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10/28/2018  |   10:45 AM - 11:30 AM   |  Kramer Lecture Theater 3

The Global Audiology Initiative: An African Tale

The Global Audiology initiative (www.globalaudiology.org) aims to promote the understanding of Audiology education and practice across the globe. It strives to improve communication between audiologists and those interested in hearing healthcare, by connecting stakeholders in hearing healthcare across the world and ultimately facilitating the development of uniform audiological practice standards. Five regional resource editors have been appointed to represent America, Asia, Europe, Oceania and Africa, as defined by the United Nations. While information for several countries has already been populated, information for the African region is significantly lacking. This presentation will provide delegates with an update on the African database and feedback from those countries that have participated in the initiative thus far. The need for increased involvement and information from hearing healthcare professionals involved in projects and hearing health services in Africa is paramount.

• To understand the mission, vision and structure of the Global Audiology initiative
• To increase awareness of the lack of hearing healthcare resources across Africa
• To encourage maximum involvement by African delegates in the Global Audiology initiative

Presentation:
18607_10098ShannonO'Leary (née Kruyt).pdf

Handouts:
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Shannon O'Leary (née Kruyt) (Primary Presenter), HearInAfrica, shannon@hearinafrica.com;
Shannon is an audiologist and speech/language pathologist born and bred in Cape Town, South Africa. Having worked in a diverse range of private and public healthcare environments across Africa and in the United Kingdom, Shannon is passionate about improving community-based audiology services. Her main focus is on the crisis of hearing loss in Africa and the associated shortage of audiologists on the continent. She is the owner of HearInAfrica, an independent centre of audiology excellence, which provides a range of conventional and community-based hearing healthcare services. Shannon has a particular interest in tele-audiology and enjoys creating new clinical models to better serve under resourced communities across Africa.