Who’s Who? Speakers and Leaders at AAA 2023+HearTECH Expo

We are starting things strong with five Learning Labs ($) sessions on Wednesday morning, from 8:00–11:00 am, that are hands-on, cutting-edge, and in-depth. So, you have a topic that piques your interest, want to know more about the expert guiding you? Read on!

Cerumen Management Workshop: Navigating Your Way Out of a Sticky Situation

Presented by Sam Bittel, AuD

Samuel N. Bittel, AuD, is an owner and vestibular specialist with Hearing and Balance Specialists of Kansas City. He earned his doctoral degree from Nova Southeastern University and completed his clinical training at the American Institute of Balance. Dr. Bittel teaches the doctoral audiology vestibular courses for the University of Kansas Medical Center, where is also an adjunct professor in the neurology department. Dr. Bittel is a regularly invited lecturer locally and nationally, on a wide range of topics and is actively involved with vestibular-specific clinical research, political audiology advocacy, and clinical education.

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Taking It to the Next Step – Patient-Centered Advanced Feature Verification

Presented by Lindsey Jorgensen, AuD, PhD

Lindsey Jorgensen, AuD, PhD, is an associate professor and chair of the department of communication disorders at the University of South Dakota, where she teaches, conducts research, and provides clinical services in the area of hearing aids and hearing assistive technology. Her research focuses on how to best personalize hearing technologies for patient individual cognitive, psychological, physical, and social needs. Dr. Jorgensen obtained her BS at the University of Washington, and completed her MA, AuD, and PhD at the University of Pittsburgh. She is usually juggling these activities with raising her two children, Gunnar and Teagan with her husband, Kyle.

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Practical Matters: Efficient and Effective Pediatric Assessment Utilizing Recent Research

Presented by Kelly Baroch, AuD; Lisa Hunter, PhD

Kelly Baroch, AuD, is a clinical audiologist in the Division of Audiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Baroch coordinates the Inpatient and Perioperative Audiology Program which she developed in 2003. Dr. Baroch completes diagnostic hearing evaluations, specializing in medically complex infants and children. She has given numerous state and national presentations on auditory brainstem response evaluation, early identification and intervention of hearing loss in the medically complex population, auditory development in infants, and the effects of the NICU environment on sensory development. She is involved with several research projects and consults with audiology and NICU programs nationally.

Lisa Hunter, PhD, is the scientific director for audiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, a primary investigator in the Communication Sciences Research Center, and professor of otolaryngology and communication sciences and disorders at the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Hunter’s clinical and research interests are physiologic tools for assessment of ototoxicity, and detection and intervention for hearing loss in newborns. She has authored more than 130 peer-reviewed and invited articles, as well as numerous chapters and books in pediatric audiology. She is currently doing National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research in preterm infants and ototoxicity.

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Clinical Application of Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMPs)

Presented by Richard Roberts, PhD; Daniel Romero, AuD

Richard A. Roberts, PhD, is associate professor and vice-chair of clinical operations for the department of hearing and speech sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. His primary research interests include assessment and management of vestibular dysfunction. Dr. Roberts has served on the Board of Directors of the Alabama Academy of Audiology, the American Academy of Audiology, and as a Trustee of the American Academy of Audiology Foundation. In 2021, he was recognized by the American Academy of Audiology with the Clinical Excellence in Audiology award. In 2022, he was honored as Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

Daniel J. Romero, AuD, is an assistant professor and licensed audiologist for the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. His primary research interests focus on understanding the role of the vestibular system and its impacts on dizziness and cognition in adults with traumatic brain injury, as well as the application of objective detection algorithms in vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) testing for use in vestibular screening. Dr. Romero serves as treasurer for the American Balance Society and advisor for the Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) Advisory Committee. He also co-hosts a vestibular-focused podcast called “A Dose of Dizzy.

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We Don’t Talk About Earmolds: Clinical Guidance in Music Audiology

Presented by Brian Fligor, ScD; and Frank Wartinger, AuD

Brian Fligor, PhD, PASC, is owner and staff audiologist at Tobias and Battite Hearing Wellness. He is cofounder and strategic clinical advisor to Lantos Technologies, Inc. He is adjunct faculty at Salus University, and has a track record of teaching AuD students and presenting at conferences on topics related to recreational noise-induced hearing loss, managing hearing disorders in musicians, and auditory pathologies. He is co-author of the Academy 2020 Clinical Consensus Document “Audiological Services for Musicians and Music Industry Personnel.” He is a consultant member of the World Health Organization (WHO) and founding co-chair of the WHO Make Listening Safe Initiative. He is consultant member of the Children’s Oncology Group, and author of several dozen peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and books on hearing loss in musicians and children.

Frank Wartinger, AuD, ABA-C, is the founder of Earmark Hearing Conservation, a music audiology clinic in Philadelphia. He serves on the CAOHC (Consult for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation) Course Director Committee, is an adjunct faculty member at Wayne State University, and co-authored the AAA 2020 Clinical Consensus Document “Audiological Services for Musicians and Music Industry Personnel”. He is an active member of the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) Music Induced Hearing Disorders Task Force and served as the NHCA Director of Communications from 2017–2019. Additionally, Dr. Wartinger created and hosts “Talking Ears” a musician-focused hearing health podcast.