Beltone honors Dr. Juliëtte Sterkens with prestigious Larry Mauldin Award
Posted: April 19, 2011
Juliëtte Sterkens, Au.D., is a 2006 graduate of ATSU’s Arizona School of Health Sciences.
Beltone Electronics awarded the Larry Mauldin Award for Excellence in Education to Juliëtte Sterkens, Au.D., ’06, at the AudiologyNOW! Convention in Chicago, heldApril 6-9. The Mauldin Award is unique because honorees are solely nominated and selected by their industry peers. “Beltone is proud to present this award to Dr. Sterkens,” said Todd Murray, president of Beltone North America. “Her extraordinary contributions to the field of audiology and the hearing care industry are profound. We are grateful for her ongoing efforts to improve our industry, and to benefit the people with hearing loss we serve, through continuing education, advocacy and innovation.” Born and raised in the Netherlands, Dr. Sterkens is the co-owner of the Fox Valley Hearing Center, with locations in Oshkosh, Neenah, and Ripon, Wis. A recent recipient of the WSHA Wisconsin Audiologist of the Year Award, she is also the past president of the Wisconsin Alliance of Hearing Professionals, past co-chair of the Wisconsin Speech Language Pathology and Audiology Association, and guest speaker at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh School of Nursing. Dr. Sterkens’ passion to help persons with hearing loss led her to found the Fox Valley Hearing Loop Initiative, advocating the use of hearing loop technology. She has held many local, state and international speaking engagements, and has written numerous articles supporting the use of this technology. In addition, she serves on the Hearing Loss Association of America and American Academy of Audiology “Get in the Hearing Loop” Joint National Task Force. Hearing loops permit individuals with telecoil-equipped hearing aids or cochlear implants to wirelessly capture the signal from a PA system in a large area such as a place of worship or entertainment venue giving them pure sound without background noise. By reaching out to hearing healthcare professionals, the audiovisual industry, church officials and consumers, she has fostered hearing loop initiatives and installations across the country. Her efforts have resulted in over 50 large hearing loop installations throughout Wisconsin, a number expected to double in 2011. “I am honored to be chosen for this award by my colleagues,” says Dr. Sterkens. “It is rewarding to be recognized within the industry and further energizes my efforts to continue the “Loop America” advocacy work begun by Dr. David Myers, as I believe it will not only benefit the people with hearing loss we serve, but all hearing healthcare professionals in our industry.” The Mauldin Award was created to honor the accomplishments of the late Larry Mauldin, especially for his work and commitment to education in the field of audiology. His passion was to advance the knowledge of audiology and hearing aid fittings to as broad an audience as possible. Presented annually since 1999, the award is given to an industry leader committed to continuing education and unselfishly giving back to the profession, the community and the hearing impaired.