2012 Convention Speaker Biographies

Massachusetts Academy of Audiology Annual Convention
Sheraton Framingham Hotel and Conference Center
September 21, 2012

Featured Speaker

Dr. Robert Sweetow, Ph.D.

Dr. Robert Sweetow is a Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at the University of California, San Francisco and was the Director of Audiology at the UCSF Medical Center Audiology Clinic from 1991-2011. He received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 1977, Master of Arts from the University of Southern California and Bachelor of Science from the University of Iowa. Dr. Sweetow has written 25 textbook chapters and over 100 scientific articles on counseling, tinnitus, auditory rehabilitation, and amplification. He is a reviewer for several scientific journals, and the author of Counseling for Hearing Aid Fittings. He is a former member of the Board of Directors of AAA.

Dr. Sweetow has lectured worldwide and is a highly sought after speaker known for his informative and entertaining style. His was the co- developer of the interactive, adaptive computerized auditory training program called LACE (Listening and Communication Enhancement). Dr. Sweetow received the 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Academy of Audiology.

Platinum Sponsor Guest Speaker

Dr. Donald J. Schum, Ph.D.
Oticon, Inc.

Don Schum currently serves as Vice President for Audiology & Professional Relations for Oticon, Inc. Previous to his position at Oticon in Somerset, Don served as the Director of Audiology for the main Oticon office in Copenhagen Denmark. In addition, he served as the Director of the Hearing Aid Lab at the University of Iowa School of Medicine (1990-1995) and as an Assistant professor at the Medical University of South Carolina (1988-1990).

During his professional career, Dr. Schum has been an active researcher in the areas of Hearing Aids, Speech Understanding, and Outcome Measures. (B.S. in Speech & Hearing Science, University of Illinois; M.A. in Audiology, University of Iowa; Ph.D. in Audiology, Louisiana State University.

Keynote Address

Dorie Clark
Professional Branding Expert

Dorie Clark, a former presidential campaign spokeswoman, is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and the American Management Association’s publications. She is also a columnist for Mint, India’s second-largest business newspaper. Clients like Google, Yale University, and the Ford Foundation hire her to help increase sales and enhance their brand reputation. She is the author of the forthcoming Harvard Business Review Publishing book Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future, based on her recent HBR article.

Recognized as a “branding expert” by the Associated Press, Clark has taught marketing and communications at Emerson College, Tufts University, Suffolk University, and Smith College Executive Education. She has also lectured at universities worldwide, including Harvard University, the University of Michigan, and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. She is quoted frequently in the international media, including the New York Times, NPR, the BBC, and more. At age 18, Clark graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College, and two years later received a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School.