Message from the President
My name is Jillian Price, and I am your new President of CAA. This message is my first opportunity to address the members and hopefully you get to know me a little better. I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I am still acclimatizing to life after the pandemic. Small amounts of panic creep in as I venture out into the world again; out of my sweats, and slippers, and away from my home office which has been my professional backdrop almost exclusively for over two years. Having said all that, I was truly grateful to be back again in person for our annual CAA Conference as nothing beats it!! I was reminded of the ease of which we use to socialize, hearing the constant buzz of people talking, laughing, and reconnecting. Feeling the energy in the session rooms, hearing and seeing the reaction on my colleagues faces as we are having ‘ah-ha’ moments collectively, and being in the presence of truly amazing presenters who engage, provoke, delight, and inspire us- some of the things that sadly can get lost in translation when using virtual platforms. In my opinion, nothing takes the place of in person learning and I welcomed that feeling in my body when I leave a session completely invigorated and full of excitement to bring what I have learned back to clinical practice.
In October, the highly anticipated return of the CAA Conference took place in the beautiful backdrop of Niagara Falls as the hotel was buzzing with people finding moments to get out and enjoy the views, the food, the wine, and the attractions. Registration was very high matching our numbers from our last in-person conference in Halifax back in 2019. I want to personally thank all our registrants, sponsors, and exhibitors. Your support is crucial to the success of this conference and your continued support will allow CAA to continue to attract top notch speakers.
To the speakers, all I can say is WOW! The quality of the sessions was outstanding. They were thought provoking, forward thinking, dynamic, inspiring, and energizing. I am so excited to feel the shift in our profession to move beyond the audiogram and finally start to act in our clinical realm where we can help so many more people who have been seeking our services, but we felt our hands were tied. If feels like we have finally found the courage to trust our gut and do what is best for our patients, even if it’s not status quo. This is exciting and I feel many of us will bring this back with us to clinic. The research and case studies discussed in these sessions gives us permission to trust what we’ve all known in our guts for years.
The Keynote speaker blew my mind. I appreciated the opportunity to learn about fascinating research outside the field of audiology. Gershon Dublon’s work reminded me of the true beauty of our sense of hearing and how it immerses us into our world. My mind was racing with ideas on how we could implement some of his discoveries into our profession, specifically within the areas of design/advancement in hearing aid technology and tinnitus treatments.
After I leave each conference, I have such an appreciation for the work being done in our field and the brilliant minds we are so lucky to have who are making important advances and discoveries and their willingness to share this with us. What also stays with me is the acknowledgement that our field is filled with genuinely good people who are kind, caring, thoughtful and passionate in their work and the goal to ultimately help more people regain, protect, and access their auditory senses. I am proud to be in such good company and my audiology bucket is full again!!