This year, the European Union of Hearing Aid Acousticians (EUHA) and the German Hearing Instruments Industry Association (BVHI) announce the debut of the Digital EUHA Congress, which was organized after the postponement of the annual in-person conference to 2021, due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

The new format features a broad range of the latest in expert knowledge, product innovations, and digital ways to connect for attendees, speakers, and exhibiting companies, according to EUHA.

The Digital Future Friday, running from 9 AM to 5 PM CEST on October 9, 2020, is the kick-off to the event. In four keynote presentations from “internationally renowned speakers” held from 2:00 to 4:30 PM, registered attendees will learn everything worth knowing about the most innovative topics from hearing aid acoustics and hearing aid technology. 

2:05-2:25 PM CEST “Putting the ‘AI’ in Patient-centered Hearing Healthcare

Dave Fabry, PhD, Chief Innovation Officer, and Archelle Georgiou, MD, Chief Health Officer, Starkey Hearing Technologies 

2:40-3:00 PM CEST “Upcoming Bluetooth Enhancements to Improve the Lives of People with Hearing Loss

Ken Kolderup, Vice President Marketing, Bluetooth SIG, Kirkland, USA 

3:15-3:35 PM CEST “If You Want to Keep Your Brain Sharp, Take Care of Your Ears

Professor Dr Marlies Knipper, Hearing Research Centre, ENT Clinic, Tübingen University Hospital 

3:50-4:10 PM CEST “Remote Fitting—Opportunities and Risks

Professor Dr Steffen Kreikemeier, Aalen University 

German lectures will be captioned with English subtitles, and vice versa. Following each presentation, attendees will have a chance to ask questions in a live chat held in the auditorium. 

On the virtual show floor of the Digital Future Friday, of which registered visitors are free to explore, companies will be showcasing their technological developments and product innovations at virtual exhibition booths, called “Company Info Points.” Company presentations will be online between 9 AM and 5 PM CEST and visitors are invited to use live chats or video calls to talk to company staff; documents and presentations will be available for download. 

As part of the Digital EUHA Congress, a program of specialist lectures given by speakers from Germany and abroad will start from October 10. All lectures will be available online from October 10 to November 8, 2020. Every Friday during that period, some of the speakers will be happy to answer questions in an expert talk conducted in the EUHA digital chatroom between 2 and 3 PM. Registered attendees are invited to ask their questions in the EUHA digital Auditorium using the chat function, or by sending an e-mail to [email protected] in the run-up to the event. Details on the availability of the lecturers in the chatroom can be found in the schedule for EUHA digital here.

 EUHA Digital features the following experts: 

Professor Dr Birger Kollmeier: “Hearing for All: From Empirical Hearing Research Towards Modern Precision Audiology” 

Achin Bhowmik, PhD, Dave Fabry, PhD: “The Speed of Innovation

Dr Jérôme Servais: “Networking Acousticians and Clinics“

Dr Florian Schmidt: “Dependence of Speech Intelligibility on the Electrical Stimulation Level and Changes in Impedance During the First Year of Application: Old and New Insights“ 

Dr Habil Tobias Weißgerber: “Impact of the Noise Condition on Speech Perception and Listening Effort in Users of Auditory Implants” 

Professor Dr Tobias Moser: “Towards the Optical Cochlear Implant: Optogenetic Stimulation of the Auditory Pathway“

Sascha Haag, MA: “Hearable Versus Medical Device—Competitive Battle or Opportunity?“

Professor Dr Ulrich Hoppe: “Influence of Fitting Practice on Satisfaction, Feeling of Security and Self-confidence Among Hearing Aid Users“

Dr Hendrik Husstedt: “Custom-made Hearing Protectors with Hearing Aids as Medical Devices and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)“

Erich Bayer: “Smart Earmolds for Smart Hearing Systems“

Hans-Christian Drechsler: “Metrics to Quantify Performance of Hearing Aid Systems in Different Listening Environments“

Dipl.-Ing. Horst Warncke: “Watch the Brain Listen“

Melanie Krüger, MSc: “What is Listening Effort and How Can We Measure it in a Daily Routine?“

Christophe Lesimple: “Evaluation of a Hearing Aid Fitting Protocol Optimized for Active Musicians“

Simon Müller, MSc: “Artificial Intelligence and Its Applications“

Participants registered for the Digital EUHA Congress can take part in the Digital Future Friday, access the Company Info Points, and watch any of the EUHA digital lectures made available until November 8, 2020. Participation in the Digital EUHA Congress is free of charge. Attendees can register here.

More information on the Digital Future Friday, the Company Info Points, and the EUHA digital lectures is available on the EUHA website here.

Source: EUHA