Acute and Chronic Noise Exposure:
Strategies for Preventing, Diagnosing, and Treating Hearing Loss
March 26–28, 2008
Boston, Massachusetts

We apologize for any inconvenience, but the dates for the 2009 program are currently not confirmed.

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View our Calendar for a list of currently offered programs.

If you are interested in bringing this or any other program to your organization, we may be able to develop a Custom Program for you.

Below is the information about the 2008 program.

 

Download the 2008 Brochure

Scholarships Available for Occupational Nurses!

This comprehensive program brings together experts in the areas of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and tinnitus to address important public health issues related to the epidemiology of NIHL, the evaluation, management and compensation of NIHL and tinnitus, risk reduction strategies, and hearing loss education and outreach.

Program Highlights

Expert Faculty From

New Topics!

Overview

Estimates are that 30 million workers are exposed to noise daily in the US, and there are 10 million citizens with hearing loss with a noise-induced component. Despite regulatory standards, workers continue to lose hearing, resulting in increased disability costs, increased industrial accident rates, and diminished quality of life. Better strategies and more stringent enforcement of existing standards are required, as well as reassessment of standards that do exist.

Recreational activities, too, provide many opportunities for dangerous exposure to individuals of all ages, making public education on the dangers of high-level noise in work and recreational activities a public health priority.

Research is progressing on many fronts, forming the basis for improved methods of detecting noise-induced compromise, assessing individual risk of noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus, and improved strategies for treatment and protection against noise-induced damage.

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Who Should Attend

Occupational Medicine Physicians, Pediatricians, Otolaryngologists, Industrial Hygienists, Occupational Health Nurses, School Nurses, Audiologists, Health and Safety Managers/Professionals, Union Leaders, Human Resource Managers, Claims Adjusters, Construction Managers, Acoustical Engineers, Training Coordinators, and OSHA/Military Compliance Managers.

Upon Completion Of This Program, You Will Be Able To

Understand

Assess and Evaluate

Prevent and Treat

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Faculty Members

Program Directors:

Ann Backus, MS
Instructor, Occupational Health
Director of Outreach
Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology Program
Harvard School of Public Health

Sharon G. Kujawa, PhD, CCC-A
Associate Professor
Department of Otology and Laryngology
Harvard Medical School
Director, Department of Audiology
Investigator, Eaton-Peabody Laboratory
Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary

Faculty:

Bonnie S. Bates, MA
Technical Director
Macro International, Inc.

Elliott Berger, MS
Senior Scientist for Auditory Research
E-A-R®/Aearo Technologies, Inc.

Patricia Blessing, BS
Chief, Office of Health Communication and Public Liaison
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD/NIH)

David C. Byrne, MS, CCC-A
Research Audiologist, Hearing Loss Prevention Section
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

David W. Chandler, PhD, CCC-A
Deputy Chief Consultant, Rehabilitation Services
Department of Veterans Affairs

Royce Ellen Clifford, MD, MPH, CDR, MC, USN
Senior Medical Officer
USS George Washington

Kyle C. Dennis, PhD, CCC-A, FAAA
Audiologist and Rehabilitation Planning Specialist
National Audiology and Speech Pathology Program Office
Office of Rehabilitation
Department of Veterans Affairs

Robert Dobie, MD, FACS
UC Davis Health System
Department of Otolaryngology
University of California Davis

Brian Fligor, ScD, CCC-A
Instructor, Department of Otology and Laryngology
Harvard Medical School
Director of Diagnostic Audiology
Children’s Hospital Boston

Robert Herrick, ScD, CIH
Senior Lecturer on Industrial Hygiene
Department of Environmental Health
Harvard School of Public Health

Sheila M. Litchfield, RN, COHN-S
Industrial Hygiene, Health and Safety Consultant

Jennifer Melcher, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Otology and Laryngology
Harvard Medical School
Investigator, Eaton-Peabody Laboratory
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary

Peter Rabinowitz, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine
Director of Clinical Services
Yale Occupational and Environmental Medicine Program
Yale University School of Medicine

Noah Seixas, PhD, CIH
Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
School of Public Health and Community Medicine
University of Washington

William F. Sewell, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Otology and Laryngology
Harvard Medical School
Investigator, Eaton-Peabody Laboratory
Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary

Ed Stevenson, MS, CIH, CSP
Product Director, Industrial Hygiene Service Group
Research Center for Safety and Health
Liberty Mutual

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Agenda

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
  SCOPE OF THE PROBLEM, BACKGROUND AND BASICS
7:30 am Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:00 Welcome and Introduction — Kujawa
8:15 Epidemiology of NIHL: Is Noise a Growing Concern? [NEW in 2008] — Rabinowitz
9:30 Refreshment Break
10:00 Noise-Induced Hearing Loss and Cochlear Damage — Kujawa
11:00 Imaging Tinnitus in Normal and Exposure-Damaged Ears [NEW in 2008] — Melcher
12:00 pm Lunch Break
  NIHL IN THE WORKPLACE: EXPOSURE STANDARDS AND HEARING LOSS OUTCOMES IN MILITARY AND INDUSTRIAL SETTINGS
1:00 Noise Exposure: What’s Allowed? OSHA, NIOSH, and Military Standards — Herrick
2:00 Current Status and Risk of Hearing Loss in the U.S. Military
— Chandler
3:00 Refreshment Break
3:30 Prospective Noise-Induced Changes to Hearing Among Construction Workers [NEW in 2008] — Seixas
4:30 Summary and Questions — Kujawa
5:00 Sessions End
Thursday, March 27, 2008
  HEARING LOSS AND TINNITUS MANAGEMENT AND COMPENSATION
7:30 am Continental Breakfast
8:00 Medical/Legal Evaluation of NIHL: Conduct and Controversies [NEW in 2008] — Dobie
9:30 NIHL and Tinnitus Evaluation and Compensation for Veterans
— Dennis
10:30 Refreshment Break
11:00 Working in Noise with a Hearing Loss [NEW in 2008] — Byrne
12:00 pm Lunch Break
  NIHL RISK REDUCTION
1:00 Acoustic Modifications: Demonstration — Stevenson
2:00 Hearing Protectors: When They Work… and When They Don’t!
— Berger
3:00 Refreshment Break
3:30 Can I Just Take a Pill?? Pharmacologic Strategies for NIHL Treatment and Prevention [NEW in 2008] — Sewell
4:30 Summary and Questions
5:00 Sessions End
Friday, March 28, 2008
  HEARING LOSS EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
8:00 am Continental Breakfast
8:30 Strategies for Hearing-Loss Prevention Programs [NEW in 2008]
— Litchfield
9:30 Hearing Loss Protection and Education in Military Settings — Clifford
10:30 Refreshment Break
11:00 MP3 Players and NIHL: Amid the Hype a Valid Concern? — Fligor
12:00 pm Lunch Break
1:00 How Can We Say It So They'll Hear? Building an NIHL Prevention Campaign that Targets Exposures to Younger Ears [NEW in 2008]
— Blessing/Bates
2:00 Community Outreach: Turn it to the Left! Etc. — Kujawa
2:30 Summary and Questions
3:00 Course Evaluations
3:30 Adjournment

Agenda is subject to change

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Continuing Education Credit

The Harvard School of Public Health is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Harvard School of Public Health designates this educational activity for a maximum of 19 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

The CEUs earned in this program may be applied towards the following credits:


ASHA CEUs Available
The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary Audiology Department is approved by the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to offer continuing education programs in speech-language pathology and audiology. This program is offered for 1.9 CEUs (intermediate level, professional area). ASHA Continuing Education Provider approval does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products or clinical procedures.


The Harvard School of Public Health has an Education and Research Center (ERC) that is funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

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Program Check-In

On the first day, please check in at:

Harvard School of Public Health
Kresge Building
677 Huntington Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02115
617-384-8692

The program takes place at the Harvard School of Public Health, located in the heart of the Harvard Longwood Campus in Boston. Public transportation is also readily available to the city's many shopping districts, museums and restaurants. For directions, please visit: the Longwood Campus directions page.

Accommodations

Marriott Courtyard Boston Brookline
40 Webster Street
Brookline, MA 02446
617-734-1393
$179 single/double occupancy + 9.7% tax

Rooms have been reserved at this reduced rate until February 24, 2008. Reservations should be made when you receive your registration and payment confirmation. Please mention the program name and the Harvard School of Public Health to receive the special rate.

The Marriott is approx. 1.8 miles from the program location. The Marriott will provide one complimentary shuttle trip to and from the program each day.

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Program Fee

$1,295 if payment received between January 5 and March 14, 2008
$1,395 if payment received after March 14, 2008

Program fee includes:

Correction on Scholarship Availability

Acute and Chronic Noise Exposure, supported by a grant from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, is offering limited scholarships to occupational health nurses. If you wish to request a scholarship, please fax or mail the program registration form together with a brief letter to:

Lynn Fitzgerald
Center for Continuing Professional Education
CCPE - Dept. A
677 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA 02115-6096
Or fax to 617-384-8690

Please include the following information in the letter (You can also fill out this information in the online registration form):

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Payment Policy

Payment must be made in U.S. funds and received in order to process your registration. Payment by credit card is strongly preferred (Visa, MasterCard, AmEx). If paying by check, please make check payable to Harvard School of Public Health-CCPE, and be sure participant's name is on the check.

Substitution/Cancellation Policy

Substitutions may be made without additional charge. All requests for substitutions or cancellations must be made in writing. Cancellation on or before February 1, 2008 will be issued a refund less $150 administrative fee per person. Cancellations received between February 2, 2008 and February 29, 2008 will be issued a refund of 50%. After February 29, 2008, no refund will be issued. There will be no exceptions to this policy.

Ways to Register

  1. To register online simply check off the items below and click Register Now.
  2. Call 617-384-8692 and register over the phone. You may also call this number for any registration questions you may have.

 

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