A quarter of Australia’s audiologists were treated to exceptional presentations that educated, upskilled, reskilled and enlightened them at the Audiology Australia 2025 Conference in Adelaide.
More than 1,000 delegates attended the nation’s premier hearing health event of the year at Adelaide Convention Centre from 1 to 4 April 2025.
Attendees heard from more than 140 speakers including high calibre international and local keynote speakers, reflecting the conference theme of ‘unite, innovate and evolve together’. Local and international audiologists, audiology researchers, clinicians, consumers and health workers, shared their knowledge, research, stories and experiences.
A buzzing trade expo with 58 exhibitors, pre-conference masterclasses, poster presentations and social events including a welcome reception and a conference dinner at Adelaide Oval, rounded off a “week of learning, connection and celebration for the profession”, according to Dr Bec Bennett.
New committee format a winner
Dr Bennett, chair of AudA’s National Conference Program Committee, said the organisation took a different approach this year and invited members to self-nominate to join the National Conference Program Committee.
“It was wonderful, we received many applications and chose a diverse group of passionate, experienced people representing different areas of audiology,” she said. “They brought knowledge and understanding of what members on the ground were looking for in learning experiences and what topics they were interested in.
“While we covered a lot of old favourites, we also introduced new innovative streams and topics that haven’t been explored as much at previous conferences including artificial intelligence, neurodiversity, lived experience and new concepts for adult rehabilitation, all of which proved very popular.”
The committee tailored content relevant to 10 different personas of people who attend AudA conferences so there would be plenty for everybody and something for everyone, she said.
Dr Bennett said the program offered practical hands-on content, such as keynote presentations that unpacked the broader landscape of mainstream AI, complemented by a masterclass on using AI tools in clinical practice.
Hidden hearing loss spotlighted
Dr Bennett highlighted that many audiologists regularly see clients who report hearing difficulties despite having normal audiograms – a group that can be particularly challenging to support due to the current lack of clinical guidelines and evidence-based interventions.
The conference program tackled this important issue head-on, she said, with sessions where researchers shared emerging findings, clinicians offered practical insights from their own experiences, and a dedicated masterclass provided an opportunity for audiologists to take a deeper dive into how to better support this population in everyday practice.
Jointly opening the conference, Dr Barbra Timmer, AudA president, said a highlight of the event was upskilling across these various topics, and connecting and reconnecting with colleagues.
“We’re all here to celebrate and encourage strength in unity across so many different areas of audiology that we all represent,” she said.
Award winners:
- Life Membership: Professor Louise Hickson
- Fellow Membership: Dr Bec Bennett
•Certificate for Outstanding Service: Dr Colleen Psarros, Ms Amarjit Anand and Ms Jane MacDonald
•Outstanding Audiology Australia Supervisor: Mr Julian Shen and Mr Paul Dayton
•Audiology Australia Internship awards: Ms Caris Bogdanov and Ms Aishah Segu Mohamed
•Barbara Skurr Scholarship: Ms Athena Koutsovasilis, Ms Adriana Dall’Est, Mr I Gede Adi Wiguna, Ms Chloe Baxter, Mr Dean Aidan Young Han Choo, Ms Sarah Daniel, and Ms Udari Kalpana Jayatissa Batuwatta Gamage.
Program and exhibit awards:
Oral presentation awards:
• Laurie Upfold young presenter award: Ms Lucy Shiels
• Best clinical presentation award: Ms Erin Keach
• Best early career research presentation award: Ms Jermy Pang
• Best research presentation award: Dr Paola Incerti
• People’s choice oral presentation award: Dr Meg Miklosvary
Poster presentation awards:
• Best clinical poster award: Ms Laura Drexler
• Best early career research poster award: Ms Marisa Poulos
• Best research poster award: Mr Jason Gavrilis
• People’s choice poster award: Ms Shermin Lim
- Best (people’s choice) exhibit award: Starkey.
People who missed out on attending the conference can register here to watch recordings of selected speakers and gain CPD.
*Look out for extended coverage of the conference in Hearing Practitioner Australia’s June-July magazine.
