Summary:
The International Hearing Society (IHS) has announced its 2025 Award winners, honoring professionals for their leadership, advocacy, and dedication to advancing hearing healthcare.

Key Takeaways:

  • Award recipients include Samantha Sikorski (Professional Leadership Award), Alan Lowell (Lifetime Achievement Award), Jason Winn (Advocacy Award), Maggie Smith (Emerging Professional Award), and Chris Arnold (Outstanding Professional Member Award).
  • Winners are recognized for contributions ranging from compliance leadership and professional education to decades of service, advocacy, and public awareness.
  • Honorees will be celebrated during the Final Riff: An Indy Jazz Soiree at the 2025 IHS Conference & Expo in Indianapolis on September 20.

The International Hearing Society (IHS) has announced its 2025 Award winners, who are being recognized for their professional excellence, advocacy efforts, and commitment to helping IHS members achieve the highest possible standard of patient care. The awardees will be recognized at the Final Riff: an Indy Jazz Soiree evening celebration taking place September 20 at the 2025 IHS Conference & Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Hearing Review Professional Leadership Award

The Hearing Review Professional Leadership Award will be presented to Samantha Sikorski, HIS, ACA, CPCO, CDP. This award is given annually to an individual whose outstanding contributions to the field have advanced the status of hearing care professionals, while providing excellent service to those suffering from hearing loss. 

In addition to serving as the chair of IHS’s Managed Care and Compliance Committee and as a member of the International Institute for Hearing Instrument Studies, Sikorski owns and operates a hearing and tinnitus wellness center in northern Wisconsin, has co-founded a business built around an EHR system she developed for audiology, and runs a compliance practice. She specializes in managed care participation and HIPAA compliance and is passionate about helping hearing care professionals become compliant in their practices.

2025 IHS Lifetime Achievement Award

The 2025 IHS Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Alan Lowell, ACA, BC-HIS. Lowell became a licensed Hearing Aid Specialist in 1975 and has dedicated his career to being a devoted leader, prolific author, and remarkable teacher of the next generation. His volunteer involvement spans five decades and includes serving as chair of the National Board for Certification in Hearing Instrument Sciences (NBC-HIS), chair of the Hearing Aid Specialist Licensing Board in Florida, and president of the Florida Hearing Society, and he was the first person in IHS history to serve two terms as IHS president.

James P. Lovell Advocacy Award

The James P. Lovell Advocacy Award is given annually to the member or organization that has accomplished extraordinary achievements in advocating for the hearing impaired. This year, IHS is giving Jason Winn, PA, of Tallahassee, Florida, this award.

IHS Emerging Professional Award

The IHS Emerging Professional Award will be awarded to Maggie Smith, BC-HIS, of Bloomington, Indiana. This award is given to an IHS member who has been licensed for less than five years and, during that time, has expanded the role of hearing aid dispensing through IHS/Chapter participation, leadership, volunteering, and/or professional growth, thereby representing and promoting the mission of IHS to a larger audience.

IHS Outstanding Professional Member Award

The IHS Outstanding Professional Member Award will be presented to Chris Arnold of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Individuals who earn this award are recognized for making significant contributions to the advancement of IHS’ values and goals, including advancing and enhancing the professional identity and status of IHS membership; advancing a mutual respect among hearing healthcare professionals, to assure IHS members’ eligibility as providers in the hearing care delivery system; advancing professional qualifications and standards in the hearing aid dispensing field; and educating the public about the profession’s role in hearing loss identification and hearing healthcare delivery.

IHS Executive Director Alissa Parady applauded the 2025 IHS award winners: “I congratulate all our 2025 IHS award winners and nominees. Their devotion to the Hearing Aid Specialist profession and compassion in helping more individuals hear and better communicate is an inspiration to the communities they serve and professionals alike. I hope IHS members will join us in celebrating these exemplary professionals at the IHS 2025 Conference & Expo in Indianapolis.”