I want to share some exciting news with you.

Yesterday, The Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) announced that I has been elected to serve as ADA President-Elect for the 2026 program year. This is a tremendous honor, but what excites me most is what it means for you.

Because while the ADA may be a national organization focused on raising the bar of hearing healthcare standards, everything I will bring to this role comes directly from my work here in Lawrenceburg and Harrison with patients like you.

What is the ADA?

If you’ve never heard of the ADA, you’re not alone - most patients haven’t. But behind the scenes, it plays a vital role in shaping the kind of care you receive when you visit an audiologist.

The ADA is made up of audiologists from across the country who are committed to raising the standard of hearing healthcare. Its work touches nearly every aspect of what happens in an audiology clinic, including:

• Best Practices: The ADA develops and refines the gold-standard procedures that audiologists follow when testing hearing, fitting technology, and supporting patients long-term. These best practices ensure consistency and quality no matter where a patient lives.

• Patient Advocacy: The ADA is a strong voice for patients in Washington, D.C., working to make hearing care more affordable, accessible, and patient-centered. This means pushing for policies that protect patients’ needs and ensure audiologists can deliver care that prioritizes people over profits.

• Ethical Standards: The ADA also helps guide the ethical framework of the profession - making sure that recommendations are based on what’s best for patients, not on outside pressures or sales targets.

In short, the ADA is where the future of hearing care is shaped. And as President, I now have the opportunity to bring your experiences, your challenges, and your successes into that conversation.

What this means for you.

Being President-Elect to the ADA for 2026 is deeply meaningful to me, because the values I’ll bring to this national role come directly from my work with you here at Flex Audiology.

And let me be clear: this role does not take me away from Flex or from my patients. It’s an elected leadership position within my profession - not a new job - which means I will continue to see you in Lawrenceburg and Harrison just as I always have.

The difference is this: now, the care you receive here isn’t just following national standards - it’s helping to set them. That’s a massive benefit for you.

·       The highest standards of care, right here. You’re being cared for by the very person shaping the guidelines other audiologists will follow across the country.

·       Your needs have a voice. The real-life challenges and successes you share with me are now informing national conversations and decisions in audiology.

·       Confidence and trust. Few patients can say their audiologist is also the President of the Academy of Doctors of Audiology. For you, that means an added layer of reassurance: the person treating you locally is trusted nationally to lead the way.

Hearing care has never been just about devices to me. 

It’s about people - the father who wants to hear his daughter’s laugh again, the grandmother who wants to enjoy family dinners without frustration, the child who needs to thrive in school without the barrier of untreated hearing loss.

Those moments fuel my work, and now, they’ll also guide my leadership as ADA President.

Looking ahead

My work with the ADA isn’t about stepping away from my patients - it’s about stepping up for them.

I’ll still be right here in Lawrenceburg and Harrison, providing the same personal care you’ve always known. But now, the lessons we learn together will help shape how patients are cared for across the country.

So when you come to Flex Audiology, you’re not only receiving attentive local care - you’re stepping into a clinic that is helping set the direction for hearing healthcare nationwide.

Thank you for trusting me with your hearing. It’s a privilege I don’t take lightly, and one I’ll continue to honor - both here at home and now on the national stage.

— Dr. Erica Person