Here is a selection of some of the top news items (by online readership) and headlines during the past year, month by month:
January 2019
NIDCD’s Mission Focuses on Hearing and Balance Research
Evidence that Hearing Aids Could Slow Cognitive Decline in Later Life
Passings: Robert Schulein, Audio Engineer, Inventor
US Hearing Aid Sales Increase by 5.3% in 2018; Approach 4-Million Unit Mark
Widex-Sivantos EU Merger Application Reopened
February 2019
Eric Timm Appointed CEO of Sivantos, Inc.
Widex Introduces Second-Generation AI Feature, SoundSense Learn
Blog: Seasonality in Hearing Aid Sales
Hearing Loss May Be Associated with Higher Rate of Cognitive Decline
Veterans File Lawsuits Against 3M Alleging Combat Earplugs Caused Hearing Problems
Merger between Widex and Sivantos Receives Final Clearance from European Commission
Sonova Forges New Path with Marvel: An Interview with Sonova CEO Arnd Kaldowski
IntriCon Reports Sales Increase of 28.5% in 2018
ASHA, AAA, and ADA Agree to Joint Legislative Initiative on Medicare Legislation
New Hear-it Report Documents Extraordinary Costs of Hearing Loss in EU
Researchers Restore Hearing via Gene Therapy in Deaf Mouse Model
Passings: Dr Noel Cohen, Co-founder NYU Langone Cochlear Implant Center, MD, Professor
March 2019
Sivantos & Widex Finalize Merger to Become WS Audiology
CVS to Close About 30 Hearing Centers
Sivantos Launches Styletto Connect from Signia
Eargo Raises Over $52 Million in Series D Funding Round
Westone Acquires Custom Protect Ear
GN Store Nord Releases 2018 Annual Report
HIA Launches “Hear Well. Stay Vital.” Campaign to Promote Hearing Awareness
Lantos Technologies Releases New 3D Ear Scanning System
Signia Styletto Receives 2019 iF Gold Design Award
April 2019
AAA 2019 Convention Features “The Best of Audiology” in Columbus, Ohio
Adults Under 50 with Hearing Loss May Have Higher Risk of Substance Use
Philips Hearing Aids Introduced by Demant
Sandy Brandmeier Assumes Role of President, Hearing Instruments Wholesale, Sonova USA
Blog: BlameySaunders and the “Blended Model” in Hearing Aid Dispensing
Bragi Sells Product Business, According to Media Reports
Researchers Identify 38 New Mouse Genes Related to Hearing Loss
Best Practices for Eligibility for Captioned Telephone Services Suggested by AAA and ASHA
Listen Technologies Appoints Maile Keone, President
Study Shows Older Adults with Hearing Loss at Higher Risk for Depression
‘Bloomberg Businessweek’ Profiles Starkey Hearing Technologies
May 2019
Hearing Aid Sales Increase by 2.5% in First Quarter of 2019
NIH Names Debara L. Tucci as Next NIDCD Director
MedRx Celebrates 25th Anniversary
‘New York Times’ Opinion Piece Argues for Stricter FDA Regulation of Medical Devices
GN Hearing Names Scott Davis as President, GN Hearing North America
Oticon Medical Obtains FDA 501(k) Clearance to Market Ponto 4
Amplifon Off to a Hot Start in 2019
Smartphone App to Detect Ear Infections Developed at University of Washington
June 2019
Obesity During Adolescence May be Associated with Risk of Hearing Loss, Researchers Find
Malaria Drug Could Help Prevent Form of Hereditary Hearing Loss
Cochlear Receives FDA Approval for Nucleus Profile Plus and Nucleus 7 Sound Processor
Oticon Medical Launches Ponto 4
ASHA Publishes Data on Annual Salaries from New Audiology Survey
Researchers Find Connection Between Tinnitus, Brain Inflammation
July 2019
UnitedHealthcare Launches Hearing Website, UnitedHealthcare Hearing
WHO Releases New Noise Exposure Guidelines for Europe
Intricon Enters into Partnership with Puretone; Sells PC Werth to Warner Tech-care
Noise and Age Affect Sound Processing Differently, Study Finds
Vertigo May Lower Chance of Recovery from SSHL
Hearing Aid Sales Increase by 3.8% in First Half of 2019
Sonova to Supply Costco Kirkland Signature (KS9) Hearing Aids
FDA Warns About CSF Shunts and Possible Magnetic Interactions with Implanted Hearing Devices
Hearing Aids May Protect the Brain in Later Life
Discovery in Mice Points to Potential Treatment for Vestibular Disorders
FDA Approves Med-El Cochlear Implant Systems for SSD and Asymmetric Hearing Loss
Starkey Hearing Foundation Hosts Inaugural Summer Sounds Annual Benefit
Hearing Loss May Be Linked to Mental, Physical, and Social Ailments
Vision and Hearing Loss Associated with Increased Dementia Risk in Older Adults
August 2019
AAA, ADA, ASHA, HLAA Endorse ‘Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2019′
Blog: Recent Audiology Rankings Pose Some Questions
Alpaca Audiology Merges with Belsono Management Group
Phonak Appoints Angela Pelosi As Director of Global Audiology
The American Academy of Otolaryngology Foundation Updates Sudden Hearing Loss Guideline
Parental Mental Illness May Be Associated with Suicide in Adults with Tinnitus
Researchers Develop Potential Treatment for Auditory Processing Disorders, Tinnitus
Marvel 2.0 Makes RogerDirect Available in All Phonak Marvel Hearing Aids
Otohub Becomes Part of Amplifon Group
Illinois Now Requires Insurers to Cover Cost of Hearing Aids and Services for Seniors
Phonak Launches Sky Marvel for Children
September 2019
WS Audiology Promotes Bernard and Bender to New Leadership Roles
GN Hearing Announces Direct Streaming from Android to Hearing Devices
Oticon Launches Xceed, Xceed Play, and CROS Hearing Solutions
Demant Group Companies Hit by Cyber Attack
Hearing Aids May Lead to Lower Rates of Dementia, Depression, and Anxiety
Chronic Conductive Hearing Loss May Result in Speech Recognition Deficits
‘Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2019’ Introduced in US Senate
Signia Introduces Xperience Platform with Motion Sensor Technology
Passings: Thomas McDonald, MD, Former Chair of ENT Department at Mayo Clinic
Audioscan Releases ProbeGUIDE Precision Probe Tube Placement Tool
Inaugural Empower Conference Tackles Changes in Hearing Healthcare
GN Announces Gitte Pugholm Aabo as CEO of GN Hearing
IHS 2019 Convention Sets the Stage for Future
Tribute: Paul Willoughby Jr, Hearing Care Expert and Chronicler
Blueprint Solutions Celebrates 10th Anniversary of US HQ
What Sen Elizabeth Warren and President Trump Have in Common
October 2019
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Releases Draft Guideline on Tinnitus
Sonova Hosts Global Media Day at Corporate Headquarters in Switzerland
Pediatric Hearing Loss May Lead to Changes in Brain’s Sound Processing
New Study Suggests Pesticides May Be Linked to Havana Diplomats’ Mysterious Symptoms
Inaugural AudBoss Summit Held in Naples, Fla
Sonic to Display Captivate and Trek at EUHA Congress
Phonak Announces 1 Million Marvel Hearing Aid Fittings
Harsh Sounds May Activate Brain Area Involved in Salience and Aversion
Neuromod Closes on $8.75 Million Funding Round
US Hearing Aid Sales Rise by 4.9% Through Q3 2019
House Clinic and House Ear Institute Relaunch as House Institute
Biologist Experiments with CRISPR Technology on Hearing Loss Gene
Does Tinnitus Get Worse as Hearing Loss Increases in Severity?
Tribute: Robyn M. Cox, PhD, Audiology Researcher and Co-developer of the APHAB
EPFL is Developing Soft Hearing Implants
November 2019
Blog: OTC Hearing Aid Proposed Regulations Likely Delayed Until Q1 2020
AuDACITY 2019 Spotlights Hearing Loss in Older Adults
Mild Hearing Loss May Be Associated with Mental Decline in Seniors
Signia Launches Pure Charge&Go X Hearing Aid
Interacoustics Launches AD528 Audiometer in the US
Healthy Diet May Reduce Risk of Acquired Hearing Loss
NJIT Engineer Proposes a New Model for the Way Humans Localize Sounds
Genedrive Pediatric Hearing Screening Test Receives CE Marking
Starkey’s Livio AI Featured in ‘TIME’s 100 Best Inventions of 2019′ List
Demant Launches High-end Audio Headset Company, EPOS
ZPower Appoints Glynne Townsend as President and CEO
December 2019
FDA Approves New System for Delivery of Ear Tubes Under Local Anesthesia
Sensorion Scuttles SENS-111 Vestibulopathy Drug to Focus on Sudden Hearing Loss
British and Irish Hearing Aid Sales Up, but Mixed, says BIHIMA
Researchers ‘Reprogram’ Mature Inner Ear Cells to Regenerate
Senators Grassley and Warren Request Update on ‘OTC Hearing Aid Act’
Cochlear Osia 2 System Receives FDA Clearance
Med-El USA Launches BCI 602 Implant for Bonebridge
Tremetrics Acquires Monitor Instruments
Medicare Audiology Provisions Pass US House of Representatives