Another 2018 highlight was the invitation from the editor of the highly ranked 'Journal of the Acoustical Society of America'(JASA) to Lars Bramsløw, artificial intelligence expert and member of our Augmented Hearing research group, to become reviewer.
Eriksholm researchers are frequent reviewers of international papers. This invitation, however, was significant because it was explicitly related to topics in artificial intelligence where typically American and Chinese research institutions are leading. Sending an invitation to a European based research centre is special, and receiving it makes us really proud.
We see this as a recognition of the ground-breaking publication from our Augmented Hearing group earlier this year. In close collaboration with our academic partners at Tampere University in Finland, we took one big step towards “cracking the hardest nut” in hearing healthcare, the so called “Cocktail Party Syndrome”, by testing the application of Deep Neural Networks to the segregation of unknown voices.
The third 2018 highlight I would like to mention is the William Demant internal transfer of former eHealth research area manager Ariane Laplante-Lévesque from Eriksholm to a new position in Oticon Medical. On the one hand a loss for Eriksholm, but on the other hand an important and good step for growing the William Demant internal collaboration and know-how transfer. Remember: the best way to transport know-how is between the ears.
The process of hiring a replacement proved that Eriksholm is an attractive workplace. We received applications from many highly skilled scientists and ended up offering the position to the distinguished research scientist Gaby Saunders from VA National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR) in Portland, Oregon. We are excited to have Gaby on board and wish her all the best in leading the way for our future eHealth research.
So, what will come in 2019?
Nobody knows, but I do have a hunch we will hear more about ground breaking applications of artificial intelligence in hearing healthcare.
We will see how multiple sensors become part of hearing instruments, and how they become instrumental on the way to more holistic healthcare.
eHealth will grow and become more and more important. Unfolding its potential will depend on many factors, but the driving elements are obvious: the cost pressure in all global healthcare systems to deliver more for less and the fast-growing capabilities of AI.
What really counts is the patient centered approach: “People First”. What we are really passionate about at Eriksholm is helping people with hearing loss and the hearing care professionals who strive to improve their lives.
To achieve this ambitious goal, we enjoy working with collaboration partners from all over the world. Research does not know borders. We know how little we know ourselves and how much we depend on our global academic partners as well as on our colleagues within William Demant.
A big “thank you” to all of you!
- Uwe Hermann