AAA 2021 Virtual- Starkey Symposium: Innovating the Professional and Patient Experience

Presented at AAA 2021 Virtual

Presenters: Sara M. Burdak, AuD; Brandon L. Sawalich; Dave A. Fabry, PhD; Achin Bhowmik, PhD, Archelle Georgiou

Duration: 1 hour

CEUs: 0.1 AAA

Program Focus: Knowledge

Learning Outcomes:  Upon completion, each participant in the eAudiology Web Seminar will be able to:

1. Identify at least two future technologies that will disrupt the hearing health industry and result in innovation.
2. Describe how integrating both hearing and healthable technologies can redefine the way practitioners treat their patients.
3. List at least two benefits achieved by incorporating a caregiver into the hearing aid selection, fitting, and after care process.

There has never been a more exciting time to be in the hearing health industry. Hearing aids have evolved into multifunction devices that utilize artificial intelligence to deliver exceptional patient care. Come hear a powerful message from Starkey thought leaders including Starkey President and CEO, Brandon Sawalich and Chief Audiology Officer, Sara Burdak. This session will provide a thought-provoking look at the industry and hearing healthcare technology to inspire participants to go beyond. Give yourself an extra edge by attending this session.

Sponsored by:

Sara M. Burdak, AuD

Chief Audiology Officer
Starkey
Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States

Dr. Sara Burdak joined Starkey Hearing Technologies as an audiologist on the Hearing Research and Technology team in 1999. Over the last 20 years, Sara Burdak has worked to bring impactful programs to our global customer base. In her current role as Chief Audiology Officer, she is responsible for developing and aligning Starkey’s global audiology strategy as it relates to world-wide education and training programs, clinical research, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and customer and industry relations. Sara Burdak earned her bachelor’s degree in audiology and speech sciences from Michigan State University, her master’s degree in audiology from Wayne State University, and her Au.D. from the Arizona School of Health Sciences.

Disclosure: Financial Disclosures: Starkey- Employment
Non-Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant non-financial relationships with anything to disclose.

Brandon L. Sawalich
President and CEO
Starkey
Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States

Named President of Starkey in 2017 and Chief Executive Officer in 2020, Brandon Sawalich leads a global team of more than 5,000 employees, with facilities in over 26 countries. He drives the strategic direction of Starkey and works closely with the Executive Team and other leaders throughout the organization to support the company’s values and goals.

As President and CEO, Brandon Sawalich is focused on forward-thinking leadership and is committed to continuing to innovate the science, design and production of hearing aid technologies, while providing consumers the best quality products at affordable prices.

Under Brandon’s leadership, Starkey has incorporated integrated sensors, artificial intelligence and Healthable technology into our hearing health products, and he continues to seek out opportunities to bring cutting-edge products and solutions to market.

Disclosure: Financial Disclosures: Starkey- Employment
Non-Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant non-financial relationships with anything to disclose.

Dave A. Fabry, PhD
Chief Innovation Officer
Starkey
Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States

Dave Fabry is Chief Innovation Officer at Starkey Hearing Technologies. He is a Past Board of Directors member and Past President of the Academy. He has worked in both industry and academic clinical environments (Mayo Clinic, University of Miami, Walter Reed Army Medical Center). He served as Editor-in-Chief for Audiology Today for over a decade, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Auditory Society.

Disclosure: Financial Disclosures: starkey- Employment
Non-Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant non-financial relationships with anything to disclose.

Achin Bhowmik, PhD
Chief Technology Officer
Starkey
Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United States

Achintya K. (Achin) Bhowmik, Ph.D., is the Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Engineering at Starkey. Responsible for the organization’s technology strategy, global research, product development and engineering departments, he leads Starkey’s efforts to transform hearing aids into multifunctional, wearable health devices with advanced sensors and artificial intelligence technologies.

Prior to joining Starkey, Dr. Achin Bhowmik served as Vice President and General Manager of the Perceptual Computing Group at Intel Corporation. There, he was responsible for the R&D, engineering, operations, and businesses in the areas of 3D sensing and interactive computing, computer vision and artificial intelligence, autonomous robots and drones, and immersive virtual and merged reality devices.

Dr. Achin Bhowmik is an adjunct professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. He serves on the board of advisors for the Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership at UC Berkeley, board of trustees for the National Captioning Institute, and executive board for the Society for Information Display. He has authored more than 200 publications, including two books and 37 issued patents.

Disclosure: Financial Disclosures: Starkey- Employment
Non-Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant non-financial relationships with anything to disclose.

Archelle Georgiou
Archelle Georgiou, MD, is the Chief Health Officer for Starkey Hearing Technologies. She is also a nationally recognized medical executive, health reporter and author who is known for her commitment to patient advocacy.

Georgiou served as Chief Medical Officer of UnitedHealth Group from 1995 to 2007. She is adjunct faculty and an Executive in Residence at the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. As an on-air medical expert, she hosts a weekly segment on KSTP-TV, the ABC affiliate in Minneapolis-St. Paul and has covered over 1,400 medical topics. In 2017, Georgiou published her first book, Health Care Choices: 5 Steps to Getting the Medical Care You Want and Need (Rowman & Littlefield) ¬– a book that explains how consumers can have a voice in their healthcare decisions. In addition, Dr. Georgiou maintains a diverse portfolio of advisory relationships with companies and organizations that improve health and the healthcare system. She serves on the Board of Directors for CaringBridge.

Georgiou graduated from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and was board-certified in Internal Medicine.

Disclosure: Financial Disclosures: Starkey- Employment
Non-Financial Disclosures: I do not have any relevant non-financial relationships with anything to disclose.