And the European Audiologist of the Year is...

The AOTY judges were particularly inspired by the impact Duncan has had and continues to have on his patient Nicola’s life. Nicola, who nominated Duncan for the prestigious award, said: “Thanks to the continued support of Duncan my story is a happy but complex one. He and his team have been there for me at every turn.

“From childhood I had an 80% hearing loss in one earand normal hearing in the other. I lived happily with thisuntil I experienced Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss(SSHL) in my ‘normal hearing’ ear. My life had changed;I could no longer hear. With a young family I desperatelyneeded to reconnect to the hearing world.

“I feel very fortunate at this point to have discoveredAston Hearing Services and to have met Duncan. Withpatience and understanding he guided me through theoptions and was always available to answer questions.This was especially important as I undertook morechallenges and new, noisier situations.

An exciting evening in Hanover

The European Audiologist of the Year title was awarded to Duncan during Rayovac’s annual Evening of Excellence, held during the EUHA congress in Hanover, Germany, Wednesday 19th October.

“I am delighted to have won the UK Audiologist of the Year and then to win the European award, it is truly unbelievable. My team and I are very excited about future opportunities to use these wonderful accolades as a platform to raise awareness to the general public and also to educate fellow healthcare providers of the importance of hearing healthcare. We want to encourage everyone to treat ears and hearing with the same respect and levels of importance as eyes and eyesight. Nikki’s experience shows that awareness of your personal hearing health, positive intervention and individual support can make a real tangible difference to the individual and their wider family.”

Paula Brinson-Pyke, Marketing Director at Rayovac, said: “Every year we are blown away by the sheer number of truly inspirational hearing stories we receive from people across Europe. The Audiologist of the Year competition is a real highlight on our calendar and it’s great to be able to reward these outstanding professionals with the recognition they deserve.

“Audiologists such as Duncan and all of our country finalists are leading the way in driving up standards of care in the hearing industry across Europe. We wholeheartedly congratulate Duncan and all of the country winners and our thanks go to all of the patients who took time to nominate their hearing professional.”

Other country winners who were in the running for the European title were:

• Pierre-Olivier Grenot, France
• Asa Skagerstrand, Sweden
• Bibiana Sovieri González, Spain
• Wilgis Schoffelmeijer, Netherlands
• Peter Ferguson, Ireland
• Thomas Müller, Germany
• Reinhard Fenzl, Austria

Read the complete story of our European winner here.