The successfully revived 2009 Jackson Hole Rendezvous, sponsored by Starkey Laboratories Inc, Eden Prairie, Minn, took place last month with more than 70 industry leaders in attendance, says Starkey.
Barry Freeman, PhD, the company’s senior director of education and audiology, said in a statement issued by the company that the event was a successful meld of practical information and science, and that Starkey received excellent comments from participants about the quality and depth of the information presented.
The meeting opened with a discussion of the state of the hearing aid industry by Carole Rogin, Hearing Industries Association. Catherine Palmer, PhD, University of Pittsburgh Eye and Ear Institute, followed with a talk about telehealth and telemedicine. Chris Howes, Starkey software product manager, gave a demonstration of Starkey’s capabilities for fitting technology remotely and discussed the practical considerations when evaluating and fitting patients using telehealth strategies. Brent Edwards, PhD, VP of research at Starkey, delivered a presentation on the science of hearing and cognition.
The second day of the conference had a more clinical focus, featuring three speakers: Michael Valente, PhD, Washington University, discussed hearing aid fitting strategies for people with unilateral hearing loss; Todd Ricketts, PhD, Vanderbilt University, shared information about directional hearing; and Amyn Amlani, PhD, University of North Texas, discussed elasticity in hearing aid prices and market penetration.
Time was left for discussion about the presented topics throughout the event. The meeting wasn’t all work however—social events included a float down the Snake River, a chuck wagon dinner, and storytelling by Jon Richins, cowboy audiologist.
[Source: Starkey Laboratories]
