TAA President's Message

President's Message

November 2007

Greetings Fellow Audiologists:

Thanks to nationally-known and state-wide speakers, TAA’s 8th annual conference, “Partnerships in Audiology” provided us with an intellectually stimulating and productive forum to learn and grow together. Dr. Paul Pessis, our keynote speaker, shared with us key initiatives AAA has in place that will promote audiology in Texas.

I would also like to thank our Board of Directors for their support as well as our sponsors. Please see the sponsors’ page of our website: http://www.texasaudiology.org/2007_sponsors.asp. A convention of this size and caliber would not be possible without sponsor and exhibitor support.

Kudos to the convention chair, Michelle Tejada, Au.D. and her committee. They put in many long hours to insure the success of the convention. Many thanks, Michelle! Also, please mark your calendars now for our 9th Annual Conference at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel in Dallas on Nov 14-15, 2008.

Now that the conference is behind us, we can move on to new challenges. We must continue to promote quality hearing and balance care to the patients of Texas. This can best be accomplished with a strong notified voice… The Texas Academy of Audiology.

Other major initiatives continue to be long term financial stability, membership growth, legislative and regulatory oversight for issues that affect the audiologists of Texas. Please help accomplish these initiatives by renewing your 2008 membership, making a donation to the TAA general fund as well as the TAA PAC.

Angela Shoup, Ph.D. will be leaving the board in December. I want to thank her for her dedication and visionary leadership she lent the board during her three year tenure as President-Elect, President and Past-President. Also, Lee Wilson, Au.D. will be leaving the board after four years of hard work and commitment devoted to professional issues.

The new members I want to welcome are President Elect, Matt Lyon, M.A., Member at Large for Membership, Jeff Sirianni, M.S., and Member at Large for Professional Issues, Steve Miller, Au.D.

I look forward to working with Ross Roeser, Ph.D. as he begins his presidency January 1, 2008. Ross is well known in Texas (and the nation) and TAA will certainly benefit from his excellent leadership skills and his commitment to audiology.

Lastly, I want to thank the membership for giving me the privilege of serving as your president this year. It has been a very rewarding experience.

If you are not a member of TAA, please consider joining your colleagues around the state in order to broaden the voice of our organization.

Cordially,

Jim Phelan, Au.D.
President, Texas Academy of Audiology

July 2007

Greetings,

I hope all of you had a very pleasant July 4th holiday and will enjoy the remainder of the summer as well. As we move into the second half of 2007, we will be focusing our energies on several key objectives.

The TAA board of directors will be meeting in Dallas on August 18th to continue planning for our annual convention to be held at the Houston Merritt Westchase on November 9th and 10th so please mark your calendars now. It is through our annual convention that we not only come together to share cutting-edge information, gain CEUs, enjoy the comradery, but also raise much needed funds for the Texas Academy which are essential for our association to grow and prosper. If you are not a member, please consider joining now and start enjoying its benefits.

As some of you know, the legislature postponed the Sunset Review process until 2013. However, we will continue to address what we think needs to be changed in Chapter 401 of the Texas Occupation Code. This code or “act” governs the activities of audiologists and SPLs in the state. Specifically, the Au.D. needs to be incorporated in the code. Other concerns are the scope of practice and the role of audiology assistants.

There will be three positions open on the TAA board for this next year: Vice-President of Professional Issues, Vice-President of Membership and President-Elect. The election for these board members will be held at our conference in November. If you or anyone you know might be interested in one of these positions, please let our Past-President, Angela Shoup, know of your interest. E-mail: Angela.Shoup@UTSouthwestern.edu

Please take a minute and support the hearing aid tax credit bill. Follow the instructions here on our website under the Governmental Affairs section. This bill will provide a tax credit of $500.00 per ear every five years. If this bill passes, it will be a win-win for the audiologists and the patients we serve.

Lastly, please consider a contribution to the TAA PAC fund and the TAA operating fund. We need your support in order to obtain these objectives!

Jim Phelan
President, Texas Academy of Audiology

January 2, 2007

Dear Colleagues:

What a stimulating convention we had this year in San Antonio! Many thanks to an excellent slate of speakers sharing cutting edge information. My sincere thanks also goes to all of our sponsors. Without their support, a convention such as ours would not be possible.

It is time to carry on the outstanding work Past President, Angela Shoup and her committees did last year. One priority of my tenure as your president is to increase TAA membership through a mentoring program coupling Au.D. students with current members. We need to capture the membership of Au.D. students so we can ensure the vitality and future of TAA.

Secondly, we are planning for the 8th annual TAA conference in Houston on November 9th and 10th 2007. This year we will invite outstanding speakers to submit papers to be peer reviewed for inclusion in our conference. This will ensure an intellectually stimulating time for all. Third, as the 80th Texas Legislature convenes in January, 2007, Texas audiologists face critical issues such as the Sunset Review. This process was designed to eliminate waste in state government. According to the Sunset Advisory Commission, "in most cases, agencies are automatically abolished unless legislation is enacted to continue them." TAA board members or The TAA board will be in Austin to protect your interests and promote audiology care for our patients.

Other issues that concern us are direct access to audiology services and legislative representation and lobbyists. Together we can accomplish all of these goals for the betterment of persons with hearing loss in Texas.

Finally, an enthusiastic welcome to our new board members: Ross Roeser, President-Elect; Tara Johnston, Secretary-Treasurer; Michele Tejada, Vice-President of Education; and Jackie Allen, Vice President of Public Relations.

I also would like to thank the outgoing board members for their hard work and dedication to The Texas Academy: Phil Alred, for his three years of service to the board as President-Elect, President and Past-President, Tami Lemons, Vice-President of Education who did the planning and execution of the TAA conventions in 2005 and 2006, Connie Barker for her work as Secretary-Treasurer and Eric Reynolds, for his dedicated work as the Vice-President of Governmental Affairs. Finally, a special thanks to Angela Shoup for her hard work and dedication as President of the Texas Academy, as well as taking on the additional responsibilities of Treasurer this past year after Connie Barker stepped down from the position.

I hope you had a healthy and productive 2006 and wish you the same in 2007.

Cordially,
Jim Phelan
President, Texas Academy of Audiology
JPhelan200@aol.com