Recognising outstanding achievement and professional excellence
We recognise and celebrate the exceptional work of our members from at every stage of their career from student and early career practitioners to experienced audiologists.
Read below for information on those we’ve honoured and keep checking this page information updates on scholarship and award application dates.
Congratulations to all our award winners!
Honorary Fellow
Honorary Fellowships are awarded to members with scientific distinction who are considered to have contributed to the advancement of audiology and have been elected to the Company in line with these rules. The total number of honorary fellows at any one time will not exceed 4.
- Prof Graeme Clarke
Fellow
Approved by the Board, a Fellow is a member deemed to possess the requirements for membership and who the Board agrees has made a substantial and original contribution to the advancement of audiological knowledge or practice, in Australia, either by their own research or by organising and developing the work of others.
- Dr John Bench
- Dr Judith Boswell
- Prof Bob Cowan
- Adj Prof Harvey Dillon
- Prof Richard Dowell
- Prof Louise Hickson
- Prof Philip Newall
- Assoc Prof Gary Rance
- Prof Field Rickards
- Mr Laurence Upfold
- Adj Assoc Professor Sandra Bellekom
- Mrs Myriam Westcott
- Janis Whitehead
- Dr Bec Bennett
Life Member
A Member who the Board recognises has made a significant contribution to the field of Audiology or has rendered distinguished service to the Audiology profession or the Company.
- Mr Edmond Keir
- Dr Jenny Rosen
- Mr Laurence Upfold
- Prof Robert Cowan
- Dr Field Rickards
- Mr Anthony Crittenden
- Dr Helen Goulios
- Alison King
- Prof Louise Hickson
Certificate of Outstanding Service
The Audiology Australia Certificate of Outstanding Service is awarded on recommendation of the Board to recognise the contribution of individual members to Audiology Australia and to the profession of audiology, and to promote pride in the profession. The inaugural awards were presented at the 11th National ASA Conference in Melbourne in 1994, and have been presented at each successive National Conference since that time.
| Year | Awarded to |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Denis Byrne Maureen McCutcheon Peta Monley Narelle Murray Field Rickards Gary Walker |
| 1996 | Greg Birtles Peter Harrison Eddie Keir Angela Marshall Philip Newall |
| 1998 | Maryanne Golding Lesley Tan |
| 2000 | Pam Gabriels Dorothy Moore |
| 2002 | Richard Roper Jenny Rosen |
| 2004 | Suzanne Purdy Jeanette Scott Lindsay Simons Laurie Upfold Sharon Weeks |
| 2006 | Harvey Dillon Christine Elliott Louise Hickson Christine Jennings |
| 2008 | Carlie Driscoll Chrissie Heine Ian Henderson Joseph Kei Alison King Elaine Saunders Evelyn Towers |
| 2010 | Richard Dowell Paul Dudley Susan Forster Ron Linning Michael Matheson Karen Pedley Jessica Vitkovic Wayne Wilson |
| 2012 | Kate Hobart David May Karen Sparrow Iain Summerlin |
| 2014 | Kathleen Currie Judith Lockie Monica Wilkinson |
| 2016 | Susan Clutterbuck Janelle Cook Collette McKay Emma Scanlan Paul Walsh |
| 2018 | Donna Carkeet Peter Cichello Kathryn Stoddart Wayne Wilson |
| 2023 | Jenny Smith Martin Edward Wall Dayse Tavora-Veira |
| 2025 | Dr Colleen Psarros Amarjit Anand Jane MacDonald |
The President’s Distinguished Service Award
This award is given at the discretion of the President of Audiology Australia for outstanding contributions to the profession of audiology and Audiology Australia. It has only been given 3 times since the inaugural award in 2002.
| Year | Awarded to |
|---|---|
| 2002 | Prof Robert Cowan |
| 2004 | Mr Paul Hickey |
| 2008 | Ms Sharan Westcott |
| 2014 | Dr Christopher Lind |
Laurie Upfold Young Presenters Award
This award was first presented at the 2012 conference and has been made available by the generous donation from Laurie Upfold to encourage new and young presenters at our conferences. Laurie has had a long and rewarding career in audiology and is keen to engender enthusiasm, questioning and thoughtfulness in our up and coming clinicians.
| Year | Awarded to |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Melisha Naidoo |
| 2014 | Kiriana Meha-Bettison |
| 2016 | Joaquin Valderrama |
| 2018 | Rakshita Gokula |
| 2023 | Marcus Voola |
| 2025 | Lucy Shiels |
Denis Byrne Memorial Lecture
In March of 2000, scientists and audiologists in Australia and worldwide mourned the passing of Dr Denis Byrne. Denis was one of the founders of the Audiology Australia and he was a giant in the field of audiology. Denis was first and foremost a scientist, making original contributions to hearing research and to clinical practice. His pioneering work in developing the NAL hearing aid prescription improved the lives of thousands of hearing aid users, and NAL prescription continues to be an industry standard both in Australia and internationally. Denis was a friend, a colleague, a scientist, an innovator, and a mentor who encouraged and supported many of us in our chosen career. Most of all, he was an inspiration to us all. Denis was also a teacher, who believed in sharing knowledge freely, and who worked tirelessly as the first Editor of the Australia and New Zealand Journal of Audiology to create a world-class scientific journal showcasing Australian hearing research.
In seeking to commemorate Denis, Audiology Australia established the ‘Denis Byrne Memorial Lecture’ as a lasting tribute to a truly great Australian scientist and clinician. The lecture is delivered by an eminent Australian researcher or clinician at each Audiology Australia National Conference. The names of the lecturers are inscribed on the memorial plaque, which proudly hangs in the Audiology Australia national office as a perpetual reminder of Denis’s role in establishing Australia in the global collegium in audiology and hearing research. Although Denis was never one for self-aggrandizement or formality, we believe that he would have approved of honouring Australian audiology and audiologists in his name.
Denis Byrne Memorial Lecturers – Honour Roll
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 2000 | Laurie Upfold |
| 2002 | Field Rickards |
| 2004 | Jenni Rosen |
| 2006 | Robert Cowan |
| 2008 | Harvey Dillon |
| 2010 | Louise Hickson |
| 2012 | Rob Patuzzi |
| 2014 | Christopher Lind |
| 2016 | Alison King |
| 2018 | Richard Dowell |
| 2023 | Sandra Bellekom |
| 2025 | Assoc Prof Helen Goulios |
Barbara Skurr Scholarship
Barbara Skurr was a founding member of Audiology Australia and was the inaugural secretary and treasurer. In 1971, she was elected as President and was the association’s first female president. Barbara worked in hospitals in Sydney for many years, with stints in Singapore and Indonesia. Her early journal articles about binaural hearing and hearing aid use, and speech discrimination, helped pave the way for a greater understanding of how hearing aids can benefit people with hearing loss.
When we celebrated our 50th anniversary at the National Conference in 2018, we honoured Barbara by awarding scholarships in her name to one second-year master of audiology student from each accredited audiology university around Australia.
| Year | Awarded to |
|---|---|
| 2018 | Patrick Bowers - The University of Melbourne Taylor Conradi - The University of Queensland Alyssa Dyball - The University of Sydney Genevieve Grose - Flinders University Shanaz Jamal - LaTrobe University Mattullah Mher - The University of Western Australia |
| 2023 | Luke Austin - The University of Western Australia Sithmi Withana Arachchi - La Trobe University Nikolina Katarina Banovac - The University of Melbourne Grace Malone - Flinders University Kerry Huang Chen - The University of Queensland Lilly Leaver - Macquarie University |
| 2025 | Athena Koutsovasilis - The University of Melbourne Adriana Dall'Est - La Trobe University I Gede Adi Wiguna - Flinders University Chloe Baxter - The University of Western Australia Dean Aidan Young Han Choo - Macquarie University Sarah Daniel - University of Queensland Udari Kalpana Jayatissa Batuwatta Gamage - Charles Darwin University |
Outstanding Audiology Australia Supervisor
This award is to promote, recognise and reward excellence in supervision. It is to acknowledge the crucial and valuable work performed by AudA Accredited Audiologists who supervise clinical interns on their pathway to becoming Accredited Audiologists.
| Year | Awarded to |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Lawrence Sim Blake Henderson Shirley Lam Jevan Leggett Faubala Nemetala Anne Dunne |
| 2025 | Julian Shen Paul Dayton |
Audiology Australia Internship Award
This award recognises and rewards a member for their outstanding dedication, enthusiasm, professionalism, work ethics and achievement during their clinical internship period.
| Year | Awarded to |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Quinnie Sun Laura Drexler Isaac Mau Zxeng Lindt See |
| 2025 | Aishah Segu Mohamed Caris Bogdanov |
Audiology Australia Conference Oral Presentation Awards
These awards recognise those AudA members who have taken the time to present their audiology research project or a clinical innovation or scenario at the Audiology Australia Conference, sharing outcomes that can be practically implemented in audiology clinics.
| Year | Awarded to |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Ellen Bothe - Best Early Career Research Presentation Award Dr Robyn Choi - Best Research Presentation Award Melisha Sirisena - Best Clinical Presentation Award Prof Padraig Kitterick - People's Choice Oral Presentation Award |
| 2025 | Jermy Pang - Best Early Career Research Presentation Award Dr Paola Incerti - Best Research Presentation Award Erin Keach - Best Clinical Presentation Award Dr Meg Miklosvary - People's Choice Oral Presentation Award |
Audiology Australia Conference Poster Awards
These awards recognise those AudA members who have designed posters featuring a research project or clinical innovation or scenario for the Audiology Australia Conference, and detailed their applicability to audiology practice.
| Year | Awarded to |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Teagan Young - Best Early Career Research Poster Award Alice Pender - Best Early Career Research Poster Award Angela Wong - Best Research Poster Award Shaani Graves - Best Clinical Poster Award Shaani Graves - People's Choice Poster Award |
| 2025 | Marisa Poulos - Best Early Career Research Poster Award Laura Drexler - Best Clinical Poster Award Jason Gavrilis - Best Research Poster Award Shermin Lim - People's Choice Poster Award |
Sean Fitzpatrick Rural and Remote Scholarship
The Sean Fitzpatrick Rural and Remote Scholarship supports students studying an AudA accredited audiology master course to undertake rural and remote placements around Australia.