AAA 2010

San Diego was the site of this year's AudiologyNOW convention, an annual event programmed by the American Academy of Audiology (AAA). Thousands of audiologists, ENTs, acousticians, techs, hearing industry folk, and others gather to network and learn. A giant expo floor houses all the hearing aid players, gargantuan and mom and pop alike. You'll also see reps from the military, earmold labs, universities, and cochlear implant companies.

There are also sessions covering every aspect of the field of audiology. Far from just amplification. Vestibular, tinnitus, auditory processing, speech. Research is presented through those and separate modules and poster sessions (students contribute as well). I had the honor of co-presenting an hour long talk on sudden hearing loss at the Denver meeting in 2007, and a poster on the auditory complications in patients with Asperger's Syndrome in Dallas last year.

In the evenings at "AAA", the hearing aid companies have big and small shindigs; this year's were covered in a previous post. I forgot to mention that the opening night festivities involved a baseball game between the Padres and Braves. I had not read the bulletin ahead of time. Damn! Would've been fantastic...

I've attended five meetings, and it has been interesting to observe how my agenda has changed over time. My first was in D.C. in 2005. It was exciting. Dazzled by the city, the convention center, the glitz on the expo floor, I was overwhelmed. Too much stimuli. I eagerly collected all the freebies from the manufacturers; classmmates and I excitedly compared swag. "You got an iPod?!" "Are those Bose noise cancellers?" If you didn't have to stuff another suitcase for the flight home, it was some sort of failure. But as I treveled to Minneapolis, Denver, and Dallas thereafter (skipped Charlotte in '08), I became les interested in that. Besides, the Ethics Board came down hard last year and now the freebies are history. Well, some were still giving out cupcakes.

I did attend educational sessions, even in the early days. Some filled in the gaps of my knowledge, some were beyond my knowledge base. I took copious notes, unworried about the secret code you had to wait around for to get your CEUs. These days, it's (mainly) all about that. I can knock out a good percentage just at the Convention. This year, I really got much out of them, and am currently employing points noted in my daily practice, particularly from the balance lectures. The most interesting session was presented by two NASA scientists who explained the auditory and balance problems of astronauts after spaceflight. The geotropic rehabilitation protocols were both expected and astonishing: a vibrotactile suit? Brilliance! I want to work for NASA.

My first trips to the Conventions were as a student. Consequently, I saw many classmates there each year. But fewer and fewer now. It can be expensive. Plus, we're working folks now and someone has to see patients. It's not always feasible to shut a practice down for half a week should you not have coverage. I get that. It is a bit sad, though. The scattering after our 3rd year, then the further diaspora after graduation. It is not limited to geography. Many of us are not who we were, to ourselves and especially not to each other.

We once spent hours collaborating on presentations, studying in the HPD library, hitting the Ale House after a long day in clinic and class. Bonds were forged, all of that. But you know how life goes; people move on. Even without the cliques, infighting, relationships turned to vinegar, all during grad school itself, people close the book on yet another period of life.

I often try to keep the communications lines going. Facebook has made this much easier, but results vary wildly. Many are just not interested. They're busy, sure, but when you actually have a latter day conversation, at last, you might hear that, well, life moves on.

It really hit me this year. It was on the last day, on the Expo floor. One of my classmmates was at a booth, repping her company, a recent new job. She was thrilled with the position. We hugged, spoke of our current gigs. She had been involved in a fair amount of drama in the waning days of school. Sadly, she lost a dear friend/classmmate over it. I knew all of this, but hearing her tell it made it more poignant somehow. She went on to state that she was out of contact with pretty much everyone from school. Professors included (this would be a sad theme that was echoed by other covention attendees/former classmmates). BFF contracts were forgotten. Was there sadness in her voice? Maybe fleetingly. More an acknowledgment of the glum reality. Put simply, shit happens. Maybe the relationship wasn't worth saving, in her eyes. Maybe there will be a reconciliation in the future. I have at least one of those pending myself.

After our exchange, I rushed off to one last session, then later wandered the Convention Hall and thought about many things. Mainly grad school, a shattering experience I've yet to document here. I thought about those with whom I learned, how many of them are still close (a few). Others were like brothers and sisters but drifted, more ghosts in my life to add to the many before them. I was hoping to see a few at this year's event, but there are mortgages and kids and schedules. The words of my classmmate haunted me the rest of that day and on the long plane ride home. How many more families will we join, only to be torn asunder yet again? Will we care?