Hearing Health Theme Lead attends international advisory group
In May Hearing Health Theme Lead, Professor Kevin Munro, attended the Phonak Paediatric Advisory Board in Nashville.
Phonak is a leading international hearing device company with a particular interest in children with hearing loss, with a commitment to creating hearing solutions that change people’s lives to thrive socially and emotionally.
The Phonak Paediatric Advisory Board was established in 1998 and is made up of 12 expert clinicians and researchers from across the world. The board meets annually to help recommend and support industry best practice in paediatric audiology, as well as plan conferences, write practitioner fact sheets and discuss current research activities. It is also an opportunity for board members to share their own research projects and findings.
A key tangible output from the advisory board is the series of ‘Sound Amplification’ international conferences that regularly attract paediatric audiologists from the NHS.
Professor Kevin Munro
Professor Munro, who has been a member of the board for around 10 years, took the meeting as an opportunity to introduce the board to the NIHR Manchester BRC, with specific details about the Hearing Health Theme, concentrating on projects that have a paediatric focus e.g., new assessment and diagnostic procedures, and genetic sequencing in babies who fail their new-born hearing check and are confirmed as having a hearing loss.
Going forward the BRC will work collaboratively with Phonak as Dr Stefan Launer, Vice President for Research and Innovation at Phonak has recently been appointed an Honorary Professor at The University of Manchester. Dr Launer will be working closely with the Hearing Health Theme and help strengthen links with industry and commercialisation.