The 4th Conference of the Coalition for Global Hearing Health was recently held at Vanderbilt University and was considered to be a resounding international success, according to the organizers.
As in past conferences, multiple disciplines (this year representing 15 countries) met for two days (May 3-4, 2013) to confer on global hearing health care concerns in lower-resourced regions.
This year’s conference had several firsts. They included:
Accepting annual individual and organizational memberships to show support for the mission of the Coalition and to gain interaction and discussion with other like-minded people.
The first recipient of the Coalition for Global Hearing Health (CGHH) Travel Scholarship, Ned Carter of All Ears Cambodia based in Phnam Penh, due to a generous donation by Bob and Jean Johnson.
The first distribution of equipment due to the generous donation of portable battery powered audiometers by Purdue Pharmaceuticals. Each recipient is actively engaged in humanitarian hearing health works serving the low resourced.
A first poster session during the conference by international representatives presented on several important hearing health topics. The poster session was in addition to the oral presentations.
Attendees also heard a keynote speech by Lady Jean Wilson, OBE, FRCOphth (Hon). Wilson is currently the Chair of the Hearing Conservation Council; President of the UK Impact Foundation, and Vice President of Sightsavers International. She and her husband, Sir John Wilson, founded and established the Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind. Their extensive travel led to development of many national organizations for the blind in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Organizers are now planning for the next conference, but a date and location have yet to be announced.
