Our Guest Speakers in Perth, July 2024.
Decades of expertise, to support your audiology business.
CEO, HBA
Business Manager, HBA
Dr Brent Edwards, PhD, Director, National Acoustic Laboratories
Brent is the Director of the National Acoustic Laboratories where he leads research and innovation initiatives that focus on transforming hearing healthcare.
For over twenty years he headed research at major hearing aid companies (GN ReSound, Starkey) and at Silicon Valley startups that have developed innovative technologies and clinical tools used worldwide. He is a Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America, a Fellow and current President of the International Collegium of Rehabilitative Audiology (ICRA) and an Adjunct Professor at Macquarie University.
Chris Carlile, Assistant Secretary, Hearing Services Branch, Department of Health and Aged Care
Since joining the Commonwealth Department of Health in 2012, Chris has led several portfolio responsibilities including Primary Healthcare Policy, Medicare Benefits and Portfolio Strategy. He is currently responsible for the Hearing Services Program and managing funded measures under the Roadmap for Hearing Health. Chris previously served as a Senior Advisor in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, and also led several programs of work in what is now the Department of Social Services. Before joining the public service, Chris was Director of a torture and trauma rehabilitation service for humanitarian entrants. His long-term interest in overseas aid and development saw him working in Philippines and Bougainville for four years. His voluntary work includes over ten years’ service on the National Council for Caritas Australia and then on the National Advisory Council for Australian Catholic Earthcare. He is currently a voluntary State and Territory Coordinator for ANCOP Australia, a small non-profit overseas aid and development organisation working in the Philippines and Oceania. Formal studies include Bachelor of Theology, Graduate Diploma in Psychology, Master of Science in Guidance and Counselling, Master of Arts in Human Service Management and a Master of Arts in Social Policy and Social Planning.
Stacey Tonkin, Partnership and Growth Manager, Affinity Health & Professions, Aon
Stacey has a Diploma of Financial Services (Insurance Broking). As the Partnership & Growth Manager, Affinity Health & Professions, her role is within the Aon Affinity health sector business in Australia, which covers the needs of over 50,000 health professionals.
Stacey’s experience in the insurance sector spans more than thirty years. She has gained strong technical skills during her years in insurance broking with roles with a number of international brokers, including managing various schemes and commercial portfolios.
Clair Hewat, Independent Chair, Ethics Review Committees for AudA and ACAud
Claire qualified as a Dietitian at the University of Sydney and has had a long career in the profession, achieving the status of Advanced Accredited Practising Dietitian. For over twenty years she has been in senior executive roles as a Director of Community and Allied Health in south-western Sydney, and CEO of Dietitians Australia for fourteen years, and Allied Health Professions Australia for four years.
Clair has served as a director on four national and one international board, including the National Alliance of Self-Regulating Health Professions. She has extensive experience in professional recognition and accreditation practices and is currently an Association Advisor with Associations Forum.
Dr Cliff Olson, AuD, Founder, Applied Hearing Solutions
Dr Cliff is an Audiologist and founder of Applied Hearing Solutions in Phoenix, Arizona, and an adjunct lecturer for the Department of Speech & Hearing Science at his alma mater. He served two tours of duty in Iraq and, after leaving the Marine Corps in 2006, started a medical massage therapy clinic where he worked while earning his undergraduate degree in Exercise Science from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.
In 2017, he opened Applied Hearing Solutions. Around the same time, he started his YouTube channel, Doctor Cliff, AuD, to educate consumers on their hearing loss treatment options and the importance of Hearing Aid Best Practices. His goal is to ensure that everyone with hearing loss has access to high-quality information so they can make better informed decisions about their hearing healthcare.
He is internationally recognized as Dr. Cliff AuD, and his popular YouTube channel has over 1,000 videos about hearing loss and hearing treatment.
Tony McGeough Sales Director, Hearing and Balance, ANZ, Natus Medical
Tony is Sales Director for the Hearing and Balance portfolio for the Australia and New Zealand region at Natus Medical, where he leverages his extensive experience in the audiology field to drive the company's mission to enhance hearing healthcare across Australia and New Zealand. With a distinguished career spanning over 30 years, his journey began with a deep-seated passion to understand the intricacies of hearing loss and to find innovative ways to address them. Tony's commitment to excellence, reflected in forging strong relationships with healthcare professionals, clinics and institutions, has been pivotal in introducing Natus's advanced audiology products and technologies to the ANZ market. Throughout his career, Tony has implemented cutting-edge hearing assessment techniques and introduced technologies to aid individuals with hearing difficulties. His work extends beyond clinical practice, encompassing research, education, regularly contributing to workshops, seminars, and conferences, to raise awareness of the importance of best practice and the most beneficial outcomes for patient hearing health. As a lifelong learner, Tony continues to stay abreast of the latest developments in audiology, strives for excellence in his practice and remains at the forefront of advancements in hearing healthcare.
Dr Bec Bennett, PhD, Senior Research Audiologist, National Acoustic Laboratories
Bec’s research focuses on adult audiological rehabilitation, the social and emotional impacts of hearing loss, and eHealth service delivery. She is a 2022 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Investigator Fellow and a Director of the Board, Audiology Australia.
Bec has a Bachelor of Science (Honours in Microbiology and Parasitology), 2002, a Masters of Audiology, 2004, University of Queensland, a Masters of Business, University of Newcastle, a Graduate Diploma of Counselling, and a PhD (School of Medicine), Universoty of Western Australia, 2019.
Bec worked as a Research Lead at the Ear Science Institute Australia from 2019 to 2023. During this time, she was awarded two competitive post-doctoral research fellowships: a Raine Medical Research Foundation Priming Fellowship 2020-2021, and a NHMRC Investigator Fellowship 2023-2028.