UPMC and Etymotic Research Announce the Winner of Musicians' Hearing Center Award

Business Wire, Nov 21, 2007

For Promoting Hearing Health Through the Use of Hearing Protection

PITTSBURGH -- The Musicians' Hearing Center of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh, and Etymotic Research, Inc., of Elk Grove Village, Ill., named Ms. Emily Crow as the winner of the annual Musicians' Hearing Center Award. The organizations made the announcement on October 19, 2007, at an event held here.

This award is given to an individual whose work has impacted the health and quality of life of individuals in Southwestern Pennsylvania by promoting hearing health through the use of hearing protection.

"Emily Crow exemplifies the spirit of this award," said Dr. Catherine Palmer, Director of Audiology at UPMC. "She observed a potential threat to hearing health and took action to correct it. Thanks to her efforts, music students in Pittsburgh's schools are now less likely to suffer from hearing loss due to noise exposure later in their lives."

Ms. Crow is a University of Pittsburgh Speech Language Pathology graduate who has been working in the Pittsburgh Public Schools for more than 10 years. She has worked with various musical activities in Pittsburgh's elementary and middle schools. Two years ago Ms. Crow became concerned about the level of sound that children were being exposed to in the various drumming programs in the elementary schools in Pittsburgh. She contacted the Musicians' Hearing Center about her concerns.

From that point, she became a strong advocate for obtaining hearing protection for students and others who were involved in the schools' musical activities. Ms. Crow realized that Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) in the schools would be the perfect contact people for getting the word out to principals and band/orchestra leaders.

Following this logic, Ms. Crow invited a spokesperson from the Musicians' Hearing Center to speak at an in-service meeting for all of the SLPs in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. The rest, as they say, is history. Thanks to Ms. Crow, hearing protection is now being used in the majority of elementary schools and many of the middle schools in the Pittsburgh Public Schools.

Hearing loss a growing problem; the award recognizes problem solvers

The National Institutes of Health estimate that 10 million U.S. citizens have experienced hearing loss due to noise exposure, while 30 million more people are exposed to dangerous levels of sound every day. Individuals throughout their lives might be exposed to damaging levels of sound through work, recreation and hobbies. Hearing loss caused by exposure to intense sound is 100 percent preventable when appropriate hearing protection is employed.

The first UPMC Musicians' Center Award for promotion of hearing protection in Southwestern Pennsylvania was awarded to Nancy Addy, a music instructor in the Pittsburgh Public Schools at Langley High School. Ms. Addy has dedicated herself to mandating the use of High Fidelity Earplugs with her instrumental orchestra and band students. She has provided hearing health education to her own students as well as to the community at large through public appearances in various media, including local newspapers and television. Ms. Addy is a model for instrumental teachers throughout our region as she promotes healthy, safe participation in inherently sound-intense environments.

The UPMC Musicians' Hearing Center and Etymotic Research congratulate both Ms. Crow and Ms. Addy for their work and dedication to preserving normal hearing in the youth of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Award winners receive a plaque acknowledging their work, and the award winner's name appears on a plaque of all award winners located at the UPMC Musicians' Hearing Center. Etymotic Research provides a check for $1,000 to the award winners to be used to further their work of protecting the hearing of Southwestern Pennsylvanians.

Sponsors of the Award

The Musicians' Hearing Center of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders of the University of Pittsburgh, and Etymotic Research, Inc. have teamed up to offer this award. The Musicians' Hearing Center was established in 2003. The mission is to provide musicians with the hearing protection and information they need to play their music without risking permanent hearing loss. Among its many services, the UPMC Musicians' Hearing Center helps musicians preserve their hearing without sacrificing the sound clarity their profession demands and tailors strategies specific to a musician's listening environment to reduce the negative effects of high level sounds.

About Etymotic Research Inc.

Etymotic Research is the world leader in high-fidelity noise-isolating in-ear earphones. The company - whose name means "true to the ear" - designs, develops and manufactures products to measure, improve and protect hearing. For more than two decades, Chicago-based Etymotic Research has been creating products used by musicians and others who insist on superior sound quality. For more information, visit www.etymotic.com or call 888.389.6684.