Awarded to one audiologist and one non-audiologist for their exceptional support of the field of audiology and/or the patients we serve by focusing on issues that directly affect the profession and/or consumers with hearing loss and balance disorders. The recipient shall have made notable contributions in one or more of the following areas: outstanding clinical practice and/or patient care, teaching or mentoring; advocacy; research; and/or exceptional service to the profession of audiology.
How to Nominate
The Academy Honors and Awards Committee encourages all Academy members to identify those colleagues they believe have made significant contributions to the audiology profession. If you know someone who should be recognized for his or her efforts, please take the time to submit a nomination packet to the committee for review. Read more about the nomination requirements and committee policies here.
Award Winners
Dr. Angela Shoup is an exceptionally accomplished audiologist and respected professional, described by her peers as level-headed, gracious, reliable, and humble. Her previous and ongoing achievements in the field of audiology exemplify her dedication to its advancement.
Throughout her career, Dr. Shoup has combined clinical care, teaching/mentoring, research, and advocacy in audiology. She is currently the executive director of the Callier Center for Communication Disorders and a professor in the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing at the University of Texas at Dallas. She has a secondary appointment as a clinical professor of otolaryngology at UT Southwestern Medical Center where she previously served as the director of communicative and vestibular disorders.
Dr. Shoup is committed to improving outcomes for individuals and families impacted by hearing and balance challenges. This commitment is reflected in her dedication to clinical care, which has been recognized by being awarded as a Best Doctor in Dallas multiple times. This is also evident in her tireless advocacy for audiology and for the individuals and families we serve. In recognition of her efforts, on August 23, 2000, the Texas Hospital Association and Texas House of Representatives had a flag flown at the capital in honor of outstanding service to the children of Texas.
Dr. Shoup has made and is continuing to make impactful contributions with her research. Her research interests include: implementation and effects of newborn hearing screening programs; congenital cytomegalovirus and its impacts on hearing; auditory electrophysiology; implantable devices; and vestibular disorders. Amongst these topics Dr. Shoup has multiple publications and presentations.
Dr. Shoup’s contributions to audiology and commitment to interprofessional practice were recognized when she was inducted into the National Academies of Practice as a Distinguished Scholar and Fellow (FNAP). She has served in several professional organizations and held multiple board positions including, but not limited to: past president of the Texas Academy of Audiology, past president of the American Academy of Audiology, current chair of Guidelines and Strategic Documents Committee for the American Academy of Audiology, current chair of the National Academies of Practice Audiology Academy, member of the Texas Deaf and Hard of Hearing Leadership Council-Birth to Three, and member of the scientific advisory committee for the National CMV Foundation .
The American Academy of Audiology is pleased to recognize Dr. Shoup as a more than deserving recipient for the 2024 Honors of the Academy Award.
Catherine Palmer, PhD, is an eminent leader in the field of audiology, whose contributions in clinical practice, research, education, and advocacy for the profession clearly warrant her selection for the 2023 Honors of the Academy.
As a clinician and researcher, Dr. Palmer is recognized internationally as a passionate, yet approachable, advocate for evidence-based audiological care. Her research productivity in amplification and interventional audiology continues while she maintains her own patient load and expertly manages 26 audiology office locations.
Since 1991, her innovative contributions in teaching and mentoring at the University of Pittsburgh have inspired dozens of doctoral students and she has earned the Provost’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring. Dr. Palmer’s advocacy for audiology was demonstrated when she became the face of our profession during uncertainties related to the impact of over-the counter (OTC) hearing aids. She led the Academy’s task force in responding to the FDA ruling for OTCs and she tirelessly interacted with policymakers and audiologists to bring clarity to this new and nebulous area.
Her service to the profession of audiology will be most remembered and appreciated for her extraordinary efforts as the Academy’s president during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her keen leadership, the Academy produced a wealth of resources for audiologists who sought to keep their offices open by implementing safe practices and alternate care models such as tele-audiology. Dr. Palmer’s calm and instructive communications, and her heroic guidance, were truly critical for guiding the profession of audiology during that historic and disruptive period.
Throughout his career, Dr. Windmill has maintained the highest standards and commitment to the profession while generating innovative ideas contributing to the education of students and clinical excellence. He has dedicated his career to ensure students and practitioners throughout the world receive the latest and most practical clinical education. His dedication to education led to his role as chair of the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education, developing standards for audiology doctoral education.
Dr. Windmill’s greatest asset is his ability to take complex challenges and develop straightforward solutions. He developed position statements for the profession, including testimony to the U.S. Federal Drug Administration, U.S. Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.
Dr. Windmill served as president of the American Academy of Audiology. During his tenure, he implemented fiscal policy, restructured committees for greater integration, strategic alignment, and communication, and broadened alliances with professional organizations, consumer groups, and the hearing industry. Most recently, he serves as the chair of the Academy’s Guidelines and Strategic Documents Committee.
He has been a servant to our profession. Every decision he makes is considered in the larger context of its impact to our profession. The Academy is pleased to bestow its 2022 Honors of the Academy to Dr. Ian Windmill in recognition of his significant contributions to audiology.
A role model of integrity and leadership, the Academy is pleased to bestow its 2021 Honors of the Academy to Erin Miller in recognition of her significant contributions to the field of audiology.
Dr. Miller has maintained an unbroken record of professional service and leadership, working tirelessly in the public eye and behind the scenes. She has served on over 60 committees and councils.
Nationally, she served on the Academy Board of Directors, is a past president of the Academy, and chaired the 2019 AAA Annual Conference. She also served as president of the Ohio Academy of Audiology and as the representative for the Ohio Speech and Hearing Governmental Affairs Coalition for 15 years. Through her work, Dr. Miller brings a consistent and unruffled approach to leadership.
As coordinator of the Northeast Ohio AuD Consortium, Dr. Miller ensures The University of Akron, Kent State University, and Cleveland Clinic act as one entity to benefit their students. She teaches multiple courses, deftly weaving theory and practice from classroom to clinic, and precepts in the clinic.
Dr. Miller also teaches beyond the university, including multiple presentations and publications. She is especially renowned on the complex topic of professional ethics, advancing this issue as a mainstream value shaping our professional identity.
Paul Pessis, AuD, is the owner and founder of North Shore Audio-Vestibular Lab. He is also an instructor at Rush University and is a sought-after speaker on private practice and coding and reimbursement issues. Dr. Pessis has additionally served on the Academy Board of Directors and as president of the Academy.
Dr. Pessis’ wisdom and foresight assisted in the creation of the Academy’s Coding and Reimbursement Committee, the Coding and Practice Management Committee, the Academy’s Practice Policy Advisory Council, the Academy’s involvement in Audiology code development and valuation via participation in the CPT Editorial Panel and RUC processes, and the representation of the profession with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Always, at the forefront of his efforts is his belief in Audiology as an autonomous profession deserving of professional reimbursement. Dr. Pessis’ leadership and persistence ensured a successful petition to garner Audiology seats at both the AMA CPT and RUC Health Care Professionals Advisory Committees, for which he serves as the Academy’s RUC HCPAC representative.
Additionally, he is the sole audiology representative to the Hearing Instrument Manufacturer’s Software Association (HIMSA) Board, an international board comprised of the six hearing aid company leaders, and has served on the Board of Directors for the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education (ACAE).
From creating standards for new professionals to his role in maintaining appropriate valuation of the diagnostic services we provide, Dr. Pessis’ leadership spans all realms of the profession. The Academy is pleased to bestow its 2020 Honors of the Academy to Dr. Paul Pessis, in recognition of his significant contributions to the field audiology.
Angela Loavenbruck is an illustrious leader in the field of audiology, whose high standards, innovations, and commitment have crafted positive and lasting changes in hearing-care services. Throughout her career, her efforts at the local, state, and national levels spurred audiology to an autonomous profession. As a clinician, Dr. Loavenbruck has dedicated her career to delivery of high-quality, patient-centered services. She is among the first audiologists in the nation to start her own independent practice, generating new delivery models for comprehensive, evidenced-based audiology services directly from audiologists.
At a time when audiologists were prohibited from dispensing hearing aids, Dr. Loavenbruck coauthored the first textbook on Hearing Aid Dispensing for Audiologists in 1978. She was among early advocates of the AuD degree and was a principal developer of rigorous educational standards for academic programs. As the first chair of the Accreditation Commission for Audiology Education, her dialogues spurred the separation of university program accreditation from simple certification. She served on the Board of the Audiology Foundation of America, helping to raise millions of dollars to support the transition to the AuD. During her term as president of the American Academy of Audiology, she focused on assuring that ethical standards for audiologists were unsurpassed in health care.
Dr. Loavenbruck has fruitfully applied her unique ability to resolve complex challenges with reasonable and clear solutions (for the benefit of the audiology profession and the patients we serve), in locations ranging from the halls of Congress to individual audiology clinics.
Dr. Zapala is an associate professor of audiology in the College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Foundation. He is also a senior consultant in otorhinolaryngology and the chair of the audiology division at the Mayo Clinic Florida. He is active in direct patient care; resident, fellow, and post-doctoral mentorship; clinical research; and clinical information management. From a research perspective, he has focused on mathematical modeling methods to improve audiological and vestibular diagnostics and to quantify the functional consequences of hearing impairment. He also studies the perceptual and functional consequences of vestibular and balance disorders.
Dr. Zapala received a Master of Science degree from Utah State University in 1983 and a PhD from University of Memphis in 1993. Early in his career, he developed the Mid-South Lions Infant Hearing Center and the Methodist/University of Tennessee Hearing and Balance Center at Methodist Healthcare in Memphis. He also served as a clinical professor in otolaryngology at the University of Tennessee. He continues to publish, teach, and present in the areas of vestibular assessment and diagnostic audiology. Dr. Zapala has served on the American Board of Audiology, the American Academy of Audiology Board of Directors, and the American Balance Society Board of Directors. He is also a past president of the Tennessee Academy of Audiology.
More recently, he served on the National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine Committee on the Accessibility and Affordability of Hearing Healthcare.
He is the recipient of the Edward Dalstrom Distinguished Service Award by the Mid-South Lions Sight and Hearing Service (2001); Distinguished Service Award from the American Board of Audiology (2007); Jerger Mentor Award in Clinical Research (2009); Outstanding Alumnus of the Year by School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Memphis (2013); and the Arnold D. Tuttle Award in Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine (2013). He was recognized as Clinician of the Year for Mayo Clinic Florida (2016). His research is supported by the Mayo Clinic, the Knowles Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. He is currently funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders to study ways of decreasing the cost of hearing health care associated with hearing aid use.
