 AAAF News
|
The Oticon Foundation and AAAF Announce Expanded Partnership on the Marion Downs Lecture in Pediatric Audiology
At the 2009 Marion Downs Lecture in Dallas, Brad Stach, AAAF Board Chair, announced that the AAAF had receive a generous grant of over $80,000 from The Oticon Foundation to continue funding of the Marion Downs Lecture in Pediatric Audiology through 2014. Stach was joined by Oticon representatives, Donald Schum and Henning Falster, as he stated that this continuing partnership with the Oticon Foundation had been expanded to include an annual live Webcast of the presentation from the convention city, and on demand viewing of the lecture through eAudiology for one year following the live broadcast. This new funding will allow international access at no charge to the lecture through the Academy’s continuing education program for one year following the live broadcast.
“We are pleased that The Oticon Foundation will continue to partner with the American Academy of Audiology Foundation on this worthy education endeavor,” said Peer Lauritsen, President of Oticon, Inc. “We are especially pleased that the grant will allow international access to the Marion Downs Lecture. We can think of no more fitting tribute to Dr. Downs’s wonderful legacy than promoting educational excellence for the next generation of pediatric audiologists.”
Cheryl Kreider Carey, Executive Director and AAAF Board Member, was thrilled to learn of the grant in March:
Since 2005, the grant from the Oticon Foundation allowed us to feature five first-rate presentations by leaders in the field of pediatric audiology, beginning with researcher Anu Sharma in 2005, and last month in Dallas, neurotologist Dr. Richard Miyamoto, a renown expert in cochlear implantation. I am so excited that this new funding will give us the ability to make this lectureship available internationally to audiologists and others interested in ensuring quality hearing healthcare for infants and children all over the world. I thank The Oticon Foundation for this most generous gift and applaud their visionary thinking that will ensure widespread dissemination of the cutting-edge information offered at the Lecture each year. The AAAF will work with former AAAF board members, Jerry Northern, long-time collaborator with Dr. Downs, and Carol Flexer, AudiologyNOW!® 2010 Featured Session Chair, to select a speaker for the first live broadcast from in San Diego next spring.
 |