HHF Supporter Alex Mussomeli Selected as Finalist in 2016 Oticon Focus on People Awards

By Oticon

Alex Mussomeli  of Westport is among the outstanding individuals with hearing loss selected as a finalist in 2016 Oticon Focus on People Awards, a national competition that celebrates individuals who are helping to eliminate negative stereotypes of what it means to have a hearing loss.  The soon-to-be sixth grader is one of three outstanding young people selected as a finalist in the Student category.  Beginning June 20, people can cast their vote for Alex at www.oticon.com.  Total number of votes will help determine whether Alex is the first, second or third place winner in the national awards competition. 

Westport News

This is the 18th year that the Oticon Focus on People Awards has honored hearing impaired students, adults and advocacy volunteers who have demonstrated through their accomplishments that hearing loss does not limit a person’s ability to make a positive difference in the world.

Alex, diagnosed with hearing loss as an infant, appreciates the advances in hearing research and technology that have made his life easier and happier. The gifted musician and artist is determined to use his talents so other children with hearing loss can experience the benefits he has enjoyed. He found his inspiration in a legally blind artist who raised $1 million for charities benefiting children through the sale of his paintings.  This April, Alex held his first solo art show to benefit the non-profit Hearing Health Foundation’s Hearing Restoration Project. The young artist worked diligently for a year on the colorful acrylic paintings, prints and notecards that raised a whopping $16,000 for the Foundation.

Website visitors are encouraged to read all of the stories from this year’s 12 finalists in four categories: Student, Adult, Advocacy and Practitioner. 

Voting closes on August 15. Winners will be announced in September.

HHF's FY'15 Annual Report: Read It Now

By Morgan Leppla

Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) is pleased to announce that our 2015 annual report is now available. From the latest hearing research to how we have worked to fulfill our mission, the report is a comprehensive look at our programs, events, and activities for fiscal year 2015 (Oct 1, 2014 - Sept 30, 2015).

In the report, we review HHF’s progress, talk to supporters, and decode the financials. Here are some highlights:

• Check out the incredible supporters who ran, hiked, and hosted events all to benefit HHF’s mission!

• HHF’s Hearing Restoration Project (HRP) consortium of researchers made notable strides in hearing and tinnitus research. In 2015, the HRP designed a model to test candidate hair cells for regeneration in deafened adult mice, and that’s only a fraction of the story.

  • HRP researchers like Andy Groves, Ph.D., thank you. “Federal funding for biomedical research has decreased by over 20% since 2003, and it shows no sign of increasing any time soon. Your support is critical to help support the skilled young scientists in my lab and to keep the lab afloat,” he says.

• HHF awarded ten Emerging Research Grants (ERGs) to innovative scientists in the areas of Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD), Hyperacusis, Ménière’s Disease, and Tinnitus. Learn more about what they are doing with their research grants.

• See if your name made the donor list. Didn’t see your name...make a gift by Sept 30, 2016, to be listed in fiscal year 2016’s annual report.

• Keep your eye (or ear!) out for hearing-related facts and statistics.

Get all the details in the full report here. We are excited by our progress over the past year and hope you enjoy reading it. As always, have any questions, please email us at info@hhf.org!

Please consider making a gift today so we can continue to carry out our mission and find a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus.

YOU ARE OUR HOPE.

HHF Achieves Accreditation From BBB Wise Giving Alliance

By Morgan Leppla

Accountable, transparent, responsive, and enterprising. 

It takes a resolute organization to embody these traits. While we believe that has been the case since Hearing Health Foundation’s inception in 1958, we now have Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance (BBB WGA) accreditation to prove it!

The BBB WGA evaluates charities based off of 20 holistic standards that include scrutinizing financial transparency and planning, internal governance, effectiveness measurements, and fundraising disclosure practices and accuracy. Check out our profile at Give.org today!

We also recently received a Platinum rating from Guidestar, which is the highest rating available. This rating signifies that HHF yields measurable results using self-defined metrics that reveal much more than oversimplified financial ratios.

But why should this matter to you?

Because these 3rd party ratings show we achieve our mission, responsibly!  

“The public can be assured that every charity evaluation is completed with careful, objective analysis of charity information,” says Art Taylor, president and CEO of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. “

The more we become deserving of your trust, the better the prospects for curing and preventing hearing loss and tinnitus. More than 80 cents of every dollar goes to funding programs and research, meaning we have the capacity to to enact the changes we promise.

While the BBB seal of approval verifies the standards of our operating procedures described above, our commitment to quality is motivated by a much greater force. It is traceable to our mission and core values, which structure the ways we act and choices we make. Accountability to our constituents and stakeholders is crucial to upstanding practices, and without it we would not be HHF. 

Please consider making a gift today so we can continue to carry out our mission and find a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus. 

YOU ARE OUR HOPE.

Brush with Hearing Loss Inspires Young Artist's Vision to Help Others

WESTPORT — A young artist appealed to people’s sense of sight at his first solo art show Saturday to raise funding for research to cure hearing loss.

Alex Mussomeli, 11, a student at Long Lots School, who uses a Cochlear implant in one ear and a hearing aid in the other, sold 51 of the 54 acrylic paintings he displayed in the show, titled, “The Wonder of Art Exploration!” It raised approximately $16,000 for the New York City-based Hearing Health Foundation. According to the HHF website, it is the largest non-profit funder of hearing research and its aim is “to prevent and cure hearing loss and tinnitus through groundbreaking research and to promote hearing health.”

“Our mission is to fund research through a consortium of scientists to find a cure for hearing loss. We have a Hearing Restoration Project,” said Roger Harris of New Canaan, an HHF board member, who attended Alex’s art exhibit at the Fairfield County Hunt Club.

Harris said Alex is “a very gifted young man,” and he is impressed with the boy’s philanthropic efforts. “It was his idea to have this show. To have someone at his age be so socially aware is really amazing.”

“This is my first time exhibiting. It feels pretty special and exciting,” said Alex, who worked for a year to produce his colorful paintings, prints and notecards, many of them with floral and spring themes: “Enchanted Flowers,” “The Tulip Playing the Note,” “The Dreamy Sunflower,” “The Bright Butterfly” and “A Spring Dream.”

“They’re full of life and my happiness,” he added, observing that painting is “my favorite thing to do.”

“Spring after the Storm” was fifth-grade classmate Caroline Motyl’s favorite. “I like the name and the color best because I think it’s really creative,” the 10-year-old said, adding that Alex’s project is “a really brave thing to do. It’s nice because he’s helping other people,” she said.

Alex said he was inspired to use his artistic talent for a good cause after seeing a “CBS Sunday Morning” story about a legally blind artist, Jeff Hanson, who has raised $1 million for charities like the Make-a-Wish Foundation and a children’s hospital through the sales of his paintings.

“I felt like ‘Why couldn’t I do the same for hearing so other kids like me can hear?’ I like to talk to my parents about my day and listen to music,” said Alex.

Alex with Roger Harris

Nada Mussomeli, Alex’s mother, said he was 3 months old when his hearing loss was detected in both ears due to an enlarged vestibular aqueduct, an inner-ear malformation. He received a Cochlear implant in the right ear when he was 3 years old and also has a hearing aid in his left ear.

“My parents wanted me to be mainstreamed so I got a hearing aid, but we learned that the implant is stronger,” Alex said.

Alex uses his senses of hearing and vision as he paints. In his artist’s statement Alex said, “Sometimes I get inspired by something I see.” He also listens to music, sometimes relaxing and sometimes stirring compositions. “I like music full of expressions. I always have music on when I paint.” Ideas dance in his head as his brush dances on the canvas, he said.

Hundreds of people turned out for Alex’s show, among them John Hansen of Fairfield, who said he appreciates the young artist’s use of color, diversity within in the field of plant life and positivity.

Family friend Carol Mueller of Westport said Alex “is an inspiration to all who know him. Alex loves art and enjoys visually expressing his optimism through his painting.”

Nada and Adam Mussomeli said they could not be more proud of their son. Nada Mussomeli said she is inspired watching him do his art and enjoy every minute. “It was a journey.” She also said her dream is that a cure for hearing loss is discovered in her lifetime, but if not in hers then in Alex’s.

This article originally appeared in Westport News on April 12, 2016. It was repurposed with permission. 

Promoting Research to Improve Hearing Health - Seven Questions - ARMY Magazine - Dec 2015

Promoting Research to Improve Hearing Health

ClaireSchultzistheCEOofHearing Health Foundation (HHF), a 501(c)(3) tax- exempt organization committed to ensuring the public—especially service members, veterans and their families—have the opportunity to enjoy life without hearingloss and tinnitus.

1. What is Hearing Health Foundation’s mission?
   
   HHF’s mission is to prevent and cure hearing loss and tinnitus through groundbreaking research, and to promotehearing health. Through our Hearing Restoration Project, we are working on a biological cure for hearing loss and tinnitus for millions of Americans—including hundreds of thousands of military service members and veterans.
   

2. What military-specific initiatives has HHF worked on?
   
   In 2012, we joined the DoD’s Hearing Center of Excellence as a partner through general outreach, radio programs and co-authored articles. We share many of the same goals in raising awareness, providing resources and information, and continually improving the health and quality of life of service members and veterans.
   
   In 2014, HHF launched an online campaign geared toward veterans to provide information and resources about tinnitus treatments and the Hearing Restoration Project’s efforts, and including links to expert content in our magazine and to other hearing and veteran-related organizations and associations. [Visit http://hearinghealthfoundation.org/veterans.]
   
   Pharmaceutical intervention for hearing loss is a major research area for the military.
   

3. Some military members feel hesitant about seeking treatment for hearing-related issues. What does HHF do to mitigate that stigma?
   
   Service members may feel stigmatized about seeking treatment for their hearing problems because there are many myths and misconceptions about people with hearing loss. At HHF, we provide factual information as well as resources to help reduce the stigma of hearing loss, and to encourage getting treatment as soon as possible.
   

4. Do many service members regard hearing loss as a “badge of honor”?
   
   HHF has not heard this sentiment, but it is our hope that members of the military take every effort to prevent hearing loss while in the service, and to address any hearing issues they may have developed as soon as they are discovered. Untreated hearing loss can lead to many additional medical problems; for example, depression, isolation and dementia.
   

5. Are more Iraq and Afghanistan veterans seeking hearing loss treatment?
   
   At least 60 percent of troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistanhave acquired hearing loss or tinnitus because of noise exposure during their service. According to the Hearing Center of Excellence, in the past decade, 840,000 service members have been diagnosed with tinnitus, and just over 700,000 have hearing loss.
   

6. What are the most effective treatment options?
   
   Current treatments include hearing aids, cochlear implants and other devices. Treatments available for tinnitus include sound therapy, drug therapy, psychological interventions, brain stimulation and tinnitus retraining therapy, which is being tested through clinical trials at six flagship military treatment centers.
   
   A sequential program known as progressive tinnitus management has emerged as one of the most promising research-based methods. In order to help patients, it is necessary to mitigate the functional effects of tinnitus, such as difficulties with sleep, concentration and relaxation.
   

7. How can service members prevent hearing loss?

Traditional earplugs are effective in preventing hazardous noise from entering the ear canal, but they can interfere with speech communication or low-level combat sounds. Level-dependent earplugs have a small filter that enables soft noises to be conveyed with full strength while eliminating high-frequency or impulse noise.

Earmuffs are another option. … They provide greater attenuation than earplugs [but] make it harder to pick up the softer sounds that may be necessary for verbal communication. An electronic communication system in the earmuff allows wearers to communicate clearly with each other.

Noise-attenuating helmets should be used by military personnel operating combat vehicles or aircraft. These helmets protect the wearer from hearing loss, crash impact and eye injuries while also increasing communication ability through a radio communication piece.
Technologically advanced helmets include an active noise-reducing technology that monitors the sound energy around the ear and cancels any unwanted noise while preserving verbal communications. A communications earplug with a microphone can be worn in addition to the helmet for high-quality verbal clarity.

—Thomas B. Spincic

HHF Board of Directors Elects Elizabeth Keithley, Ph.D. as its new Board Chair

By Elizabeth Keithley, Ph.D.

Elizabeth Keithley, Ph.D., Chairman, HHF Board of Directors                                            Professor Emeritus, Department of Surgery and Otolaryngology

University of California at San Diego

I have been a scientist who does research on mechanisms of inflammation and aging on the inner ear for more than 30 years. Growing up with a mother who had a hearing loss, I understood of the impact that hearing loss can have on a person’s life. It was quite natural that while in college I became interested in neuroscience and specifically the study of sensory perception. A professor asked me to work in his lab on hearing mechanisms and I have been studying them ever since.

In the 1990s I was asked to review the Emerging Research Grant (ERG) applications and that began my association with Hearing Health Foundation (HHF, and formerly known as Deafness Research Foundation). Soon afterward I was asked to join the Board of Directors. I have remained on the Board since that time.

The ERG program is a very valuable asset for the research community by enabling early-stage researchers to get their careers started. This program allows them to write a proposal describing a series of experiments to test a hypothesis that will increase our understanding of auditory or vestibular (hearing or balance) mechanisms. With data generated during the ERG funding period, the researcher can write an expanded, plausible proposal to address a larger issue. This becomes a proposal for funding from the National Institutes of Health.

In some ways the ERG program is a “dress rehearsal” for a career as an academic scientist. When these scientists receive funding from HHF, they have the opportunity to develop their own ideas. They begin to have some independence from a more senior investigator. The best path to achieving a world where everyone can hear is to continue bringing new people with their innovative ideas into the field of hearing and balance research. A review of the names of HHF-funded researchers over the past half century reveals the American leaders in the fields of hearing and balance research from the mid-1980s on.

As of October 1, 2015, I am the Chair of the HHF Board. I am very pleased to be involved with this important organization. HHF was created almost 60 years ago by a woman who was steadfast in her support of funding for new technologies and treatments for hearing loss. I will do whatever I can to ensure we are able to continue to make a meaningful impact through hearing research. 

It is a goal to see HHF raise enough money to fund the Hearing Restoration Project. The consortium model is a wonderful way to focus the attention of scientists to work together collaboratively and get meaningful results. If we can get to the level of funding $5 million to $6 million for research annually, it will give the scientists the resources to further accelerate the pace of the research and produce advances to prevent, treat, and cure hearing loss. Another goal that is equally as important to me is to be able to return our funding levels for the ERG program to $1 million a year. This was the level of funding when I started 20 years ago and I don’t think it is unreasonable to recommit to that amount in the future.

Hearing and balance research and advancements in hearing devices and technology have come a long way over the past 50 years. Significant outcomes have been achieved, but we still have a lot of work to do. The number of people with hearing loss and other hearing-related conditions is increasing and we need to continue to fund the most cutting-edge research until there is a day when every person can enjoy life without a hearing loss or tinnitus.  

I am interested in getting to know the members of our Hearing Health community.  If you have questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me via email.  

I look forward to hearing from you.

What Does It Mean To Be 4-Star Charity?

By Sloan Blanton

The nonprofit sector is growing, with more and more organizations and foundations emerging daily. However, they are not all managed or held to the same standard. Because of this, donors want to be ensured their philanthropic dollars are being utilized and allocated properly. They are requesting higher accountability and transparency from the organizations they support.

Such donors look for third-party accreditation that their dollars are being maximized. Charity Navigator is America's most-utilized independent evaluator of charities in the competitive philanthropic marketplace, championing efficient, successful, open and ethical charities. By celebrating top charities, Charity Navigator provides the public with useful information needed to provide donors with confidence in their charitable choices.

Charity Navigator has rated Hearing Health Foundation (HHF) with 4 out of 4 stars, the highest possible rating. This indicates that HHF adheres to sound governance, accountability, transparency, and fiscal management, minimizing the organization’s chance of engaging in fiscally irresponsible activities. This rating from Charity Navigator also illustrates how HHF pursues its mission to prevent and cure hearing loss and tinnitus while promoting hearing health in a financially responsible way.

Hearing Health Foundation’s 4-star rating from Charity Navigator differentiates HHF from its peers, and assures the public it is worthy of their trust. "Donors have a choice as to where they invest their philanthropic dollars. We strive to make the greatest impact with every contribution to HHF and are honored to be recognized for our efforts by Charity Navigator, America's premier charity evaluator," said Claire Schultz, HHF’s chief executive officer.

Forbes, Business Week, and Kiplinger's Financial Magazine, among others, applaud Charity Navigator's unique method of applying data-driven analysis to the nonprofit sector. As the leading charity evaluator in the United States, it draws more website traffic than all other charity rating organizations combined.

More than 80 cents of every dollar donated to HHF directly benefits its research efforts towards a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus. Please consider making a gift today. Imagine the day when HHF finds a cure... you'll be able to say you helped made it possible!

HHF reports to the Internal Revenue Service using form 990 under the tax identification number of 13-1882107. HHF is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation. All donations to HHF are tax-deductible. 

Puro Sound Labs Officially Launches Hearing-healthy Headphones for The Entire Family to Enjoy

California-based company to debut with the first ever studio-grade Bluetooth wireless headphones for kids

LA JOLLA, Calif., December 18, 2014 – Puro Sound Labs, a premiere consumer electronics audio company, is proud to announce their official launch into the market today. The company will provide consumers with premium quality, hearing-healthy, contemporary designed on-ear and over-ear headphone monitors at disruptive prices. Puro Sound Labs introduces the BT2200, Bluetooth “Kid-friendly” headphones with built-in volume optimization. This is the first in a line of products that aim to deliver this unique experience and value.  

The Puro Sound Labs BT2200 are Bluetooth headphones created specifically for kids and designed with the health and safety of a child as a priority. They will be the first ever and only studio-grade Bluetooth headphones on the market made especially for kids with volume limiting ear protection. Volume levels over 85 decibels (dB) have been known to cause hearing loss over time. Their unique headphone design protects children’s ears, while delivering studio-grade sound. With hearing health and education in mind, Puro Sound has committed to donating a portion of every sale of all Puro Sound products through 2015 to the Hearing Health Foundation.

“Noise-induced hearing loss is 100% preventable; however prolonged exposure to sounds that are 85 decibels (dB) or above, such as loud music, is often the culprit. By placing an 85 dB volume limit on their headphones, Puro Sound is taking significant strides towards protecting children’s hearing against premature hearing loss. We are excited to work together to achieve the same goal of both educating and providing consumers with hearing-friendly solutions,” said Claire Schultz, CEO, Hearing Health Foundation. “We are looking forward to their continued support and their on-going efforts towards our collective cause.” To find out more about safe listening levels and how to prevent hearing loss, visit us here.

Puro Sound Labs headphones are designed with a unique frequency response curve called Puro Balanced Response®, designed to recreate the natural sound produced in a perfectly tuned listening room in the headphone listening experience. This helps to maximize the satisfaction of Healthy Ears® hearing protection.

Great care has gone into the design and materials used in the headphones. A soft and supple cushioning material and durable lightweight aluminum are used to make the headphones comfortable for young ears and to stand up to everyday use. Their design also attenuates 82% of ambient noise, eliminating a need for higher volume limits. When combined, Puro’s Balanced Response® Curve and the headphones’ noise attenuation design, kids can enjoy their music with no need to exceed safe playback levels.

Parents will love them for their great value and hearing health while kids will love them for their comfort, wireless Bluetooth freedom and great sound. Plus, when employing Bluetooth wireless technology, the chance of a child getting tangled or caught on the headphones’ cable is reduced.

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• Unique volume governor system that limits sound output on most portable devices to 85 dB for parents’ peace of mind

• Puro Limiter cable insures 85 dB sound limit for the auxiliary wired experience

• Puro Balanced Response® equally balances bass, mids and highs, delivering clear, understandable vocal reproduction without excessive volume

• Ambient noise limiting by up to 82%* - even in noisy environments like an airplane, allowing for reasonable listening levels

• Integrated microphone for seamless use with a phone

• 18 Hours of Battery Life for Music Playback & 200 Hours Standby

• Durable, Lightweight Aluminum Construction

• Supple Protein Leather Ear Cushions and Headband

• Puro EQ App for iOS (Android coming soon)

• Folds Flat for Travel

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Puro Sound has also developed the Puro Sound Equalizer App, an iOS 16-band EQ application that allows headphones to be customized to the listener's sound and genre preferences. A version of the app for Android devices will be available after the first of the year.

“Using only the very best of science and engineering available, we have mastered the art of methodically replicating big room sound by fine-tuning our audio products with our signature Puro Balanced Response Curve. We are creating products that will lead to a new generation of premium sound entertainment and I am excited about what’s to come in 2015,” said Jason Wehner, CTO of Puro Sound Labs.

The “Kid-friendly” Puro Sound Labs BT2200 will be available for $79.99 in White/silver and Tan/gold colors and available through authorized online resellers including amazon.com and purosound.com.

*Source: Puro Sound Labs

About Puro Sound Labs
Established in 2014, Puro Sound Labs is a premiere consumer electronics audio company that designs innovative and audiophile quality audio products. Using only the very best of science and engineering available, Puro Sound Labs engineers have been able to master the art of methodically replicating big room sound and fine-tuning audio and introducing a new generation of premium sound entertainment. You know great sound when you hear it – Puro Sound Labs know the science behind creating it. For more information please visit www.purosound.com. 

About Hearing Health Foundation
Hearing Health Foundation is the largest private funder of hearing research, with a mission to prevent and cure hearing loss through groundbreaking research. Since 1958 Hearing Health Foundation has given away millions of dollars to hearing and balance research, including work that led to cochlear implant technology and now through the Hearing Restoration Project is working on a cure for hearing loss. Hearing Health Foundation also publishes Hearing Health magazine, a free consumer resource on hearing loss and related technology, research, and products. To learn more, subscribe to our magazine, or support this work, visit www.hhf.org.

Hearing Health Foundation at Partnering for Cures 2014

By Pallavi Bharadwaj

Convened by FasterCures, the Washington, D.C.-based center of the Milken Institute, the conference will bring together nearly 1,000 medical research leaders, investors and decision-makers to forge the collaborations needed to speed and improve outcomes-driven R&D. The ongoing promise of hair-cell regeneration is closer to reality than ever.

Hearing Health Foundation’s Hearing Restoring Project consortium has identified major roadblocks that have stymied the field, and has designed rational approaches to overcome these barriers.

Partnering for Cures is designed to facilitate informed investments and cultivate relationships, adapting the outcomes-oriented approach of investor conferences, and building on the networking opportunities at industry partnering meetings. In addition to innovator presentations, it also features panels that spotlight solutions to long-standing challenges in medical research.

 “We are very pleased to be present and participate in this conference. It is a unique opportunity to raise visibility for hearing loss and the path to a cure among an important audience.” says Claire Schultz, CEO HHF.

Hearing Health Foundation is one of 30 innovators presenting their cross-sector research collaboration to potential partners and funders at the conference.  Selected through a competitive proposal process, each partnership is aimed at reducing the time and cost of getting new medical solutions from discovery to patients.

“These collaborations address some of the thorniest issues in medical research using models that can be scaled and translated across diseases,” said FasterCures’ Executive Director Margaret Anderson.

“From re-imagining clinical trial infrastructure to improving and expanding data sharing, to creating the tools and resources needed to translate basic science into cures, they are accelerating the path from lab to market for novel – and needed – therapies.”

For more information and to register for the conference, go to www.partneringforcures.org

To know more on HHF’s Hearing Restoration Project presentation at Parterning for Cures 2014, please click here. 

Hearing Health Foundation Names Claire Schultz as Chief Executive Officer

By Tara Guastella

New York, NY (April 29, 2014) - Hearing Health Foundation (HHF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing and curing hearing loss and tinnitus through groundbreaking research, announced today the appointment of Claire Schultz as chief executive officer.

Ms. Schultz comes to HHF with extensive experience in the public and private sectors. She most recently served as the chief external affairs officer of Amnesty International USA, where she was responsible for all revenue development, marketing, communications, digital engagement, and entertainment relations.  At HHF, she will be responsible for strategic leadership and direction of the organization helping to increase its prominence and impact.

Shari Eberts, chair of the board of directors, said, “I am delighted to welcome Claire Schultz as our chief executive officer.  Claire’s depth of leadership and management experience make her uniquely qualified for this vital role.  I am confident that she will galvanize our mission to prevent and cure hearing loss and tinnitus through groundbreaking research through the Hearing Restoration Project, and that she will help navigate a path to build and strengthen HHF with vigor, resolve, and imagination.” 

“It is an honor to be joining HHF and to be working with its forward-looking leadership and the distinguished scientific research community. The mission of HHF is personal for me. As someone with a parent that has hearing loss, I have seen first-hand the challenges a person faces on a daily basis. I am motivated to expedite scientific breakthroughs for the millions of people who live with hearing loss and tinnitus." Claire Schultz said.

Ms. Schultz also previously served as the senior vice president, strategic marketing and communications at JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) where she launched the organization’s national rebranding initiative, and the JDC (Joint Distribution Committee), where she established the first marketing and communications function aligned with fundraising.  While at JDC, she traveled internationally creating award-winning videos documenting the critical humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable children and the elderly.   Prior to working in nonprofit organizations, Ms. Schultz held management positions at NBC, Inc., Microsoft Corp., and Disney/ABC, Inc.

Ms. Schultz received her B.A in Communications from Tulane University and has a certificate in linguistic studies from University of East Anglia, Norwich UK.  

About Hearing Health Foundation:
Hearing Health Foundation is the largest private funder of hearing research, with a mission to prevent and cure hearing loss and tinnitus through groundbreaking research. Since 1958 Hearing Health Foundation has given away millions of dollars to hearing and balance research, and now through the Hearing Restoration Project is working on a cure for hearing loss and tinnitus. Hearing Health Foundation also publishes Hearing Health magazine, a free consumer resource on hearing loss and related technology, research, and products.

For more information visit: www.hhf.org
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Follow us on Twitter: @HearingHealthFn