About Us

  

What distinguishes audiologists Holly Hosford-Dunn and Sharon K. Hopkins of Tucson Audiologists/TAI Inc.?

•  We have over 25 years of experience working in clinics with adults who value their hearing and want to do everything they can to maintain their hearing health and their communications with family and friends, in the workplace, and in social situations.

• We personally tend to every patient and spend as much time with them as they need.  Some of our patients have been coming to us for 22 years! We think of our patients as friends or family – we know their needs, their likes, their histories, and how their hearing has aided or diminished their life experiences.  We are constantly working to optimize their hearing in all of the situations they feel are important.

What Are Our Credentials?

Our training and work experience were at the best hearing research and dispensing audiology clinical settings.

• Holly Hosford-Dunn, PhD, Clinical Audiologist, obtained her PhD in Hearing Sciences at Stanford University. She did a post-doctoral fellowship at MIT in Boston before serving as Director of Audiology at Stanford University Medical Center for six years. She has owned and managed four audiology and hearing aid dispensing practices in Tucson over the past 23 years.
• Sharon K. Hopkins, MA, Clinical Audiologist, obtained her Masters in Audiology from the University of Northern Colorado/Greeley, one of the premier rehabilitation programs in the country.  After re-locating to Tucson, she opened and directed a dispensing audiology practice on Alvernon Rd. for many years, and then managed an office for Tucson Audiology Institute, Inc.

What Are Our Interests and Areas of Expertise? 

• Diagnostic Audiology.  This is our interest and we are expert at it, the reason we have been the first choice of many outstanding physicians for their Tucson-area patients for many years, in Tucson, Pima County, and the Phoenix area. It is also why audiologists and audiology clinics throughout the US refer their patients to us.
  • We don’t simply conduct a hearing test to fit hearing aids!  We use a “best practices” medical model to ensure that our patients receive consistently excellent evaluations and individualized treatments.
  • We do a series of psychophysical tests that comprise an Audiology Test Battery. We do this to systematically examine all parts of the ear, the hearing nerve, and the auditory pathways that process sound in the brain.
  • We want to know WHERE the hearing breakdown occurs and WHY it is occurring before we make decisions and recommendations about treatment.
• Hearing Protection.  We are dedicated to stopping hearing loss from happening in the first place, or continuing to deteriorate in people who already have hearing problems.
  • In Arizona and California, we have directed and worked in private industry Hearing Conservation programs, under OSHA guidelines, in military and VA hospitals.
  • We scrutinize our patients’ histories carefully for dangerous recreational noise exposure and monitor their current lifestyles to protect them from noise-induced hearing loss.
• Hearing Aids. We believe STRONGLY that hearing aids help those with hearing loss, but only if certain conditions are met:
  • Extensive pre-fit counseling is performed to set patient expectations and match those expectations with the “best fit” hearing aid technologies and hearing aid costs.
  • Hearing aid fitting procedures are implemented correctly in a sequence that promotes patients’ success in learning to incorporate hearing aids into their different lifestyles.
  • The hearing aid fit, the patient’s aided performance, and the overall condition of the hearing aids are checked at least four times a year at no charge.
• Tinnitus.  Ringing in the ears accompanies many complaints of hearing loss, or can occur without other hearing problems.  Tinnitus can signify a significant medical problem in the auditory system, or it can be an annoying or debilitating by-product of hearing loss.
  • Our expertise and interest in tinnitus go hand in hand with our interest and expertise in diagnosing and treating hearing problems. We use the diagnostic audiology test battery to investigate tinnitus complaints and tailor our recommendations for tinnitus management.
  • Interestingly, past and very recent research supports the use of hearing aids as a highly effective means of managing tinnitus.
  • Whatever the origin or recommended treatment for tinnitus, counseling is an important part of tinnitus management.
• Counseling. Patient history, hearing diagnosis, hearing protection, and hearing aid fitting all require consistent and careful discussion with each patient, individualized for their past and present needs.  This is how we counsel and it is an important part of our interests and our expertise. We also encourage patients to use LACE and other computer-based training methods to sharpen their auditory and listening skills.
• Expert Witness & Expert Opinion.  On occasion, we are asked to testify or research and report on situations and environments in which hearing loss is a factor, or in which hearing loss may have been induced.  This is a fascinating area requiring excellent diagnostic proficiency and research training.  It is also a great way for us to learn more and hone our skills.  Throughout the years, we have helped patients and professional clients win cases and settlements.

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