Featured Sessions
These will include topics such as Hearing Aids in Review: 2025; Advanced Gene Therapies; Ethical Considerations; an Interdisciplinary Team Discussion focused on Audiology and Sports Medicine; Diagnosing and Treating Hidden Hearing Loss; Implantable Devices; Helping Audiologists have open, confident conversations about pricing; and more.
The Marion Downs Lecture, a signature AAA event, is set for Friday morning and will focus on the relationship between rapid auditory processing deficits in infancy to later language and cognitive delays.
Wednesday, April 22, 12:30—2:00 pm
Moderator: Alaina Bassett, AuD, PhD
Panelists: Jamie Bogle, AuD, PhD; Rosemarie Scolaro Moser, PhD; Joel Marquez, DPT, PT, ATC, LAT; Anthony Kontos, PhD
Concussions are increasingly recognized as complex, multisystem injuries that affect not only cognition and vision but also auditory and vestibular pathways. This session will highlight the essential yet often underappreciated role of audiologists in the assessment and management of athletes with concussion-related dizziness, balance disturbances, and auditory cognitive deficits. The discussion will emphasize an interprofessional, evidence-based approach to recovery and decision-making for return-to-learn and return-to-play.
The panel will feature a team of experts representing audiology, athletic training, neuropsychology, and physical therapy. Together, they will explore the clinical overlap among auditory, vestibular, cognitive, and musculoskeletal systems following mild traumatic brain injury and outline practical strategies for collaboration across disciplines.
Wednesday, April 22, 2:15-3:15 pm
Speaker: Lindsay Bryan-Podvin, Mind Money Balance
This Featured Session tackles one of the most challenging aspects of audiology practice: having open, confident conversations about pricing. Rooted in both psychology and practical communication strategies, the session explores why money is often difficult to talk about, examining cultural, personal, and professional factors that contribute to discomfort, and offers tools to shift the mindset from “selling” to “serving.” Participants will learn how to reframe discussions around non-covered services in terms of patient outcomes, long-term value, and quality of care, while gaining specific, patient-centered phrases, analogies, and storytelling techniques to normalize cost conversations. Each participant will walk away with a toolkit of conversation starters, strategies, and take-home resources to continue building financial fluency and trust with patients in their own clinical setting.
Thursday April 23, 8:00 - 9:30 am
Presenters: Richard Gurgel, MD; Margaret Dillon, AuD, PhD; René Gifford, AuD; Aaron Moberly, MD
Moderator: Sarah Sydlowski, AuD, PhD, MBA
Thursday April 23, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Presenters: Jonathon Whitton, AuD, PhD; Tera Quigley, AuD; Anne Hiockox, PhD
Advances in molecular medicine now enable precise diagnosis of hearing loss in children by identifying specific genetic causes. These molecular diagnoses can pinpoint dysfunction in individual proteins within various cell types of the ear, revealing the root cause of hearing loss. Innovative gene therapy technologies have made it possible to deliver targeted genomic treatments directly to specific inner ear cell types, addressing the underlying mechanisms that cause hearing loss. Several gene therapies for inherited hearing loss are currently being evaluated in clinical trials, showing promising potential for treating these conditions. This session will provide attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the diagnostic and treatment landscape for pediatric hearing loss. Presenters will outline the molecular diagnostic process for identifying genetic causes of hearing loss in pediatric patients and present emerging clinical trial data on the efficacy and safety of novel gene therapies. The session will bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and clinical practice, offering insights into how molecular diagnostics and gene therapy are transforming future treatment options for children with inherited hearing loss. Attendees will gain valuable knowledge about how these breakthrough technologies are moving from experimental concepts to real-world therapeutic solutions for families affected by genetic hearing loss.
Friday, April 24, 8:00—9:00 am
Presenters: Aryn Kamerer, PhD
What happens when we tell a patient seeking help for their hearing concerns that their hearing is normal? In this session, we will look at how well recommended diagnostic guidelines can explain reported hearing ability and handicap in people with normal audiometric thresholds; how patients with unexplained concerns perceive their evaluation appointment; and how practicing audiologists and graduate students make clinical decisions and interact with these patients during the evaluation appointment. From these studies we will learn where there is dissonance between patient and provider experiences that we can address to provide the best person-centered care.
Friday, April 24, 9:30—11:00 am
Presenters: April Benasich, PhD; Gabriella Musacchia, Ph.D.
Rapid auditory processing (RAP) abilities—fine-grained acoustic discrimination in the tens-of-milliseconds range—constitute a robust predictor of later language development and related disorders. Findings from our longitudinal research indicate that early neural timing precision in response to brief, non-linguistic stimuli predicts language, literacy, and executive function. Moreover, targeted acoustic enrichment during infancy enhances these developmental trajectories. Behavioral, EEG, and oscillatory evidence demonstrate that interactive exposure to temporally modulated sounds refines neural timing mechanisms underlying phoneme discrimination. Finally, we discuss clinical translation, emphasizing current measures and developing research on early identification and intervention in at-risk infants.
Friday April 24, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Presenters: Pawel Jastreboff, PhD, ScD, MBA & 2026 Jerger Career Award Winner
Since the 1970s research and treatment of tinnitus and Decreased Sound Tolerance (DST, i.e., hyperacusis and misophonia) have improved significantly. Nevertheless, a number of issues hinder future progress. There is no generally agreed-upon standard for evaluation and management of tinnitus and DST in clinical practice. Despite numerous proposed therapies, clinical trials for tinnitus and DST lag behind those for other chronic conditions. Even with the consensus of tinnitus as a phantom auditory perception, there are still differences in opinion regarding its definition, and even larger differences regarding definition of DST, particularly misophonia. Despite the well-recognized frequent co-occurrence of tinnitus, DST, and hearing loss, the interrelationship and mutual influence of these conditions are typically not accounted for in studies investigating the mechanisms of tinnitus and DST and in clinical trials. In clinical studies there is a lack of consensus regarding the recruiting and inclusion / exclusion criteria of subjects’ selection. The lack of consensus on which profession is best equipped to treat tinnitus, and DST often results in the recommendation of a multi-disciplinary "umbrella approach" for evaluation and treatment. This presentation will argue why this strategy may not be optimal in real-world clinical settings, and why audiologists are the professionals best suited for the diagnosis and management of tinnitus and DST.
Friday, April 24, 2:30—4:00 pm
Presenters: Catherine Palmer, PhD; Gus Mueller, PhD; Ryan McCreery, PhD
Gus, Ryan and Catherine have been reading the hearing aid literature all year long and Hearing Aids in Review is their summary of the most clinically relevant findings that you can use Monday morning. You will leave the session feeling like you are up to date on the current hearing aid literature and ready to apply relevant findings to your clinical practice.
Saturday, April 25, 8:30—10:00 am
Presenters: Michael Page, Au.D; Deborah L. Carlson, PhD.
The application of Beauchamp and Childress' four principles of ethics in carceral environments reveals a core conflict and dilemma between the ethical duty of autonomy/beneficence/justice (providing choice, care, and access) and the imperative of non-maleficence (maintaining institutional order and fairness).
This conflict is most pronounced in operational contexts where divergent obligations give rise to a significant dual-loyalty dilemma, compelling audiologists, administrative officials, and custodial officers to mediate between the state’s mandate to maintain institutional security (a form of collective non-maleficence) and the corresponding ethical obligation to uphold the incarcerated patient’s right to clinically appropriate care.
Contraband interdiction, though essential, often necessitates a systematic and generative assessment of risks associated with ADA-mandated audiological devices. These devices, while serving critical accessibility functions, may inadvertently present security vulnerabilities due to the wide availability of component parts that can be nefariously and creatively repurposed for weaponization.
Grand Rounds
A grand round is a formal educational session that features a moderator and four presenters. During these sessions, four complex clinical cases, research findings, or new treatment protocols will be discussed.
Grand rounds serve not only as a platform for knowledge sharing but also as an opportunity for professional development, networking, and fostering a collaborative spirit among healthcare providers.
Thursday, April 23, 8:00– 9:30 am
Moderator: Lisa Christensen Vaughan, AuD
Presenters: Nicole Anzalone, AuD; Gary Fike, AuD; Whitney Swander, AuD
Description Coming Soon!
Thursday, April 23, 2:15–3:45 pm
Moderator: Sarah McAlexander, AuD
Presenters: Deborah Baerlocher, AuD; Katie M. Colella, AuD; Bridget Smith, AuD; Liz West Ellis, AuD
This session will feature four pediatric audiologists presenting complex clinical cases. The cases presented will cover a variety of pediatric cases, with a focus on innovative treatment and diagnostic protocols and use of novel research and evidence-based practice in a clinical setting. Speakers will highlight the importance of interprofessional collaboration, early identification and intervention of hearing and balance disorders in children, and family centered care. Each speaker will present for fifteen minutes, followed by time for questions from the audience.
Thursday, April 23, 4:00–5:30 pm
Moderator: Richard Roberts, PhD
Presenters: Robert Allen, AuD; Kelly Hansen, AuD; Robin Pinto, AuD; Jenna Trupp, AuD
Experienced audiologists from varied clinical practice settings will review unique clinical cases highlighting innovative practice and management approaches for vestibular disorders. This moderated, panel discussion will cover pathophysiology and evidence-based clinical care dizziness and imbalance concerns. Active attendee participation will be completed using either remote polling services or in-person polling.
Friday, April 24, 9:30–11:00 am
Moderator: Samantha Lewis, PhD
Presenters: Patricia Johnson, AuD; Shae Morgan, AuD, PhD; Kristine Trester, AuD; Bethany Brum, AuD
Description Coming Soon!
Friday, April 24, 2:30-4:00 pm
Moderator: Meagan Bachmann, AuD
Presenters: Melissa Caine, AuD ; Jordan Alyse Coffelt, AuD; Michelle Hu, AuD; Sarah Beth King, AuD; Laurie Mauro, AuD
The Cochlear Implant Grand Rounds session brings together audiologists from five cochlear implant programs to share and discuss complex, unique, and thought-provoking cases encountered in clinical practice. Presenters will highlight diagnostic challenges, management strategies, and outcomes that provide valuable insights into patient care. This interactive format fosters collaborative learning, encourages discussion of best practices, and explores innovative approaches to optimizing cochlear implant candidacy, programming, and rehabilitation.
Saturday, April 25, 8:15-9:45 am
Moderator: Brianna Kuzbyt, AuD
Presenters: Samantha Morehouse, AuD; Laguinn Sherlock, AuD; Ben Thompson, AuD; Melissa Wikoff, AuD
This advanced Grand Rounds session presents evidence-based tinnitus management through real-world cases from diverse clinical environments, including academic centers, private practice, and telehealth-focused care. Audiologists will highlight multimodal interventions, patient-centered counseling, and strategies for addressing comorbidities such as anxiety, insomnia, and sound sensitivity. Emphasis is placed on translating current research into practical care. Interactive discussion will focus on clinical reasoning, decision-making, and enhancing patient engagement, providing attendees with actionable insights to improve tinnitus assessment, management, and counseling across a variety of practice settings.
