The Oticon Foundation announced today that it has awarded a grant of $ 6.4 million to the Ida Institute to continue the nonprofit Institute’s contributions to a substantial and positive paradigm shift within the field of audiology. Established in 2007 with a grant from the Oticon Foundation, the Ida Institute has been at the forefront of a move to more patient-centered care with its unique approach to collaborative learning, innovative tools and networking forums. The new funding will enable the Denmark-based Institute to continue to concentrate on content development, e-learning initiatives, academic programs, network expansion and dissemination of proprietary methods and tools.
“We are pleased that the Oticon Foundation has chosen to continue its support of our important work that aims to affect a positive shift away from an over emphasis on technology to a more balanced approach to patient-centered care,” stated Institute Director Lise Lotte Bundesen. “In the first three years, the Institute’s seminars and workshops, practical tools and support network have benefited thousands of hearing care professionals in private practices, public clinics and academic institutions worldwide and thus their patients.”
“The Oticon Foundation is fully behind the Ida Institute’s effort towards assuring a more successful patient journey for hearing loss patients,” said Niels Boserup, Chairman of the Oticon Foundation. “We believe that the Institute is an important contributor to a substantial and positive paradigm shift that will enable hearing care professionals to work together with their patients and achieve better outcomes by addressing the human dynamics of hearing loss.”
The Oticon Foundation funding will enable the Ida Institute to continue to create opportunities for hearing care professionals to participate in its unique brand of collaborative learning with international seminars, regional and national workshops, targeted media and network communications and development of innovative, practical and actionable tools. The Institute will also continue to collaborate with universities and other academic organizations to introduce Institute-generated curricula and teaching protocols to a new generation of hearing care practitioners.
“As the only international networking organization that proactively addresses the needs of hearing care professionals for knowledge and materials that facilitate patient centered care, the Ida Institute has established a leadership position among thought leaders, professional academies and audiologists in a significant number of leading countries for hearing care solutions,” notes Niels Boserup, Chairman of the Oticon Foundation. “We are confident that with this grant from the Oticon Foundation, they will continue to work to make a significant difference in the lives of people with hearing loss around the world and the dedicated professionals who care for them.”