barbara kelley hearing loss association of americaa

Ida Institute welcomes HLAA Executive Director Barbara Kelley to Advisory Board

By Amanda Farah Cox

The Ida Institute is pleased to welcome Barbara Kelley, Executive Director of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) to our Advisory Board. Kelley is the first representative of a patient organization to join Ida’s Advisory Board, reflecting our commitment to strengthening the patient perspective and focus on including people with hearing loss in their own care.

As the Advisory Board provides counsel and support for the Ida Institute’s strategic planning and helps to spread the word on our tools and resources, this connection to the hearing loss community is very valuable to Ida.

“We are pleased to welcome Barbara Kelley to the Ida Institute Advisory Board,” said Ida Institute Managing Director Lise Lotte Bundesen. “Through her work with the HLAA, Barbara has helped to open the world of communication to people with hearing loss through information, education, advocacy and support. She brings a deep appreciation and understanding of people’s experience of hearing loss to the work of our Advisory Board. We look forward to her contributions as we continue our focus on a person-centered approach that allows people to better articulate their needs and play a more active role in their own care.”

"Many HLAA members have participated in Ida workshops and we have been pleased with the emphasis on people being encouraged to be active participants in their hearing health care,” said Kelley. “Representing the largest consumer organization for people with hearing loss in the U.S., I hope to bring that perspective to the Ida Institute's work with patients and audiologists on person-centered care."

Kelley joins a committed group of distinguished experts in hearing health who make up the Ida Institute Advisory Board. They include Louise Hickson, PhD, Associate Dean External Engagement, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences, The University of Queensland, AU; Lucille Beck, PhD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, US; De Wet Swanepoel, PhD, Professor, Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, ZA; Deborah Ferarri, PhD, Professor, Speech Language Pathology and Audiology Department, School of Dentistry of Bauru, University of São Paulo, BR; Darcy Benson, AuD, Audiologist and Practice Owner, California Hearing Center and Audiology Services, Inc., US; Melanie Gregory, Group Head of Audiology, Leightons and The Hearing Care Partnership, UK; Uwe Hermann, DK; and David Zapala, PhD, Head of Section of Audiology, Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery/Audiology, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida and Associate Professor of Audiology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, US.