Striking the Right Balance: An Update from the Canadian Academy of Audiology (CAA) Vestibular Committee

By Michael Vekasi, AuD, R.Aud, Aud(C), FAAA

While not a formal article, we wanted to take a moment to provide an update to our readers and members on what the CAA Vestibular Committee (also known as the National Vestibular Special Interest Group) has been up to.

Welcoming New Members of the CAA Vestibular Committee Executive

In addition to Michael Vekasi (Chair), Erica Zaia, Curtis Wetmore, and Carolyn Falls, our group would like to take a moment to introduce two new members, Ioan Curca and Mohamad Awada.

Ioan Curca is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Supervisor with the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Western University. Ioan has a clinical interest in balance and vestibular screening and teaches vestibular assessment to Audiology students.

Mohamad Awada is a second-year Audiology student at Western University with a keen interest in vestibular audiology.

Welcome to both Ioan and Mohamad!

Second Edition of the ‘Vestibular Assessment and Management for Canadian Audiologists: A Scoping Review’

Members of the original authorship committee as well as some new members will be taking part in the review and updating of the original scoping review document to create the second edition of this document. The group plans to meet in the first-quarter of 2024 to get started on this work.

Striking the Right Balance Column in Canadian Audiologist

Since you are currently reading this update in the Striking the Right Balance column of Canadian Audiologist, you know that Michael Vekasi and Erica Zaia are members of the Editorial Committee and lead the coordination of this particular column. We continue to bring you articles each issue from vestibular audiologists, clinicians and researchers within Canada as well as internationally.

Are you interested in writing a vestibular-related article for this column?

Please email CAAvestibular@gmail.com to express interest and get in touch with the editors.

Journal Club: Canadian Vestibular Audiologists - Connecting Through Cases and Discussions

This past year we offered our first two online meetings of a new (and fairly informal) journal club that we set-up for Canadian audiologists interested in vestibular audiology. These meetings often focus on an interesting vestibular case or an article(s) on a vestibular topic.

We anticipate sharing more information about these meetings later this year. If you are interested in learning more (and a currently a registered audiologist in Canada or a student of a Canadian Audiology program) check out the Facebook Group by searching Canadian Vestibular Audiologists: Connecting Through Cases and Discussions.

Collection of Resources from CAA for Vestibular Audiology (Available to CAA Members)

The following is a list of vestibular-related resources available to CAA members (you may be required to log in to view these resources).

• Vestibular Assessment & Management for Canadian Audiologists: A Scoping Review (found under the PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES heading, then under the Reports, Scope, Guidelines section)
• Vestibular PPT to Educate Family Doctors and Others (found under the PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES heading, then under the Marketing Resources section)
• Ask an audiologist about dizziness and balance concerns posters in both English and French (found under the PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES heading, then under the Marketing Resources section)
• Managing Hearing Loss Reduces the Risk of Falls posters (found under the PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES heading, then under the Marketing Resources section)
• Enlarged Vestibular Aqueducts and Childhood Hearing Loss, Ménière’s Disease, and Vestibular Schwannoma (Acoustic Neuroma) and Neurofibromatosis fact sheets (found under the PROFESSIONAL RESOURCES heading, then under the Marketing Resources section)

Thank you for reading this update about the important work that the CAA Vestibular Committee (a group of very dedicated volunteers) is doing to support CAA members interested in or curious about vestibular audiology.