Specsavers Audiology Australia and New Zealand unveiled the winners of its inaugural Doug Perkins Medal for Clinical Excellence at the Specsavers Audiology Clinical Conference (SCC) this week.
Specsavers Audiology Partners from around Australia and New Zealand converged on Melbourne for the second annual conference from 16 to 17 October 2025.
Named in honour of Specsavers co-founder, optometrist Mr Doug Perkins CBE, the Doug Perkins Medal celebrates one store in Australia and one in New Zealand which exemplify the highest standards of clinical care, patient outcomes, and a strong culture of excellence.
The inaugural winners were Ms Nil Koca, Specsavers Audiology Dandenong (Australia), and Ms Iris Shin, Specsavers Audiology Albany (New Zealand).
Audiologist Mr Nick Taylor, Specsavers ANZ head of product and professional services – audiology presented the awards which he said would become a cornerstone of clinical recognition within the Specsavers network.
“These stores have set the benchmark for clinical excellence,” he said.
“To determine the winner, we analyse nationwide clinical data, patient feedback, and health outcomes to identify finalists — and these two stood out for their unwavering commitment to quality care, accessible hearing health, and fostering a thriving store culture.”
Taylor said the finalists represented the top 3% of stores in each country, selected for their consistent excellence across all areas of audiology practice.
“Their achievements set a powerful precedent for future winners,” he said.
“We were looking for practices that lead in delivering exceptional patient outcomes, provide consistently outstanding patient experiences, and continuously improve store processes to ensure high-quality hearing care.
“These stores also demonstrate a deep commitment to accessible hearing health and contribute positively to their workplace culture.”
The theme of the conference centred around elevating clinical expertise to become trusted experts.
Conference speakers included audiologist Ms Dianne Rafter from New Zealand, pictured above, who drew on her Masters in Technological Futures to explain different types of artificial intelligence (AI) and AI in hearing technology, plus how to explain AI in hearing aids to customers.
Sonova Australia’s Ms Sylvia Soong, territory manager for WA and SA at Unitron Australia, unveiled the Advance 73 hearing aid platform soon to be available in Specsavers Audiology stores, detailing innovative new features that improve sound quality, reliability and durability.
Audiology and professional support specialist with Sonova Australia, Ms Thilini Peiris, gave tips to help prevent the top issues that hearing aid wearers need help with – Bluetooth issues, charging and sound quality.
Principal research engineer at the National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL), Dr Justin Zakis presented on the new NAL-NL3 hearing aid fitting system, and the importance of real-ear verification.
“It was a privilege giving a presentation at the conference,” he said. “The room was full – great to see so much interest! The conference theme of using clinical expertise to be trusted experts bodes well for the future of people with hearing difficulties.”
Melbourne ENT surgeon Dr Tim McLean gave an update on management of vestibular schwannoma, otosclerosis, superior semicircular canal dehiscence, and cochlear implants.
Dr Emma West, a senior emergency physician at Royal Melbourne Hospital who features in Channel 9’s Emergency television series, discussed deidentified patient stories showing connection is key in patient care.
“We should learn from every patient encounter to connect better,” she said. “Everyone has a story. Listen to your patient’s truth, learn their story better, connect with your patient and show you care, and pair that connection with expertise. Connection equals trust.”
*Hearing Practitioner Australia (HPA) will provide more detailed coverage of the conference in a feature in the upcoming December-January edition of HPA magazine.
