Dr. Marion Downs to Serve as Honorary Chair for Pediatric Audiology Initiative

The American Board of Audiology ^® (ABA) is pleased to announce that world-renowned audiologist, Dr. Marion Downs, will serve as the Honorary Chair of the ABA Pediatric Audiology Specialty Certification initiative. Dr. Downs has advocated for universal newborn hearing screening for more than 50 years and her commitment to this cause has ensured that millions of infants and children are now identified with hearing loss during their critical developmental years.

Dr. Downs’s longtime colleague, Jerry Northern, Ph.D., recently announced her appointment at a dinner party in Washington, DC, that celebrated Dr. Downs receipt of the United States Department of Health and Human Services Highest Recognition Award. Dr. Downs celebrated her award and appointment with three generations of her family and her colleagues from the American Academy of Audiology, the American Academy of Audiology Foundation, the ABA, and the Marion Downs Hearing Center of Colorado.

Dr. Downs stated, “I am thrilled to serve as the Honorary Chair of the ABA Pediatric Audiology Specialty Certification. Pediatric audiology and newborn hearing screening have been the focus of my professional life and this initiative is another means to see that excellent hearing healthcare is available to infants and children with hearing impairment.”

James Beauchamp, Au.D., the ABA board member who is spearheading the initiative together with a committee of luminaries in the field, added, “The ABA is delighted that Marion Downs, who has done so much to ensure that infants receive screening for hearing impairment, is now lending her invaluable support to this next critical step in affording appropriate hearing healthcare to infants and children.”

Established in 1999, the American Board of Audiology ^® (ABA) is a national credentialing board that confers Board Certification in Audiology to those audiologists whose knowledge base and ethical practices are consistent with professionally established standards and who continue to enhance their professional knowledge through ongoing professional education. The ABA also administers a specialty certification program in cochlear implants established to help meet the growing need for audiologists with experience in this specialized area of audiology.