Hearing Rehab Workshops in Africa
Coming from across Sub-Saharan Africa, a group of rehab professionals joined the launch of a new Professional Certificate in Hearing Rehabilitation. During the orientation session held on 20 July, participants began with a Situation Analysis bringing attention to the state of the field and the importance of rehabilitation of hearing loss. Over the coming months, there will be 12 days of practical coursework including an in-person workshop in Ghana in September.
PCHR Graduation & PCFS Start
The first one-year PCHR training program in Pakistan successfully finished between 16 and 19 July. In the fourth and final session, held in-person at the Pearl Continental Hotel Lahore, Joanna Shepherd and MaryKay Therres from MED-EL reviewed videos of the participants’ therapy sessions and discussed the outcomes of the final exam. On the last day the certificates were handed over to the graduates in a festive ceremony.
Audiology Workshop & Needs Assessment
From all over Pakistan, thirty professionals came to Lahore for the second Audiology Updates Workshop at Pearl Continental Hotel. New strategies for daily work with patients were shared over two days, and Alejandra Kontides equipped participants with the latest advances in audiological practice. The special focus was put on objective measurement methods in a fitting workflow and on the importance of understanding the intersections of Audiology and Speech Language Pathology for the successful speech development of a child.
Otology Masterclass in Tanzania
Congratulations to our partners in Tanzania for holding the first Otology Masterclass led by instructors entirely from Tanzania. Twelve participating surgeons, who all rated the training as excellent, worked through topics including audiology, speech pathology, radiology, anatomy, surgery, and case presentations. Alongside lectures from local and international experts, participants were able to get into the lab for hands-on skills training sessions where they practiced temporal bone dissection, mastoidectomies, posterior tympanotomy, myringotomy and grommet tube insertions on the bones.
Public Health Workshop for SAARC East
Systemic problems need systematic solutions. A Public Health Planning for Hearing Impairment Workshop for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal brought together a multidisciplinary cohort to tackle the knotty challenge of hearing loss in the region. Designed and taught by Prof. Andrew Smith of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the workshop focused on designing and implementing effective interventions into hearing loss.
Hearing Rehab in Uganda
The Professional Certificate in Hearing Rehabilitation (PCHR) in Kampala, Uganda keeps rehab professionals at the top of their game. Over four days in July, the HHA and MED-EL’s audiology and rehab experts worked with nine professionals from Uganda to boost their skills in this important discipline. Using video reviews of their own clinical work, the rehab professionals workshopped their techniques and approaches with their colleagues and MED-EL experts.
PCHR Touchpoint “Family Education & Translation Projects”
Giving families the skills to help children with hearing impairment develop speech was the focus of a recent PCHR Touchpoint in Pakistan. This meeting began a deeper training and mentoring program on the important role of families in the speech and language development of their children. As a first stage the Professional Certificate in Hearing Rehabilitation participants will start adapting relevant (re)habilitation resources for the training of concerned families in Pakistan.
New-born Hearing Screening for Karachi
Four experts from Ziauddin Hospital Karachi will expand new-born hearing screening services in Pakistan’s most populace city. Over a week of training from various experts including Dr Nadeem Mukhtar, Dr Nouman Shah, Dr Mehdi Muntazar Raza, and Amber Rashid, the participants gained the skills to conduct the new-born hearing screening pilot programme in the city. At the conclusion of the training, the hospital was presented with both hearing screening and diagnostic devices.
TBL Support for the University of Lahore
Dissecting the temporal bone gives ENT surgeons the opportunity to examine the delicate anatomy around the ear and practice critical procedures for restoring hearing. On Sunday May 28 five ENT surgeons from Pakistan participated in a Temporal Bone Workshop conducted by the ENT department of the University of Lahore. The Workshop took place in the TBL training facilities which have been newly upgraded by the Hearing Healthcare Alliance to enable a state-of-the-art training for the participants.
Equipping Clinics with New-born Hearing Screening Devices
Clinics in Lahore and Gambat have added new hearing screening devices to their offerings. Between March 12 and 21 the Ear Foundation Pakistan handed over these devices to representatives of the clinics that participate in the new-born hearing screening pilot program initiated by the Hearing Healthcare Alliance.