Hello and welcome back for another episode of the Future Ear Radio podcast!
For this week’s episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Dani Rood, Au.D. – Clinical Education Specialist at Signia Hearing.
During our conversation, Dani and I discussed:
- Her backstory and journey toward becoming an Audiologist
- Her time in Florida spent at Nova Southeastern, Joe Dimaggio Children’s Hospital, and the Allentown VA
- The value of diversifying her clinical experiences and work settings
- Joining Signia as a Clinical Trainer and a “day in the life of Dr. Rood”
- Empowering Clinicians with “what I wish I would have known when I was in clinic” type of information
- Educating the next generation by working closely with students and recent graduates entering the workforce
-Thanks for Reading-
Dave
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
Dave Kemp
All right, everybody, and welcome to another episode of the future ear Radio Podcast. I’m pumped to be joined today by Dr. Dani Rood. Dani, thanks so much for being here.
Dani Rood, Au.D.
Thanks for having me, Dave.
Dave Kemp
So I think this is gonna be really good chat. I met you up in Connecticut, when I was up there for the Connecticut Academy of Audiology. It was really nice to just meet some other young and people all over the age spectrum within the within the industry. But that’s my favorite part about you know, doing these all this travel is like getting to meet people and kind of get a sense of who’s who. And so, you know, I met you and talking about my podcast, and I thought you’d be a really good fit. So I wanted to just have you on today to kind of give your story. So why don’t we start from there, if you want to maybe just kind of dive into how you became interested in the world of audiology, how you decided to pursue, pursue your AUD, and ultimately, just like the motivation for joining this, this industry in this line of work?
Dani Rood, Au.D.
Absolutely. Well, as you mentioned, it was a pleasure to meet you at Connecticut and wonderful conference, Dave gave a great presentation as well. So really, what kind of got me into thinking about wanting to be an audiologist was actually my grandfather. My pop up, as he was so lovingly called, was a 25 year Air Force veteran. So it’s actually very appropriate. We’re doing this though week of the Fourth of July. And from being in the Air Force, he had pretty severe hearing loss, but the tinnitus was the main thing that bothered him the most. And just seeing how that impacted like family dynamics, especially my Nana gotta love her. She’s this very stubborn Italian woman. And she’s like yelling at him from other rooms without looking at him. And I’m like, Nana, he can’t hear you, like, please talk to his face. So just seeing how much that kind of impacted day to day with just the family dynamic. I was like, Okay, this actually is a field that I could see myself getting into. So initially, I had thought I wanted to actually do speech pathology. So and then the first intro to audiology class I had in my undergrad, I was like, nope, audiology it is that is where I’m meant to be for sure.
Dave Kemp
That’s hilarious. Okay, cool. So you have this personal tie to it. You are exposed via your grandfather, your pop pop. And so what was that like? You you started into? SLP. Then you decided alright, I actually want to go the AUD route. Where did you go to get your AUD?
Dani Rood, Au.D.
So I started it. My undergrad was at Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania, though Huskies small state school in Central PA. And my parents actually went there too. So that was cool to go to the same place they did. And then I had started in speech pathology and audiology as my major. Like I said, first class for Audiology. I’m like, Nope, that’s it. And then I decided, I was like, Okay, I could stay in Bloomsburg because they have a great AUD program. But then I was also accepted to Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale. So I was like Central PA, the beach. And I wasn’t. So needless to say I ended up at Nova Southeastern in Fort Lauderdale. I do now live back up in the northeast, because frankly, Florida was a little bit too hot for me. But wonderful experience. I got a great education had some especially wonderful clinical experiences down there being so close to Miami. So I was able to be at the Miami VA Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. So it really kind of opened my eyes to all that audiology has to offer.
Dave Kemp
So let’s talk a little bit about that. So you’re, you know, you you go to Nova Southeastern you’re in this hot spot in the US, you know, in terms of body, geriatric patients, just a high, highly dense area. And so you probably if you were working at a children’s clinic to you did some pediatric stuff. So what was it that really started to first grab your attention and what asset are facets of audiology was most interesting to you.
Dani Rood, Au.D.
So actually, on the flip side of that, the geriatric population versus PT I think being at the Children’s Hospital, I realized, you know, I think the geriatrics are more my general area of people so being in Florida was very good for that. But I think it also kind of all ties back to the whole reason why went into audiology, because of my grandfather. I’ve always had a really close relationship with all four of my grandparents. I was lucky enough to Have them alive for a majority of my life. So I’m super thankful for that, and just gave me like a really big appreciation for the older generation and all they have to offer and why I want to help them have the best quality of life, which is really kind of where I spent my focus then. And I think the VA really helped me with that to seeing the veterans especially down in Miami to because are so prominent, was really nice to be able to give back because I know, joining the military is something I never saw myself doing. And I’m so appreciative of all the men and women that have served our country. So I was really glad I was able to at least give back at the Miami VA by doing an internship there. And I was actually able to then even do a rotation at my hometown VA in Allentown. So that was really cool. Because I’m a pretty hometown girl, hence why came back. So it was nice to be able to then go to the Allentown community based outpatient clinic and do that as well.
Dave Kemp
Okay, cool. All right. So continuing on, so you you spent some time in the VA you kind of identified I like working with older adults, that’s gonna be the demographic that I want to cater to. And then so you did that for a little bit Europe back home and Central PA. What then where? Where did life lead you next?
Dani Rood, Au.D.
Oh, life led me back home. Frankly, I still live in my hometown with my wonderful husband and my dog. My husband and I have been dating since high school. So we’re both from the same hometown. He supported my journey of going to Florida. So we did long distance for a couple years that I was down there. And then frankly, I got a little homesick and hot in Florida. So I’m like, Alright, I’m ready to come back. And my dad actually met a fellow Bloomsburg Husky at like a reunion. And he was just like chit chatting with her. And he’s like, Yeah, my daughter’s in school to be an audiologist. And she was like, I’m an audiologist. And it just like, opened up this like conversation and I ended up doing my externship with this same woman. Her name is Linda Dallas, at specialty physician associates in the Lehigh Valley, which is, has a bunch of locations. So it was really cool to kind of have that full circle moment. My dad always likes to say he kind of helped me get my first job. So thanks, Dad, if you’re listening. But so that was awesome. And I was there for about five years. So I did my externship there and then stayed on at a variety of locations there. And I really liked working in the EMT setting, because I saw a really wide variety of things I only learned about in textbooks in school. So being able to apply all like the weird disorders or things that can happen within the ear and the vestibular system, it was really cool to see that in person. So I’m so thankful for that experience. My co worker there, Kate long, and Bach has since become one of my closest friends. So I’m super thankful for her kind of mentorship as well. So I got to give a shout out to her for being awesome.
Dave Kemp
Well, you know, what’s cool is like, you have a really well rounded background, like, you know, and I think this is interesting to think through is like, you know, kind of like, how do you get in, gather all the various types of skill sets that I think you ultimately kind of need. And so you spend time in the VA, you spend time in this private practice clinic? What were what really stands out to you in terms of like, the differences of those worlds, if you will, and maybe the argument for why those two sets of experience are really valuable in your mind, for any prospective student or somebody that’s out there that’s thinking, Should I go in work at a VA and get some of that experience? Or should I go to a private practice? Maybe do both over the course of time? I’m just curious, like, what were the things that stand out to you in terms of the experience you’re gathering in those settings.
Dani Rood, Au.D.
So in terms of the VA, what is super wonderful, especially because they have served our country, they deserve it, I used to always say you paid for these hearing aids by serving our country, you paid for them with your time. So because of that the VA, they’re a we’re able to offer top of the line technology. So it’s Signia that would be our seventh ATX. So that is what the top of the line technology is from our brand. And that’s what the veterans get. So it’s a little bit less of a conversation of where do you need all these features, as compared to private practice where people are a little more budget conscious, which especially with the way the world is going now with inflation and all of that. That was definitely honestly a big change going from the VA to private practice, learning how to really discuss the different levels of technology as well as in relation to pricing, and why one patient is a better fit for certain levels. But because of that experience, it really kind of opened my eyes to how much technology there is out there in the world. And hence why I became a trainer with Signia so now I’m able to go even a little more deeper dive into all those features and what differentiates the technology levels, and why certain patients would benefit from different levels.
Dave Kemp
So let’s talk about this jump from private practice, like and operating in VA, and just like in a clinic in general, and then and it’s like, Alright, I want to join one of the manufacturers and ultimately become a trainer. What led you to that? And what was exciting, I guess, for you, before you even made the jump, and then you know where you are today, like, what, what really resonates about like that decision.
Dani Rood, Au.D.
So what really kind of made me make the jump is, frankly, I missed being a student, I don’t think I ever thought I would say that in my life, especially when I was in grad school. I was like, get me out of grad school, I could do this. But then like, I just kind of missed learning I missed, honestly giving presentations, which freshman me in undergrad with my public speaking class would have been like, You’re kidding. You give public speaking presentations. I’m like, yep, that’s part of my job. So looking back full circle with that, I think a part of me always knew I wanted to come on the industry side of audiology, because something I’m really passionate about is awareness of hearing loss, and really reducing that stigma of hearing loss. So I’m super grateful to have been able to serve those patients that I did. And it was mainly the geriatric population. So I did get my fill. And I still have some dear, dear patients that I think of often. And with that, I was like, Okay, how can I use my AUD? For my overarching goal, which again, is reducing that stigma? So how can I switch from direct patient care to kind of embracing it from providing education to hearing healthcare professionals. So that’s what kind of got me thinking about it. And then a recruiter from Cigna BIA had reached out to me. And it frankly, just seemed like a perfect fit. I was like, This just feels like everything is falling into place. I had been thinking about it at my current role. And then when this came about, I was like, I think this is the universe’s way of telling me it’s time to make this jump. And I am forever grateful that I listened to the universe and to make the jump to the industry side. So when did you make that jump? Oh, gosh, relatively recently, in December, so I’m going on month seven. Okay, cool. It’s Signia.
Dave Kemp
So you’re pretty brand new to this new role will tell. Tell us about this role? Like what what is a day in the life of Dr. Roode.
Dani Rood, Au.D.
So it really depends on the day, which I love. I thought I was more of a routine days person. But now having this variety, I love it, because I’m never bored. Let’s put it that way. So a typical day in my life always starts with coffee, no matter what that is. Step one. That’s as I have this right here. So step one, always start a coffee, then I’ll kind of see what’s going on for my day. I’m a planner, as many hearing care professionals are, can’t tell I’m pretty type A my husband says that to me all the time. Got to keep gotta keep them in line somehow. So with that, I’m like, Alright, what’s my day looking like some days, I’ll be sitting here in my office at my house, which I do love working from home. And my dog does too, as she sound asleep next to me. Other days, I’m on the road. So sometimes I’ll be going to providers offices, whether it’s for an in office training, or maybe a tricky patient that they’re like, you know, what, Danny, I think I’ve done everything I can for this patient, can you come in and be an extra set of eyes, especially as somebody who I am so familiar with Signia software, and I know other providers Signia might not be the only brand they’re fitting. So it’s my goal to get them more comfortable with Signia. And that includes helping those patients. So I still do get my fill of patient care, because I thought I would miss it. I like that I have the variety of it. Some other days, I’ll be giving CEU presentations, whether that’s after hours training. So last week, I was just up in upstate New York, I did an after hours training there. And then I went in to Brooklyn for the next day and did an in office training. So it really depends on where the need areas are for sure. I do cover the entire Northeast. So Maine down to Virginia. However, I have a wonderful, everyone says I have a wonderful counterpart. Her name is Dr. Jamie lotion. So her and I are kind of like the Northeast clinical education specialists for Signia. She happens to live more north. So she lives in Cape Cod. I myself live in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, right outside Allentown. So we kind of split it up like that. But really, by having those of us it enables us to be able to utilize our schedules better so we’re able to help those providers or go with our regional sales man. Gers that need that extra support from a clinical education side of it?
Dave Kemp
Gotcha. Okay, cool. Yeah, I was gonna say that is a very large territory, but that if there are two of you that I guess you can divide and conquer a bit. Absolutely. So, you know, when you’re going into these in person trainings, and you’re in clinics and stuff like that, you know, like, where do you tend to find there to be maybe like, the biggest opportunity for education in today’s world, you know, like, what, what’s usually the things that you glom on to that you get really excited to talk about, you know, even if it’s, with Signia, but even at, like a macro level, like you mentioned, your, one of your real, like, missions is to help combat the stigma associated with hearing loss. So like, in your mind, you know, what, what are you kind of almost trying to achieve? Obviously, you know, there’s a sales element of this, but like, even beyond that, when you’re going into these, and it’s obviously gotta make, if you’re being, you’re gonna have to drive all around, and you’re gonna have to, like, work so hard, there has to be an element of passion, I would imagine, and something that’s really motivating you to do this.
Dani Rood, Au.D.
Absolutely. So something that I’m super passionate about when it comes to my in office trainings, or frankly, even my virtual trainings is, I want to make the providers life easier. Being an audiologist or hearing care professional is not easy, I will be the first one to say that, there were days that I came home from the clinic, and I didn’t want to speak, I was like, I’ve done enough talking all day, I’m like, to my husband, Chris, I’m like, Chris, please don’t speak to me tonight. I’ve discussed it here on the couch. So I know how tough their life can be, especially with scheduling patient complaints that feel like the hearing healthcare professional little bit is a little bit under appreciated. So with that being said, I want to make the providers life easier. So one thing you’ll probably hear me say, if you’ve ever been in a training of mine is I will always say work smarter, not harder. It’s something I live by. So my goal is to give them the tools to succeed. And where I find the most benefit in that is, frankly, the software, because the software is what providers use on a day to day basis. So I want to make sure when they’re in that software, they feel comfortable, and know where all those little tips and tricks are to make their life easier. And frankly, things I wish I would have known that would have made my life easier.
Dave Kemp
That’s really interesting. So I’ve heard this before, right with other trainers at other manufacturers. Like I have somebody that’s coming to mind right now that works at Phonak. And she’s a giant proponent of Roger and, you know, a lot of like her. What I’ve gathered from her is like almost kind of I wish when I was in clinic, I know what I know now, and it’s Yeah, so like, that’s kind of this like reoccurring theme and I can, I can totally sympathize with the clinician, because it’s like, first off, you’re already so busy. And you have this, like, you know, everybody has a finite amount of bandwidth. And so it’s like, I can’t really allocate that much time to just, you know, toward like this continual education. And so it’s like, how do you? How do you cater to that, because that seems to be a big opportunity is like having somebody go in and really, like you said, make their lives easier. So what are some of the things that, you know, with Signia, like that falls into that bucket.
Dani Rood, Au.D.
So a few things that Sydney out, one is our wide variety of form factors, which again, is why when the opportunity came about to join Signia, I was like, this is a great opportunity. Because with the different type of form factors, it really kind of elite, I mean kind of lends its way to my overarching goal, again, of reducing that stigma. So with we have the active pros, the side lentos, the silk, which are all a little bit different than the traditional receiver behind the ear hearing aids, or receiver in the canal. And just to show the differences and how each patient is different. So I think something I go into every training with is really asking those best questions. What are the typical demographic you see? Or where have you found you have the most trouble? Because at the end of the day, when I’m in an office with a provider, or on a virtual meeting, which I think you probably the one and only good things that come out of COVID is that it has allowed us to reach more people with the virtual aspect and people be more accepting of that. So with that, I’m like, where are your pain points? Where can I help make your day to day life easier, so something as simple as within the Signia software, and this is something again, I wish I would have known because it would have made my life a lot easier. You can actually program the right and left hearing aids without the partner. So think of those really busy clinic days. A hearing aid comes back in from repair or you don’t have time to put this patient on your schedule, but you don’t want them to be without their hearing aid any longer than they have to be with our software, you can simply go to the Service tab and program the right or left hearing aid without the partner. So then they could come and pick it up at the front desk, it alleviates your schedule, and gets the patient the hearing need back faster. That’s a win win. So like something as simple as that, and it’s just awareness. That’s why I love focusing on the software, because frankly, I could spend hours and hours talking about the Signia Connect software, because there’s so much in it, that is really helpful for not only the provider, but then ultimately the patient, which is what we all want and why we came into this field.
Dave Kemp
Right. And I think that’s an area that’s it’s a little bit of a double edged sword. So like, let’s use the, the thorniest of all of these, which is Bluetooth, right? Bluetooth is the epitome of like, can provide so much value, but you do sort of unlock a little bit of a Pandora’s box, because as soon as you make the patient where then it’s like, well, whose responsibility is it to do the troubleshooting associated with it? And you know, we’re obviously talking about a demographic that skews toward geriatric population that might not be as technologically savvy as maybe some of the younger generations. So it’s, it’s like you almost have to walk this fine line of how much do you expose the patient to? Knowing that, you know, there, there’s a tremendous amount of upside, but you do open the door to all of the time associated with like, helping them to get there. And so for me, the way I’ve thought about this is that this is an opportunity, I think, for the manufacturers to really try to solve the assist to make this as seamless as possible. I mean, you’re never going to be able to get to the point to where, you know, you’re basically educating a patient on how to use their phone more or less. I mean, you know, so it’s like, you have to, you have to walk a fine line there. But I mean, I just, that’s the first thing that comes to mind here, which is, there’s so much that’s being innovated on right now. And like all this great functionality and features and stuff like that, that are being built within the apps of the of the hearing aids himself. But it’s a matter of like, how do you almost introduce the patient to that and then like, at from a clinicians perspective, so that you’re not like leaving yourself open to becoming like a Bluetooth technician?
Dani Rood, Au.D.
So great question, because this Bluetooth is wonderful. It’s a love hate relationship. I think every hearing here a health care professional, and frankly, even those not in the hearing healthcare profession would probably agree with that. Yeah. So with that, really, again, best questions. That’s why I really like to have those conversations with patients and providers. Somebody said this to me once. And they said a question as simple as, do you like your cell phone can tell you so much information? Very simple, very general? Because if they’re like, No, I hate it. This might not be the appropriate time to introduce the Bluetooth element of the hearing aids. Because at the end of the day, Bluetooth with hearing aids is a tool is a tool to help them succeed better. Does that mean everyone needs every tool? No. I like to think of the app and features like that, like tools in your toolbox. You don’t need every tool every time but that one time you need the tool. You’re thankful it’s in that box for you.
Dave Kemp
Yeah, no, I think that’s a really good way to frame it. And, you know, I the way I see it is like someone has to, I think, I think that there’s an opportunity for someone to take it upon themselves, whether it’s the manufacturer, and then having it disseminated out through the clinical trainers, where you’re basically pre empting some of the issues that might come up with the tools, like you said, so is there you know, would it behoove the manufacturer to basically create the materials of how to, you know, like a little brochure that goes along with it a very, very basic, like how to guides more or less so that again, it’s like, is that ultimately the responsibility of the clinician to create the material to go along with their message? Or can you enable them to do those kinds of things? And for me, I think that framing it like you did, where you put it, you position it more as a tool and you say, Look, this isn’t a mandatory thing, like you can still get a tremendous amount of value from the hearing aids stand alone. But, you know, Bluetooth is something that is like a really added benefit for a variety of people for a variety of different reasons. And maybe it’s helping them to here’s a like, here’s a list of questions that are probing questions to identify, like you said, Do you like what’s your relationship like with your phone? Do you have a flip phone? Do you have a smartphone? I love my phone. Why do you love your phone because So I communicate with my grandchildren, her, you know, whoever it might be. So they’re somewhat, you know, like in the know of how they work. And I just look at this and I say to myself, because I see this all the time, and like the Facebook discussions that are just like people that are lamenting more or less Bluetooth, and I sympathize with this position as a clinician, but at the same time, I think that we would be doing a tremendous disservice to just completely neglect something that in my eyes, the way I see, it is like, who is who is going to be the one that’s going to shepherd them along to where they can really reap all the value that can be associated with that isn’t a loved one. Is it a manufacturer, that’s, you know, the onus is kind of on them? Is it the clinician, and you know, at the end of the day, the clinicians, the one that’s going to be patient facing. So I think it’s really a matter of, you know, if you want to, as a manufacturer, ensure that the patient or that the clinician is disseminating your information in the way that you want, you have to enable them in some capacity. And, and that’s where I see a role like yours is being like perfectly well suited for that is to say, like you did, I’m trying to make your life easier. Where are the pain points, if if there are these patterns and these reoccurring themes of frustrations, because of how, you know, it’s like you it’s a bridge too far for some patients, and then suddenly, now you’re having to almost do damage control or something like that. So I just see this as being it’s a bit of a paradox. And I think you have to kind of you have to solve it. And it seems like there’s a big opportunity there.
Dani Rood, Au.D.
I would absolutely agree with you. And frankly, to, as you were saying, is it the responsibility of a family member is it the responsibility of the provider is the responsibility of the manufacturer. Frankly, I think it’s a little bit of everything, a little bit on each party. So from a manufacturer standpoint, we have some wonderful documents that if you’ve ever received a follow up email from me, I am notorious for sending links. And I’m like, I promise this isn’t super aggressive. I’d rather you just have the documents if you need them as tools in your toolbox. Again, as I mentioned before, I frankly love being a student. So even before I came to Signia, I would make those steps, those different types of handouts for my patients. Something that’s really cool in the Signia software is if you actually go to our documentation tab, you can print out a whole handout for the patient right then in there. And it will tell them how to use the buttons on the hearing aid, it will tell them what programs they have. And then it has the QR code for them to download the app. In addition to that, you do have the ability to change the language in it, which I think is really cool. Because we all know people come in with interpreters. And how nice is it to be able to give a patient something in their native language. Here, you’re the one glaring in the hearing aids here is a paper into your native language on how your hearing aids working. I just think it’s a nice touch. And something I really always talk about in our software, because I think it’s kind of like a hidden gem that people don’t really know about. And, again, things I wish I would have known because I would spend my time making them, I still have some of those documents I made. We also do have a dedicated consumer Bluetooth hotline. So that I give to patients I’ll in every presentation again, I’m like, if you don’t have this number, write it down, take a picture, please give this to your patients. Because this is meant to help. This is meant to hopefully alleviate that strain on the provider. Because as somebody who has been a provider and saw multiple multiple patients a day, the amount of time I spent trying to find somebody’s Apple ID could have probably been more well spent. Yep, granite at the end of the day, did it help that patient? Yes. So I wouldn’t have said No,
Dave Kemp
exactly. And that’s the tough thing to kind of grapple with is it really does ultimately sort of fall on the shoulders of the clinician, because, again, you’re the one that’s doing the patient interfacing. And so, you know, if you’re going to basically open their eyes to you have these great additional features, would you like to talk about them? And if there’s any opening there and they say yes, you’re kind of in this position where it’s like, and I think it’s really great that Signia has like a dedicated customer service line because I do think that again, it’s like a matter of like, you know, how do you square that to recognize that as a clinician, the last thing that you want to do is be bogged down in in this sense of like I could be doing I could be doing better things with my time than being someone that is I’m like now having to fill this like quasi technician customer store costs First service troubleshooting role. And it’s, it’s almost like, you know, you’re almost being penalized in some way. And so that’s where I think it’s cool that like, obviously, this is something that must be top of mind within the manufacturers that they’ve already created an element within the app that’s dedicated for this so that you can make it easier for the lies of the clinician. But for me, I look at this and I say that the answer can’t be well just don’t talk about Bluetooth. So you know, ya know, you know, in light of that, it’s like, okay, so you’re gonna have to talk about it. So it’s a matter of, then I think, just figuring out, how do you how do you make sure that the clinician doesn’t get just completely bogged down by those kinds of things?
Dani Rood, Au.D.
Well, something I, obviously being a trainer, or clinical education specialists, as we call them here at Signia. Is Knowledge is power. I, hence why I do what I do. So it’s really just educating those providers on what is out there and how they’re able to utilize those tools that I mentioned. But again, that those tools might not be for every patient. So something I do focus on is okay, what kind of questions do you ask when you’re fitting a patient? Do you always do the app in the first fit, because that might be too much for that patient. So that’s always something to think about too. And, frankly, that’s really just something after being in clinic, you kind of start to get a feel for what you think a patient is going to be able to handle and not handle. And I bet if you would have asked audiologist, your hearing care professionals 30 years ago, if Well, frankly, Bluetooth wasn’t a thing back then. But I really would be curious to see if they ever imagined the world of audiology going the way it is now from the like techie aspect of it. And if that much change has happened, even in the last 20 years, what’s the 20 years to come?
Dave Kemp
Yeah, and it seems as if the speed is only increasing speed of innovation? And it’s it is it’s kind of it’s kind of sci fi II to think about, like where it will go. But oh, yeah. Do you think that it’s unavoidable that there’s going to be this element of it, I think that there can be efforts made to mitigate the amount of confusion associated with this. And you also have, just like, you know, the share of the population that has owned a smartphone and is becoming familiar with that modality is just continuing to grow. And so I think it it’s sort of like happening in tandem to where people are becoming more familiarized in general, there’s, you know, the, the boomer generation is getting older, and they for the most part, I think, are pretty savvy with them. So I think that it is like in a natural sort of process more or less, but I think it’s still it’s something that’s, that’s good to hear, like, you know, the manufacturers are thinking through and how like those efforts look. So you had mentioned you love being a student, I imagine that there’s an A an element to your job. With regard to students and fostering relationships with the next generation of audiologist. I mean, do you want to talk about that element of your job, and you know, that part of your passion is kind of like, paying it forward to the next generation and the idea of like, uh, you’ve already learned a lot, even in the short amount of time that you’ve been in your career. So it feels good to kind of like pass along that knowledge, right?
Dani Rood, Au.D.
Absolutely. And frankly, I’ve said this to my boss, and my teammates as well. She didn’t training is might actually be my favorite part of my job. I’ve gotten the opportunity to go to a couple universities since I started with Cigna, yet one of them including Bloomsburg, which was really cool to actually go back to where I did my undergrad. And I’m like, in the building, I spent so much time and I’m like, wow, this is like a full circle moment here that I was just so grateful and blessed for that opportunity that Signia really gave me to like, go back and give back to the university that I have so much love for. So with that I actually just received an email from a Bloomsburg student. And funny enough, she actually also went to my high school that we both went to Bloomsburg. So we had a lot in common and she was like, it’s really cool to see somebody with like the same background as me being successful as an audiologist. So just that alone, I was like, Oh my gosh, like that’s the nicest compliment I could receive from somebody. So students are absolutely the future. And especially with all the innovations, they have the best questions, and that’s probably why I like student training so much, because they are right now knee deep in their studies. Usually when I go in to give a student presentation, it’s part of like an amplification class or hearing aids class. So it’s really cool to see them put everything they’re learning in the classroom then and asking me these questions on how it relates to the real World. So then being able to foster that relationship between classroom work and clinical work. So that’s really cool. And frankly, the questions they asked, I’m just so impressed all the time, because I’m like, this forward way of thinking is what’s going to promote this industry? Even farther?
Dave Kemp
Is there anything that comes to mind in terms of these questions not to put you on a spot, but Oh, no, it’s fine. Anything that anything that really jumps to your mind in terms of like, that’s a good example of what you’re referring to here.
Dani Rood, Au.D.
Something as simple as asking about compression, or frequency lowering things like that, how they’re like, this is what we learned in our textbook, how in the software, would we get to that? So for example, if they’re like, We want to utilize frequency lowering, lowering, because a patient has a very steeply steeply sloping loss, what will we do? In our software, we call it frequency compression, we’re pretty conservative in it. So it doesn’t default on very often. But it’s as simple as checking the box to put it on. So if you think that’s something that you your, your patient is going to benefit from, here’s how you can do it. So that alone, again, just showing what they learn in the books, because I’m like thinking back to like my amplification classes. And I’m like, thinking would try and remember test questions. And I’m like, How is this gonna pertain when I’m seeing a patient? So that’s, again, where my job comes in. Here is everything you learned in the textbook, here’s how you can apply it in real life.
Dave Kemp
So in the span of time that you’ve been working as an audiologist, from the earliest memories, you have, you know, in the AUD program to where you are now, I’m always curious, you know, you obviously have a finger on the pulse of the innovation that’s transpiring within Signia. But even more broadly speaking, within the field right now, what’s getting you most excited about, like the future trajectory of hearing devices in general, whether it’s the hearing aids or even anything that’s sort of like adjacent to it? What in your opinion, is most exciting from your perspective?
Dani Rood, Au.D.
Well, speaking from like a Signia perspective of that, we have what’s called split processing. That is what came out with our a x or augmented experience. And this was a world’s first and whenever you hear about, you’re like, what does that mean? Really, with a x, what it is, is there’s two different streams. So if you kind of look at my background, there, you’ll see there’s like a red stream and a white stream. It’s demonstrating that because of that A x chip, they’re able to simultaneously take speech out and background noise out, then mix it together and push it out. Because of that, we know speech and noise is the biggest patient complaint. Hearing tracker confirms it. And frankly, anyone who has seen patients knows that’s the biggest complaint. That’s really what they’re utilizing in this, because now it’s almost like within this Signia chip. It’s like a sound engineer. So I always use the example of the movie Top Gun. Have you seen the movie Top Gun? Dave? Oh, yeah, they’re both rich one, both, but I’ll use them. I’ll use the new one as an example. Okay. Oh, really? Being around July 4 is a great time for a Yeah, right. conversate is now very patriotic. Absolutely. I mean, I am in red, white and blues. So with that, I always think of when Tom Cruise or my personal favorite miles Taylor is up in the plane, and you’re hearing that jet engine, you’re hearing that background sound track. But what’s the most distinct thing, you’re hearing their voice? That’s exactly what’s happening in that AIX chip, because they’re able to separate them independently. But simultaneously, it’s a clearer, more crisp signal to the wearer, which really just helps providers becomes less patient complaints, and enables the patients to have that better listening environment. But when you ask what I’m probably most excited about. And this is something I talk about all the time in my trainings, is our Signia assistant, which is a live neural network. What I mean by that, so this is a form of artificial intelligence. That’s the way that you can look at it. So I think that is really cool. And that is a way for sure. That the industry I see growing. So the way ours works is it’s Sydney it’s called Signia. Assistant, and with it being alive neural network, it’s always getting smarter. So the more people use it, the smarter it gets. So essentially what it is, is it puts Signia in the patient’s pocket. What I mean by that is I can distinctly remember this one patient of mine, and she comes in on a Monday morning, and she’s like, Danny, I wish she would have been at my son’s wedding with me on Saturday. And my first thought was, oh my gosh, that’s so sweet. But why? Why did you want me at the wedding. And she said, so you could have told me what to do in my app to hear better in that moment. And that like really stuck with me, because I was like, wow, that’s like such a good point. We’re not with them all the time. And there are those one off situations, whether it’s a wedding, Christmas, Thanksgiving, there are those things that happen every so often, but are so important, that are different than what you’ve been discussing for hearing problems and concerns. With Signia assistant, they can simply tap on it. And it says, Hello, welcome to Signia assistant, and then it gives them multiple choice options of what’s happening, it will then make real time changes to the hearing aid. So they can be helpful in that moment. So at that wedding at Christmas, at Thanksgiving, and what’s great, then from a provider standpoint, next time they come in, when it pops up on the provider screen, it will show them right then in there, what changes were made. So the provider is not in the dark. So I definitely think that type of artificial intelligence or how we call it, that signee assistant, is something that’s just going to keep promoting the future of Audiology. And coming back to your point about the baby boomers are getting older, bigger demographic with that, but I will say my Nana, is 88. And she is pretty darn good at the phone. So there are some people even in that older demographic. So that’s another thing I’d like to caution providers with, don’t assume, based on the person’s age, that they’re not going to be able to utilize the tools that are there.
Dave Kemp
100% I couldn’t agree more with that. i That’s really interesting. I both both points that you mentioned, the split processing is really interesting. I mean, like, here’s the thing is, you know, this is future year, right. So like, started this whole thing was me talking about kind of like the innovation happening with with this technology. And so that I started this in 2017. And to think of what’s happened over the last six years, it’s like, you know, cosmetically, the devices are getting a little bit smaller, a little bit sleeker. And there’s all just like l&t rechargeability, new functionality, but like, what’s really interesting, what’s happening is, like, if you, you know, the analogy of like a car, like you pop the hood of the car, you pop the hood of the hearing aid, what’s going on right now, with the, like, the micro level, like with the chips itself, and the systems on a chip. I mean, like, the whole design architecture of, you know, like, basically the world’s smallest electronic now, yeah, not literally, but But you know, is that it’s one of them. And it’s, it’s like, you know, it’s how seeing these really sophisticated components in them. And those components are what are really being innovated on, like, the microphones, the receivers, the chips, the neural masks and all this stuff. And then it’s like, okay, so like, what’s the result of that, and what we’re, I think, now starting to kind of, we’re seeing the fruits of this labor really bore out right now. And it’s like, the ability to be able to process two streams of audio at once. And what’s the benefit of that? Well, you know, you have like, first speech and noise purposes, like maybe that’s the solution here is that we need to start, you know, basically, using more sophisticated ways of parsing out the noise that’s coming through the years in real time, I mean, it really is kind of like a engineering marvel of what these devices can do. And it’s like, here we are, in 2023. And in a way, we’re really at the start of, I think, like the next big wave of what’s going to transpire because the foundation has changed fundamentally from, you know, their sheer needs are still primarily the ASIC chips, but you have all of the digital signal processing chips as well, that are being massively innovated upon. And because you have, you know, the commercial products like air pods, which are selling hundreds of millions of devices every single year. And my point here is like, it’s, you look at something as small as that you basically think like, what could they possibly, like, continue to innovate upon. And I think what we’re seeing is that there’s a lot more there, once you’ve just sort of continually upgraded the guts of the little machine. And it’s really cool to see this. So that’s the first thing I’ll say is like, I think we’re at the beginning of a next wave of really interesting innovation that’s going to be enabled by these New Age components that are residing inside the devices himself. And then to your point about like the AI assistant, you know, I think a lot of people might have like a tendency to think like that’s so futuristic sounding, and that’s like, you know, a little zany that’s going to be over my patient’s head, but when you actually get down to the real use cases of it, this is such a perfect example of where I think there’s a lot of value that can be unlocked, which is, like you said, there might only be like one to three occasions in a year where you really need the device to perform in the way that you want. And, frankly, it might be in a situation where the traditional method of support is unavailable. So if you have this ability, where you can just go into the app, and you can like, quasi program it for your needs in the moment, and then not to mention that the provider has a line of sight. So that’s really, really exciting to me.
Dani Rood, Au.D.
And especially because it’s those real time changes. And like I mentioned before, with it being a live neural network, we want more people to use it, the more people that use it, the smarter it gets, because it’s not a set amount of data points, it can be an infinite amount of data points, because the more people that use it, the more data points.
Dave Kemp
Yeah, yeah, exactly. The beauty of compounding. So as we kind of come to the close here, I’ve really enjoyed this, you know, a lot of really interesting thought provoking topics. So what does the rest of the year and and kind of the next phase of your journey look like? You’re obviously only a little over seven months into this new role. But you know, what’s, what’s kind of on your horizon, and what’s getting you excited about your future and just kind of the future of this industry, for the professionals and For ultimately, the patients like what what’s getting you really excited?
Dani Rood, Au.D.
Well, split processing, as I mentioned before, I’m just mind blown by it. And that’s coming from somebody who works here at Signia, that it really is just so innovative. And with Signia. In particular, we’ve had a lot of world’s first world’s first rechargeable your ear wireless. So I’m excited to see in the future, what other worlds first we come up with and how it’s going to benefit not only the patient, but the provider. Because at the end of the day, we want to benefit both, we are a hearing aid manufacturer at the end of the day. So who’s going to be fitting the hearing aids the providers, so we need to keep that in mind. But all of us as professionals, the overarching goal is how can we help patients better. So it’s that fine line of making sure the product is what you want it to be. And something that we do here at Signia is we’re always building upon what we already had. So we’re never going to put something out that isn’t better than what it was before. So you’ll see in a lot of our studies, not only do we compare to our other manufacturers, our competitors will compare to ourselves. So in studies, you’ll see wearing their own hearing aids. So for example, with ATX, it shows that compared to the patient wearing their own hearing aids, which is both other manufacturers or our previous generations wanting 5%, better speech and noise understanding, that’s a huge increase. So again, we’re always going to be comparing to ourselves, I think it’s like that little challenge, what’s put out something better than it was before and really comes down to change can be scary, by all means. But my dad said this to me once actually, when I was interviewing for grad school. And he said, Danielle, if you wouldn’t be nervous, it would mean you didn’t care. Change, change is scary. But it’s inevitable. And it’s needed. Look at all the change that’s happened in the audiology field. So I’m excited for the future, hence why we’re on future ear. Right? There’s so much to come that I learned something new every day. And I’m looking forward to the rest of my journey to continue that. And I’m excited to see what else I’m gonna learn on this crazy career of mine that I absolutely love. And I’m so thankful for.
Dave Kemp
Yeah, I would say that, like, one of the things I’ve probably is one of the most consistent themes with everybody that I’ve interviewed, is this thirst, and desire to just kind of always be learning. And I think that that is so critical is like so long as you have a willingness and an open mind to, you know, at least hear the shear out what these changes might ultimately result in and be somewhat receptive to that. It allows for you to grow. And I think that like, you know, especially as a young person in this industry, we’re gonna see so much change happen because the world is moving so fast now, but I get a lot of hope. Because I talk to people like you were, you know, you’re, you’re just kind of like, I think getting your legs underneath you with your career and you have a long runway ahead of you. And it’s a matter of like how can you you know, continue to make more and more of an outsized impact. And and that’s something that I think is really exciting right now to watch is a lot of these young professionals have this. I think this capacity to take on more and more and really make the change that they Want to see in the world?
Dani Rood, Au.D.
Absolutely. It’s honestly, podcasts and in things like this, that are just showing the change in the world, on cast weren’t really a thing over many years ago. And now look, there’s a podcast for everything. Now we’re here talking about the future of audiology and hearing aids. But then there could be one like the Kelsey brothers who were talking about the funniness of football. Yeah, just just showing again, change is inevitable. Change is going to be scary. But there’s no growth, there’s no change. And I think that’s something really important to think about, especially within this industry. You can keep doing things the way you’ve always done them. But then you’re going to have the same problems or the same complaints. So why not move forward in an industry that has so much to look forward to, to do this?
Dave Kemp
Totally well said. And on that note, I think that the great way to navigate change is to collaborate. And so for folks that might want to, you know, link up with you and learn more, or just connect in general, what’s the best way to connect with you.
Dani Rood, Au.D.
So you can absolutely find me on LinkedIn, which I think, again, is a change that we’re seeing. It’s like a new form of social media in the best way possible. My name is Danielle rode on there. But frankly, no one ever calls me Danielle, everyone always calls me Danny. So feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or Danielle dot road at Cigna. usa.com is my email. I’m always happy to chat.
Dave Kemp
Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Danny, this has been a great chat. Thanks for everybody who tuned in here to the end and we will chat with you next time.
Dani Rood, Au.D.
Cheers, son. Thanks, Dave.
