Summary: Phonak celebrated 10 years of hearing technology innovation through its Phonak Audiology Research Center (PARC), honoring the contributions of research participants.

Takeaways:

  1. Milestone Event for Innovation: Phonak marked a decade of PARC’s research contributions with an event bringing together researchers and long-time participants, highlighting their role in advancing hearing technology.
  2. Real-World Testing Impact: Through PARC’s rigorous real-world testing, devices like Phonak’s Audéo Sphere Infinio showed superior speech understanding compared to competitors, underscoring PARC’s commitment to practical performance.
  3. Participant Collaboration: PARC’s work relies on strong participant relationships, with future plans for similar celebrations to reinforce their invaluable role in shaping Phonak’s hearing solutions.

Earlier this month, Phonak celebrated a decade of hearing technology research with the Phonak Audiology Research Center (PARC). Launched in 2014, PARC has spent the past 10 years bridging the gap between clinical research and real-world environments, according to Phonak. To commemorate this achievement, the Phonak U.S. team hosted an event with 30 current research participants along with the PARC researchers who spearheaded these innovative discoveries.  

Many of PARC’s participants have built a bond with the researchers over multiple years of study participation. On celebration day, the PARC team shared study results with participants, followed by a reception where everyone enjoyed refreshments and had the opportunity to mingle. Sharing the breakthroughs with the participants who made these discoveries possible was a meaningful moment for both Phonak and participants alike, Phonak says.

PARC Director Kevin Seitz-Paquette attributes Phonak’s technological advancements to the invaluable participation of its study volunteers. “We could not create the products we do without these participants. This collaboration is the cornerstone of creating devices that meet real-world needs,” says Seitz-Paquette.

Phonak Audiology Research Center Researchers

Among their many responsibilities, PARC researchers cross-examine findings to ensure that the devices perform in real-world conditions as well as they do in controlled lab environments. For the development of Phonak Audéo Sphere Infinio, these real-world tests were vital. Researchers saw that participants were up to three times more likely to understand speech with Infinio Sphere over key competitors’ devices in the lab. In fact, a trip to a local coffee shop to test the same devices confirmed that participants preferred listening to Infinio Sphere in a real-world environment.  

With over 180 clinical and technical projects completed since its founding, Phonak’s continuous innovation thrives on the engagement of the local community with PARC, the company says. Beyond expressing gratitude to each participant for their contributions, presentations led by PARC researchers gave volunteers a bigger picture of their direct impact on the outcome of emerging hearing technologies. With such incredible feedback following the event, the PARC team has plans to host more follow-up celebrations with researchers and participants in the future. 

Screengrab: Members of the Phonak Audiology Research Center team during the celebration. Photo: Phonak