|
NHCA Fall Virtual Educational Summit
Wednesday, September 09, 2026, 1:00 PM - 5:30 PM EDT
Category: NHCA Events
|
Prev Month
View Month
Search
Go to Month
Next Month
| Registration Type | Price |
|---|---|
| NHCA Member | $175 |
| Non-Member | $275 |
| Partner Organization (ASHA, AAA, CAOHC) | $200 |
| Student | $50 |
| Student Join & Go | $70 |
| Non-Member Join & Go | $295 |
Group Registration
Bring your team and save!
| Group Size | Rate Per Person |
| 1–4 Attendees | $175 |
| 5–9 Attendees | $165 |
| 10–14 Attendees | $155 |
| 15–19 Attendees | $145 |
| 20+ Attendees | $135 |
| Student Group Rate | $25 |
What You'll Learn
Attendees can look forward to sessions exploring topics such as:
- Global hearing conservation initiatives and international collaboration
- Regulatory and standards updates
- Occupational hearing loss research and epidemiology
- Ethical considerations in hearing conservation practice
- Innovations in hearing protection and fit testing
- Supporting workers with hearing loss in high-noise environments
- Hearing conservation in the music industry
- Health literacy and hearing loss prevention
- Emerging technologies, including 3D-printed hearing protectors
- Career pathways and professional development in hearing conservation
The Summit will feature a combination of live presentations, interactive discussions, expert panels, and select prerecorded sessions with live Q&A, providing attendees with opportunities to engage directly with leading researchers and practitioners.
Register Now
1:05 PM – 2:05 PM ET | Creating a Global Echo: Bridging the Gap in Global Hearing Conservation
Presenters: Clare Forshaw, MSc Occupational Hygiene, MSc Health Ergonomics; Chris Steel, MIOA
Explore international approaches to hearing conservation, current global initiatives, and opportunities for advancing hearing loss prevention across industries. Includes Chris Steel’s overview of Britain’s multi-year workplace noise inspection program, its enforcement and engagement approach, and inspection and intervention results.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
- Compare UK hearing conservation priorities and initiatives with international priorities and initiatives.
- Evaluate opportunities for international collaboration among hearing conservation initiatives.
- Describe how nonprofit organizations, research organizations, and regulators can collaborate to advance hearing conservation.
- Describe strategies for working with industry to improve control of workplace noise.
- Evaluate common shortcomings in business management of workplace noise.
- Apply workplace noise inspection data to target the next stage of a noise-control intervention.
Disclosures
- Clare Forshaw: Financial: none reported. Nonfinancial: none reported.
- Chris Steel: Financial: salary/employment with the UK Government. Nonfinancial: none reported.
2:10 PM – 2:40 PM ET | Raising the PAR: Global Regulatory Momentum in Hearing Protector Fit Testing
Presenters: Laurie Wells, AuD; Cameron Fackler, PhD
Reviews hearing protector fit testing development milestones, best-practice documents, standards, and regulations worldwide, with emphasis on personal attenuation ratings, performance criteria for fit-test systems, implementation guidance, and future standards directions.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
- Describe the period of rapid growth in standards recommending hearing protector fit testing.
- Describe one standard that specifies performance criteria for hearing protector fit-test systems.
- Describe the roles of two organizations that support hearing protector fit testing as a best practice in hearing loss prevention programs.
Disclosures
- Laurie Wells: Financial: salary and ownership interest; employment with 3M. Nonfinancial: none reported. Review note: the attestation date is incomplete (‘June 30, 20’) and requires correction.
2:45 PM – 3:45 PM ET | Ethical Considerations When Evaluating Recordable/Reportable Hearing Loss for Work Relatedness
Presenters: Michael Hodgson, MD, MPH; Cassandra “Cassie” Ford, MA, CCC-A, CPS/A
Examines ethical principles and sample occupational-health scenarios involving recordable/reportable hearing loss, comparing occupational physician and occupational audiologist perspectives on work-relatedness determinations.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
- Describe the four principles of ethics relevant to occupational hearing conservation.
- Apply the four ethical principles to examples from occupational hearing conservation.
- Compare how an occupational physician and an occupational audiologist apply ethical principles when determining whether hearing loss is work related.
Disclosures
- Cassandra Ford: Financial: salary and patent holding; employment with Examinetics. Nonfinancial: none reported.
3:45 PM – 4:00 PM ET | BREAK
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM ET | Prevalence of Ototoxic Chemical Exposure, Noise Exposure and Hearing Difficulty Among Workers in the United States, 2023
Presenters: Elizabeth Masterson, PhD, CPH, COHC
Presents NIOSH analysis of 2023 National Health Interview Survey data on workplace ototoxic chemical and noise exposures, hearing difficulty, affected industries and occupations, and hierarchy-of-controls prevention strategies.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
- Describe the interaction between workplace exposure to ototoxic chemicals and noise.
- Compare the prevalence of noise and ototoxic chemical exposures across industries and occupations.
- Apply hierarchy-of-controls strategies to reduce workplace ototoxic chemical exposure.
Disclosures
- Elizabeth Masterson: Financial: none reported. Nonfinancial: none reported.
Presenters: Frank Wartinger, AuD; Laura Sinnott, AuD; Jos Mulder, PhD
International panel on the historical and regulatory context of music-induced hearing disorders, barriers to care, global prevention initiatives, industry education such as HELA certification, MusiCares support, and resources for hearing healthcare providers.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
- Evaluate current data on music-induced hearing disorder incidence and barriers to care among professional musicians and concert-goers.
- Compare implementation strategies of industry-driven education initiatives, such as HELA certification, with traditional hearing conservation methods.
- Compare the historical and regulatory context of the music industry with traditional occupational hearing conservation frameworks.
Disclosures
- Frank Wartinger: Financial: none reported. Nonfinancial: none reported.
On-Demand Session Information
Exploring a Career in Hearing Conservation: Pathways, Opportunities, and Lessons Learned
Presenters: Sarah E. Mouser, AuD, CCC-A, CPS/A
Reviews hearing-conservation career paths, required skills and certifications, professional development, consulting, business ownership, and lessons from clinical and entrepreneurial practice.
Learning objectives
- Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
- Describe common career paths and job opportunities within hearing conservation.
- Describe skills, certifications, and experiences that can support career growth in hearing conservation.
- Evaluate key considerations for starting a hearing conservation consulting practice or business.
Disclosures
- Sarah Mouser: Financial: none reported. Nonfinancial: none reported.
The Present State and Future Direction of Hearing Protector Standardization in Europe
Presenters: Mark Telsnig, MSc in Audio Engineering
Covers European hearing-protector legal frameworks, testing, certification, and production control; current standards and requirements; occupational statistics; and emerging standardization projects such as active noise reduction earplugs.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
- Demonstrate how to locate relevant European hearing-protector standards.
- Describe the process of bringing a hearing protector onto the European market.
- Describe hearing-protector features and performance requirements under relevant European standards.
Disclosures
- Mark Telsnig: Financial: none reported. Nonfinancial: none reported.
Can People Learn to Estimate Sound Levels?
Presenters: David Welch, PhD
Reports a laboratory and real-world study testing whether people can be trained to estimate sound levels in decibels accurately enough to inform noise-risk judgments and hearing-loss-prevention interventions.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
- Evaluate the limitations of absolute judgments of sound levels.
- Describe the study’s approach to training people to estimate sound levels.
- Evaluate the accuracy with which study participants estimated sound levels after training.
Disclosures
- David Welch: Financial: none reported. Nonfinancial: none reported.
Supporting Workers With Hearing Loss in High-Noise Environments
Presenters: Rachel van Besouw, BSc, MSc, PhD, FIOA
Explains health and safety challenges for workers with hearing loss or tinnitus, reasonable adjustments and controls, and hearing-protection selection and use without creating additional safety risks.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
- Describe the health and safety impacts of hearing loss and tinnitus on workers in high-noise environments.
- Assess risks and appropriate control measures for workers with hearing loss and tinnitus.
- Demonstrate how to support workers with hearing loss in selecting and using hearing protection without introducing safety risks.
Disclosures
- Rachel van Besouw: Financial: none reported. Nonfinancial: none reported.
Health Literacy
Presenters: Caton Harris, AuD, PhD, CCC-A, CAOHC Course Director
Defines health literacy, introduces assessment tools including BRIEF, and reviews findings from a health-literacy study conducted at an air base.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
- Describe health literacy.
- Describe the rationale for using the BRIEF health literacy screening tool.
- Evaluate study findings regarding whether health literacy predicts hearing loss and tinnitus.
Disclosures
- Caton Harris: Financial: none reported. Nonfinancial: none reported.
Innovations in 3D Printing Hearing Protection and Fit Testing
Presenters: Andrew Hayes, AuD; Kyle Shepard (credentials not supplied)
Describes a digital workflow using 3D ear scanning and manufacturing for custom hearing protection in military aviation, integrating quantitative hearing protector fit testing and orientation to verify personal attenuation ratings, improve fit, and support compliance.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
- Describe the end-to-end digital workflow for custom hearing protection, from 3D ear scanning through manufacturing for aviation personnel.
- Evaluate the role of quantitative hearing protector fit testing within custom earmold delivery protocols for verifying personal attenuation ratings.
- Apply fit-testing data during user orientation to support proper insertion and hearing-protection compliance.
Disclosures
- Andrew Hayes: Financial: none reported. Nonfinancial: none reported.
Implementation of Individualized Hearing Protector Fit Testing
Presenters: J. Andrew Merkley, AuD, CCC-A, CPS/A
Reviews research supporting individualized hearing protector fit testing, limitations of noise reduction rating-only approaches, the CAOHC fit-testing training program, and evidence that fit testing and instruction improve attenuation and worker protection.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
- Describe research supporting individualized hearing protector fit testing and the limitations of relying solely on manufacturer-assigned noise reduction ratings.
- Describe the CAOHC Hearing Protector Fit Testing training program and its implementation in occupational hearing conservation programs.
- Evaluate research findings on the impact of individualized fit testing and basic fitting instruction on hearing-protector attenuation and worker protection.
Disclosures
- J. Andrew Merkley: Financial: none reported. Nonfinancial: professional board membership with NHCA and CAOHC; NHCA President-Elect.
Cultural Competence in Occupational Hearing Conservation: Understanding Workplace Culture to Improve Hearing Health Outcomes
Presenters: J. Andrew Merkley, AuD, CCC-A, CPS/A
Explores how workplace culture, leadership, trust, labor-management relationships, and communication affect participation in hearing-conservation programs and consistent hearing-protection use.
Learning objectives
Upon completion of this session, the participant will be able to:
- Describe how workplace culture influences worker participation and the effectiveness of occupational hearing conservation programs.
- Assess organizational and interpersonal factors, including safety culture, leadership engagement, worker trust, and labor-management relationships, that affect hearing conservation behaviors.
- Apply communication and engagement strategies that build credibility, increase worker buy-in, and promote consistent use of hearing protection in diverse occupational settings.
Disclosures
- J. Andrew Merkley: Financial: none reported. Nonfinancial: professional board membership with NHCA and CAOHC; NHCA President-Elect.
Why Attend?
- Learn from internationally recognized experts.
- Stay current on emerging research and best practices.
- Explore innovative technologies and global initiatives.
- Earn continuing education while expanding your professional network.
- Gain practical strategies you can apply immediately in your workplace.
We look forward to welcoming you this September for another outstanding NHCA educational experience.
Continuing Education
Satisfactory completion requirement statement: Requirements to satisfactorily complete this event and qualify to obtain CEU credits are as follows: 1) Learners must be present during the entire presentation. 2) Learners must provide answers to the 6 assessment questions with satisfactory results; questions are based on the Learning Outcomes.
General disclosure: This event is not focused on a specific product or service and there will be no or limited information about similar products or services. The subject relates directly to training methods used in hearing conservation programs and does not endorse or recommend specific products.
Cancellation Policy: Webinar purchases are non-refundable.
Export Event