The American Academy of Audiology's Academy Research Conference (ARC) 2011, 2012, and 2013, will be the third, fourth, and fifth meetings of an annual, one-day, translational research conference begun in 2009. The conferences are equally designed for audiologists who want a better understanding of the latest research in areas of critical need and impact for the care of their patients, and scientists who want to hear the latest findings in these translational areas of study. Post-doctoral fellows and doctoral students in audiology and the hearing sciences will also have the opportunity to join these thought-provoking discussions, with some competitively selected to make poster presentations as a means of encouraging emerging scientists. In keeping with the intent of the ARC to make research available to practitioners, the conferences are held each year on the opening day of Audiology NOW!(R), the American Academy of Audiology's convention and exposition, which draws an annual attendance of over 6,500 audiologists, scientists, doctoral students, and representatives from a wide variety of industries, organizations, and other agencies of interest to the profession of audiology. ARC 2011 will convene on April 6, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois, with a program on """"""""Current Trends in the Evaluation and Treatment of Tinnitus."""""""" Tinnitus well represents the ARC's public health relevance. Tinnitus is estimated to affect at least 50 million Americans, yet its causes are not well understood and effective clinical interventions are not clearly defined. Tinnitus research and its clinical implications have considerable significance, therefore, on its diagnosis and treatment, which can have far-reaching consequences on health and quality of life. ARC 2012 and 2013 will continue the translational focus of this conference series. ARC 2012 will offer a program on noise-induced hearing loss and will be held March 28, 2012, in Boston, Massachusetts. ARC 2013 will consider binaural hearing and will be held April 2, 2013, in Anaheim, California. Each of these conferences will seek to engage audiologists and scientists in presentations and discussions to more critically understand clinically relevant research. These conferences reflect the American Academy of Audiology's commitment to fostering the accessibility and transparency of research and the translation of the latest data into clinical practice in audiology.
The American Academy of Audiology's Academy Research Conferences (ARC) are intended to bridge the gap between research labs and audiology clinical practices by engaging both scientists and audiology practitioners in translational presentations and discussions on clinically significant research. The ARC 2011 program on tinnitus well represents the ARC's public health relevance as it will address a condition which affects millions of Americans, yet the causes and effective clinical interventions are not well defined, thus making the clinical implications of the latest research that much more significant for the diagnosis and treatment of this condition which takes personal, medical, and economic tolls on both the individual and society. ARC 2012's program on noise-induced hearing loss and ARC 2013's program on binaural hearing will also address critical public health areas for patients with hearing and other auditory disorders.
