this episode of the Hearing Horizons podcast, The Hearing Review’s Chief Editor Melanie Hamilton-Basich is joined by audiologist and author Duncan Floyd to talk about why the Optimized Method of masking can be so helpful in audiometry. They discuss what the method is, when to use it, and why he thinks more hearing care professionals should make use of it in their practice. 

Duncan Floyd, MSc AuD, Reg. Audiologist, has been an audiologist for almost 30 years and has practiced in Canada, China, and the USA. He has clinical experience with both pediatric and adult caseloads and has worked in an ENT environment for over 20 years. For over a decade, Duncan was the clinical coordinator for audiology and a lecturer at Dalhousie University’s School of Communication Sciences and Disorders in his home province of Nova Scotia, Canada. He currently works in Halifax, Nova Scotia in an ENT clinic, is an adjunct professor at Dalhousie teaching acoustic immittance measures, and is co-owner of Accessible Hearing Solutions. He is author of The Masking Handbook (for Audiometry). 

In this episode of the Hearing Horizons podcast, The Hearing Review Chief Editor Melanie Hamilton-Basich is joined by industry veteran Michael Andreozzi, BS, BC-HIS, of Beltone, to talk about his perspective on the hearing industry’s past, present, and future based on his involvement over the last four decades. They discuss his experience as an advocate for hearing healthcare and a mentor to hearing aid specialists as well as what he considers the biggest changes in hearing care. 

In the latest edition of the Hearing Horizon’s podcast, Andy Lundin, associate editor of The Hearing Review, interviews Marshall Chasin, AuD, director of auditory research at the Musicians’ Clinics of Canada, adjunct professor at the University of Toronto, and adjunct associate professor at Western University. They discussed the nuances of tinnitus for musicians in differing age demographics, including the differences in treatment, how stress impacts the condition, and solutions to relieve or prevent tinnitus symptoms.