Meeting write up from June 7th, 2018

Last Thursday night, the group met at Potomac Audiology to hear Dr. LaGuinn Sherlock, Chair of the ATA Board, give us an update. In April of 2017, the American Tinnitus Association developed a 5-year strategic plan, progress on which was the focus of the just-held 2018 Board Meeting. The organization is energized under new leadership, including Executive Director Torryn Brazell. ATA, which is now 47 years old, moved this year from its former quarters in Portland, to the DC area. The move not only reduced operating costs, but places ATA in the midst of many prime movers in the world of Tinnitus and Hyperacusis research and funding, such as DoD, NIH, the VA, and others.

Dr. Sherlock explained that ATA's main areas of emphasis are: advocacy, education, support, and research. Recently, ATA stepped up its advocacy efforts, and during this time, annual federal funding for Tinnitus and Hyperacusis went from $1.5 m to $10 m. ATA's educational outreach to partner organizations is also on the increase, and its magazine Tinnitus Today has been significantly enhanced. Developments in support include putting together a new (free of charge) Tinnitus Advisors Program, through which a panel of 5 qualified audiologists will be available to advise patients by phone. In the area of research, ATA provides seed money and grants to get new research projects off the ground. ATA has dispensed $6 m in starter funding since 1980. Its Web site and magazine provide up-to-date information on the most promising areas of Tinnitus research.

We can all help ATA by being active members, donating money/time or services, and supporting one another through groups like ours. A simple fund-raising initiative that we can join is the ATA participation in Amazon Smile: https://www.ata.org/news/news/shop-amazon-smile-and-donate-ata

We will have a meeting this summer, so stay tuned!