Schedule of Events

• Preliminary Schedule
• Educational Program Overview 
• Session Abstracts - Wednesday
• Session Abstracts - Thursday
• Session Abstracts - Friday
• Session Abstracts - Saturday
• Session Abstracts - All Days
• Special Event Description

Preliminary Schedule

As of 01/07/2008 - Schedule subject to change

CCC - Charlotte Convention Center

Educational Program Overview

Goals for the Educational Program

The goals for the educational program is value-rich learning, where the emphasis is on learning facilitation as opposed to content delivery. This learning culture has been designed to help attendees: Acquire knowledge, Advance science, and Access technology.

Learning Cores

The previous educational tracks have been grouped into six Learning Cores.

• Diagnostics
• Disorders
• Hearing Loss Prevention
• Hearing & Balance Sciences
• Professional Issues & Practice Management
• Treatment

SuperTracks

SuperTracks are dedicated tracks that will provide a comprehensive learning opportunity to attendees within a specific topic area. The 2008 SuperTracks are:

• Practice Management - including but not limited to coding and reimbursement, successful marketing, Medicare and Medicaid issues, BEST practice management topics, advocacy, state leadership, purchasing or selling a practice, etc.
• Geriatrics - including but not limited to the study of aging, diagnostic techniques and procedures, prevention of hearing loss, early intervention, effective treatment options (including hearing aids, implantables, hearing assistive technology), advocacy issues, research, counseling and (re)training programs as part of treatment and other issues of particular interest to our aging patients.
• Vestibular - including but not limited to state-of-the-art evaluation and diagnosis, vestibular rehabilitation, effective interdisciplinary programs, medical, pharmalogical and psychological influences, and clinical and basic science research in all aspects of vestibular function.
• Pediatrics - including but not limited to hearing loss prevention, newborn screening and diagnostic follow-up, diagnostics, treatment options (hearing aids, implantables), the use of hearing assistive technology, early intervention, research, genetics and advocacy issues.
• Implantables - including but not limited to effective candidacy evaluations, diagnostics, interdisciplinary programmatic issues, research into new techniques and devices, clinical trials, counseling and short and long term care.

Instructional Level

Level I

A beginning-level course, offering in-depth instruction in basic principles and concepts related to the practice or topic. Emphasis is placed on fundamental (basic) knowledge, skills and procedures, with basic interpretation of findings and case management.  Previous knowledge of specific content area not essential.

Level II

An intermediate-level course, offering cursory review of fundamentals and a more focused development of applied applications of the practice area or topic. Emphasis is placed on reviews of current literature and practices for those with general working knowledge and skills in content area.

Level III

An advanced-level course, offering in-depth survey and discourse of the practice area or topic.  Emphasis will be on application and review of current techniques, research findings and future directions, to integrate knowledge across disciplines and practice areas. Those with substantial working knowledge and skills in content area will refine and expand their current expertise.

Session Types:

Learning Modules (LM)
Length: 1 hour or 2 hours
CEUs: 0.1 or 0.2 CEUs
Learning Modules are learner-focused, interactive courses on topics of current interest that provide participants with information they can use in their clinical practices. These may cover a wide variety of topics including clinical audiology, treatment, basic science, practice management or a related field. In response to comments made by attendees over past years, this year's program will feature 3 instructional levels. A description of each level is listed above

Exhibitor Course (EC)
Length: 1 hour
CEUs: 0.1 CEUs
The Exhibitor Courses are designed to provide participants with access to clinical research and product information that illustrates users' performance, benefit and/or satisfaction related to products or services. Product names may appear in the abstract and presentation.

Discussion Group (DG)
Session Length: 1 hour
CEUs: CEUs not offered
Discussion groups are opportunities to interact with colleagues to share experiences, discuss innovative topics/approaches and/or debate current issues. These informal gatherings will be scheduled to meet simultaneously in a series of small rooms with appropriate discussion-style seating. Each Discussion Group will have a facilitator who will report to the Program Chair the outcome of the discussion. The facilitator may also identify an interested individual to continue the discussion via on-line mechanisms over the year and/or propose that this topic be considered as a focus group for the following convention.

Research Pods (RP)
Length: 30 minutes each, two presented in a 1 hour session
CEUs: 0.1 CEUs
Research Pods are current clinically-directed research in the core learning areas (Treatment, Diagnostics, Disorders, Hearing & Balance Sciences, Professional Issues, Hearing Loss Prevention) .This year, research pods will be scheduled on Friday afternoon (2:00pm- 5:00pm). Each pod will consist of two 30-minute presentations in a related core area.

Research Poster (PP)
Length: Posters hung noon Thursday through noon Saturday
CEUs: 0.2 CEUs
Research Posters provides the opportunity to review clinically-directed research in the core learning areas (Treatment, Diagnostics, Disorders, Hearing & Balance Sciences, Professional Issues and Hearing Loss Prevention). Based on the success of the format employed last year, authors will again be available to discuss their poster presentations during an extended timeslot (Friday, 5:30pm - 7:30pm) in a large dedicated poster area. A wine and cheese reception (cash bar) will be available during the poster presentations. The posters will remain available for review throughout the duration of AudiologyNOW!

Student Research Forum (SR)
Length: 15 minutes each, five presented in a 1.5 hour session
CEUs: 0.1 CEUs
Graduate students in audiology and recent audiology present their original research completed while a graduate student in audiology. Funded by the American Academy of Audiology Foundation (AAAF).

Featured Sessions (FS) - Invited
Length: 1.5 hours
CEUs: .15 CEUs
Featured Sessions are contemporary topics presented by top audiologists, hearing scientists and physicians. Presenters for these sessions are invited by the Program Committee to speak based upon their expertise in a given topic.

Focus Groups (FG) - Invited
Length: 1 hour
CEUs: 0.1 CEUs
Focus Groups, generally, evolve from the previous convention's Discussion Groups. Focus Groups have a clearly defined issue that will be presented and discussed by interested members. An outcome of a focus group may be a recommendation to the American Academy of Audiology Board of Directors or may result in the identification of the need for ongoing discussion that could be supported via on-line mechanisms and future meetings.

Learning Labs (LL) - Invited
Length: 3.5 to 7 hours
CEUs: 0.35 to 0.7 CEUs
Additional Registration Fee for attendees
Learning labs are held on day one of AudiologyNOW! They offer in-depth, cutting-edge information in "hot" topic areas. The topic areas require half- or full-day sessions to enable sufficient coverage of the information. Learning Labs are designed to be interactive and to afford opportunities for hands-on exercises with appropriate clinical practices. The Learning Labs are presented by leaders in the field of audiology and/or associated professions. Presenters for Learning Labs are invited by the Program Committee based upon their expertise in a given topic area.