Keith Wins Audiology Education Award
One of the founders of UCs audiology program, Robert "Bob Keith, PhD, has been honored with Beltones 2013 Larry Mauldin Award for Excellence in Education.
Keith, director of audiology in the College of Allied Health Sciences Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, receive the award from hearing aid manufacturer Beltone at the AudiologyNOW! Convention in Anaheim, Calif., April 3-6.
Beltone presented the award to Keith for his contributions to the field of audiology through education, research, and innovation. Mauldin Award nominees are nominated and selected solely by their peers in audiology.
As part of the award, Keith received a $1,500 award, which he plans to donate to the Robert W. Keith, PhD, Audiology Research Endowment Fund.
The fund was created by Keith, his wife, Kathy Thornton-Keith, and with the encouragement and support from former student Lisa Hunter, PhD, and colleagues David Brown, PhD,and Paul Willging, MD, in 2011. It reached endowment level this spring, and Keiths new goal is to raise an additional $50,000. Beginning next academic year, the fund will be able to provide financial assistance to UC audiology students in conducting basic and applied research.
"Ive seen the increasing cost of college, says Keith. "Students end up with huge student loans and cant afford to do the things they need to do, travel to conferences, conduct research and reimburse subjects. They need financial help.
Keith has plenty of experience guiding audiology students through their work. Through his 40-plus years at UC, he has either chaired or served on approximately 180 masters, AuD and PhD thesis committees.
In his first role at UC, in 1967, Keith served as head of audiology in the College of Medicines Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. In that position, he set up audiology and speech pathology programs at local hospitals, including Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati Medical Center. He also worked with UCs surgeons in intraoperative monitoring of nerve and brain function during skull base and orthopedic operations.
Outside of the university, Keith served the field of audiology as one of the founding members of the American Academy of Audiology where he served as president and as chair of several committees. He is a fellow of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association.
In 2008, he retired from the College of Medicine and transitioned to the College of Allied Health Sciences, where he teaches and advises PhD and AuD students.
"When I started in audiology, you went out to the public and said, Im an audiologist, and they didnt know what that meant, he says. "Now everybody knows what that is. Audiologists are now firmly established in the health care systemeverything from working in the public school system to private practices.
Keith says the advances in cochlear implants have led audiologists to play a large role in early rehabilitation of children with hearing impairments and early hearing testing.
He says its going to be interesting to see how the rapid innovations in technology affects the field in the future, especially combined with the rising demand for hearing aids from baby boomers.
"Old-fashioned hearing aids were pretty simple devices, says Keith. "But hearing aids nowthey are essentially efficient, miniature computers. It takes a lot of professional skill to fit them properly. Our challenge will be to help the public understand the role of the audiologist in that fitting.
Related Stories
4 steps to craft an outstanding graduate program application
July 2, 2024
Derrya Mathis, a graduate of the pre-occupational therapy program, shares her insights and experiences on successfully applying to graduate school.
UC study: Brain organ plays key role in adult neurogenesis
July 2, 2024
The University of Cincinnati has published research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that found the choroid plexus and cerebrospinal fluid play a key role in maintaining a pool of newly born neurons to repair the adult brain after injury.
Put down that beer; it's not a tanning lotion
July 1, 2024
The University of Cincinnati's Kelly Dobos joined WVXU's Cincinnati Edition to discuss what's fact and what's myth when it comes to sunscreen use, different kinds of sunscreen and a social media recommendation to use beer on your skin to help get a tan.