The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) announced that Jane Baxter, AuD, and Deborah Clark, AuD, along with their entire practice, Pacific Hearing Service, were selected by a distinguished panel of their peers to receive the Leo Doerfler Award. The Leo Doerfler Award, the ADA’s “most prestigious honor,” recognizes a private-practice audiologist who has demonstrated outstanding clinical services in the community throughout his or her career.

From left to right: Dr Ram Nileshwar, Dr Jane Baxter, Dr Deborah Clark.

From left to right: Dr Ram Nileshwar, Dr Jane Baxter, Dr Deborah Clark.

“The ADA provides vital support and education for us, our audiologists, and the entire hearing healthcare industry,” said Dr Clark. “It’s exciting to be added to this amazing list of past recipients.”

This is the first time the ADA has given this award to an entire practice and only the second time it has recognized multiple recipients.

Dr Baxter added, “I’m thrilled with ADA for recognizing our entire practice. We know we couldn’t do what we do without our team’s participation and enthusiasm. We’re also grateful for our humanitarian partners and the Entheos Audiology Cooperative.”

In 2016, Drs Baxter and Clark formed Pacific Hearing Connection to meet the growing hearing healthcare needs of the working poor in the Bay Area. By using a sliding scale that serves people with a household annual income up to 400% of federal poverty guidelines, Pacific Hearing Connection is able to serve low-income adults and underserved children who often fall through the cracks or don’t qualify for government-funded programs.

In addition to the work they do in their California clinics, Dr Baxter, Dr Clark, and the Pacific Hearing Service team partner with audiology practices around the United States to lead humanitarian trips to treat people in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.

“Dr Clark, Dr Baxter, and Pacific Hearing Service have made unrivaled clinical contributions within their community and around the world,” said ADA President Ram Nileshwar, AuD. “Untreated hearing loss is a public health crisis with significant health, financial, and societal costs. The innovative team at Pacific Hearing Service is leading the way in delivering evidence-based care, while going out of its way to make sure that everyone can get it. The model of care that they have developed has markedly increased access to affordable audiology services, without sacrificing quality or efficacy. It is my honor to recognize Drs Baxter and Clark for their significant contributions—and it is my hope that through this recognition, their model of care delivery will be replicated by clinics in the United States and beyond.”

Source: ADA

Images: ADA